Thread: American gas guzzler myths

The American Gas Guzzler Myth

I was kinda suprized by some of the stats on here. I know i saw a deal simlar to this about which cars break down the most and it was the imports.

My gas guzzler gets 33MPG on the highway. Damned inefficient.

Thats some pretty interesting information.

You can bet your bottom dollar you wont see the US News Media beating a drum against Honda or Toyota for their gas guzzlers. Our media just loves to pick on the local guy. I think information like this, would really open a lot of peoples eyes and show just how much the American auto industry has "tried" to make steps in the right direction.

Granted the Excursion and the Expedition are aging dinosaurs, but they aren't the only ones to blame for a lot of problems. I think people have this false sense of belief that just because a car has a foriegn tag on it, ie Honda or Toyota, it is automatically more fuel efficent*.

Guess they thought wrong

Originally Posted by Street Wolf

I get 10-12mpg, 16-20mpg, and 12-15mpg.

Ohhhh well.

do u have a hole in your gas tank?

compared to 2002 honda civic,i get virtually the same MPG that they do...they had a slight advantage in city MPG but im right up there with them on highway MPG's

All I know, is that an Evo X with a 240hp 2.0L 4 cylinder is rated 15city, 22hwy while a Corvette with a 430+hp 6.3L V8 is rated at 16city, 26hwy

Originally Posted by GeddyLee

You can bet your bottom dollar you wont see the US News Media beating a drum against Honda or Toyota for their gas guzzlers. Our media just loves to pick on the local guy. I think information like this, would really open a lot of peoples eyes and show just how much the American auto industry has "tried" to make steps in the right direction.

Granted the Excursion and the Expedition are aging dinosaurs, but they aren't the only ones to blame for a lot of problems. I think people have this false sense of belief that just because a car has a foriegn tag on it, ie Honda or Toyota, it is automatically more fuel efficent*.

Guess they thought wrong

I will agree with you to an extent. Early on it was the imports leading the way in fuel economy, but the domestics soon caught on and started improving things to an extent.

I will also contend that a lot of the belief our fuel economy is worse because up until recently, SUV's were the hot thing going. Big, heavy and with V8's, they did not do so well whereas while the iimports had similar SUV's, there sales were more in the lines like the Camry and Accord and so on. So the perception I believe became well I drive this Camry and I get x miles per gallon can haul around not quite as many as you but I dont really need to vs. you drive that large SUV with one person and get measly x miles per gallon.

As well, keep in mind that auto makers are a business and as such they are going to do little more than they have to. The point to which is that they are not going to go out of their way to produce fuel efficient vehicles unless A.) They are mandated to do so from the government or B.) There is demand to do so. Until recently, neither had been true. Even with the gas prices going up as high as they were it wasnt until gas price eclipsed the $3/gal mark, maybe a little more, that SUV sales really began to fall off. What do you think that says to the auto makers? Clearly it states that we want our big, heavy, V8 gas guzzlers even if gas prices shoot up, but we have a limit and it appears it was found at the price point north of $3/gal.

Hopefully people attitudes are well cemented now and will maintain the demand for alternative energy sources and for more fuel efficient vehicles. We'll see I guess.

Originally Posted by SyntheticShield

I will agree with you to an extent. Early on it was the imports leading the way in fuel economy, but the domestics soon caught on and started improving things to an extent.

I will also contend that a lot of the belief our fuel economy is worse because up until recently, SUV's were the hot thing going. Big, heavy and with V8's, they did not do so well whereas while the iimports had similar SUV's, there sales were more in the lines like the Camry and Accord and so on. So the perception I believe became well I drive this Camry and I get x miles per gallon can haul around not quite as many as you but I dont really need to vs. you drive that large SUV with one person and get measly x miles per gallon.

As well, keep in mind that auto makers are a business and as such they are going to do little more than they have to. The point to which is that they are not going to go out of their way to produce fuel efficient vehicles unless A.) They are mandated to do so from the government or B.) There is demand to do so. Until recently, neither had been true. Even with the gas prices going up as high as they were it wasnt until gas price eclipsed the $3/gal mark, maybe a little more, that SUV sales really began to fall off. What do you think that says to the auto makers? Clearly it states that we want our big, heavy, V8 gas guzzlers even if gas prices shoot up, but we have a limit and it appears it was found at the price point north of $3/gal.

Hopefully people attitudes are well cemented now and will maintain the demand for alternative energy sources and for more fuel efficient vehicles. We'll see I guess.

And I too agree with what you said Syn. I think the American auto industry kinda got the Texas moniker that bigger was better. And in “some” fashion or facets of our society, it was and still is. I remember back to when the “not so green” Arnold Schwatzenegger* bought one of the first production H1 Hummers. It was the talk of the town back then. Then a lot of the rich eliteist types started owning them. I always thought it was crazy to own such a vehicle. But then I guess I am a bit more conservative than that. Big heavy SUVs and V8s have their place still in our society. Construction work and hauling have always involved heavey SUVs or 350/250ton type pickup trucks, plus many local, state and federal agencies use SUVs for their protection details for various heads of state. You are not going see many presidential types being hauled around in a Camary


And I feel that we, as Americans, have the right to own a gas guzzling SUV, Truck or sports car if they want. Of course our Congress passed that lovely gas guzzler tax on those types of vehicles, and rightfully so. I think our auto industry should strive to continue to make more fuel effiencent cars. I think though too on the other hand, they should be allowed to have their V8 powered Mustangs or Cameros as well. Obviously not everyone is going to have a Mustang or Camero in their garage, so it is not going to hurt our economy or oil reserves that much.


And with continued research into US land and sea based drilling and reseach into more alternative types of fuel, we will get better at stretching our oil reserves and capicity. However, stuff like e85 or Ethenonal gas additives are not truly the answer. E85 costs every American in some shape fashion or form. We pay higher prices at the grocery store cause a lot of the product we purchase have some kind of corn based additive to it, thus driving up the cost cause many US farmers are pouring their corn and refining of corn into e85. And has it really helped that much? Personally I do not think so. Cause if it did, you would see more news articles praising its effectiveness and long term useage than you do right now for it. And the ethenol additive is just “thinning” out our gasoline to make our reserves last a little longer. It is not helping anything in regards to MPG or anything like that (I could be wrong there).


I know the days of the “true” American muscle car is drawning to a close, but it does not have to be a permanent situation. I know Ford is considering in their next generation of Mustangs, using Turbos and V6s to replace their V8 line up. That is not entirely a bad thing. And I am sure many other US manufactors in the auto industry are looking at similar solutions.


Just my thoughts on that

I personally do not think we have even begun to push the limits of the fuel efficiency the internal combustion engine, but we have labeled it and demonized it and all anyone can think about is getting rid of it.

Of course, even if we were to miraculously double the average fuel economy of the gas engine it still doesnt address the overall issue of the finite reserves of oil in the world, but it would buy some time to develop and mature other technologies.

Theres considerable options out there and paths we could take to reduce our dependence on oil based fuels we just need to carefully examine which are going to work the best and be the most viable.

I've said and I always will...

The average American is a moron. Because they "hear" from a group of people that say **** like "American cars break the most", American cars suck more gas, etc etc. Well, they listen to it, tell others and they all buy imports. Most of the idiots who talk the most **** on american cars have never owned american cars to begin with. Its really that simple, I see and hear that **** everyday.

I've never had a problem with american cars, I know several that can relate to me as well. I've honestly known more people with problems with imports vs. domestic.

With that said, If I want to have a 4-door grey car like everyone else has and give my money to Japan, i'll buy and import. If I want a unique, nice looking car from a company based in the US, i'll buy American.

As a wise old man once told me... "Remember Pearl Harbor, Buy American!". Nuff said IMO.

Well in all honesty, domestic vehicles did have a long track record of being lower quality. Heck, even the CEO's of the auto makers will tell you they were getting battered because of quality issues. But in the last decade or a bit less they have made great strides. So I wont call the American people a moron in that respect because they were smart enough to buy the products that had quality.

But that has changed in recent years but the idea persists and it will take time for the domestic auto makers overcome that stigma.

I'll also add, that there is not much domestic about domestic vehicles anymore. The nameplate may be domestic but many of the components are not. Pontiac Vibe, Chevy Colorado, Chrysler Crossfire, etc come to mind. The Isuzu that I own is the first import nameplate that I have ever bought since Ive been old enough to own a car and heck, even the friggin' import isnt a true import because it (Isuzu) is a collaborative effort between GM and Isuzu. The engine is Isuzu, the tranny isnt and there were Rodeo's that has the GM 2.8L V6 in them.

In todays global market there is very little that is 'truly' domestic or 'truly' an import.

My family hasn't had a problem with American cars, and we generally take everything to 200,000+ miles and beyond. Many imports were nothing to write home about, especially Hondas from the 70s. How many of those are still alive?

As far as Americans being smart enough to by products that had quailty, thats a joke. If they hear or see on TV someone saying imports are better or whatever, they will believe that or any other garbage they see on TV. The media motivates many nowdays. So yes, there are many morons out there. And in the last decade its grown quite a bit.

As far as a domestic being a domestic and an import being an import, if the company is based in the USA, its a domestic. If its in Japan or where ever the hell else, its an Import. Because stuff is built all over doesn't mean its not American or whatever. Just like a Honda being made in the USA sure as hell doesn't make it an american car despite what some idiots I know think, the money/profit goes overseas.

So yes, IMO there is a BIG difference. You either have an Import or Domestic, simple as that.

Originally Posted by Iron Indian

As far as a domestic being a domestic and an import being an import, if the company is based in the USA, its a domestic. If its in Japan or where ever the hell else, its an Import. Because stuff is built all over doesn't mean its not American or whatever. Just like a Honda being made in the USA sure as hell doesn't make it an american car despite what some idiots I know think, the money/profit goes overseas.

So yes, IMO there is a BIG difference. You either have an Import or Domestic, simple as that.

Thats where you are mistaken. There are many models out there in which the domestic auto maker such as GM, Ford, and Chrysler make the body and maybe a few other parts here but buy the engine from import automakers such as Mitsubishi, Toyota, etc.

However, calling something 'Domestic' is different than calling it 'American'. Just because it is an American name does not mean it contains or was made with all American parts.

And if you think none of the 'Domestic' automakers money isnt going overseas you are seriously deceived. Who do you think finances our debt?

Originally Posted by SyntheticShield

However, calling something 'Domestic' is different than calling it 'American'. Just because it is an American name does not mean it contains or was made with all American parts.

Yep. The "American" Impala is made in Canada. The GMPP handling kit? Made in Canada as well!

LOL. I was going to point that out but I thought Id see if anyone else would mention it. The economics today are far too global and a Domestic or Import are only such in name alone. Both Ford and GM have huge presences overseas in regions like Europe and Asia. If GM first made a car overseas, say in Europe, is it still a domestic car? Not at all. In fact Ford did just that with the Ford Focus. It was first produced in Europe and was so popular there they brought it here. It was (in the first few years, 2000 to about 2003) a European design with a Ford engine in it.

That brings to mind some recent vehicles such as the GTO, Camaro SS and so on.

And of course the G8. I'd say the only true "American" vehicles any more are trucks and SUVs, since they won't sell well anywhere else anyway.

Heres a good article on the subject.

Originally Posted by Deezul_AwT

And of course the G8. I'd say the only true "American" vehicles any more are trucks and SUVs, since they won't sell well anywhere else anyway.

Good point.