Okay, so gas prices are insane and everybody is running for an Econo-box vehicle (Gagg...). The "Highest Rated" Econo-box is of course the *Wretch* Toyota Prius.

Now (I'll side track a bit) I drove my wife's Dodge Caliber (which is easily 3 times faster that a Prius) and found that the only thing the car "inspired" me to do was kill myself due to its agonizingly gutless lack of performance.


So... The Monkey has concocted his own answer to what constitutes a "proper" vehicle that gets good gas mileage. I'll reveal what the vehicle is later...

Let's Start with the Obvious: Mileage

Prius gets 48 city but only 45 on the highway. Which only proves that there's a limit to what you can do with clever gearing and a dinky engine. Note: in the city you'll be flooring this thing constantly to keep from getting run over so 48 is not a (realistic) number you'll ever actually see.

Vehicle X gets only 35 in the city, but 54 hwy ... These numbers are realistic and easy to achieve.

Prius's engine has a 13:1 compression ratio e.g. you'll have to run premium gas to keep the timing from being retarded by the on-board computer (which will kill the mileage) so you'll be paying top dollar for the (alleged) 48mpg.

Vehicle X's engine has a 9.2:1 compression ratio, which means it'll run happily on damn near anything (mileage unaffected)

Vehicle X has a (100cc) larger engine than the Prius but makes 10 more horse power & puts out 15 more lbs of torque.

Vehicle X is $3,500 cheaper than the Prius.

Prius will go from 0 to 60 in under an hour.
Vehicle X will go from 0 to 60 in about 4 seconds

The Prius might do 100mph if you have all day to wait for it.
Vehicle X will sail past 120mph and put a big friggin grin on your face.

I'll refrain from commenting on the appearance of the Prius (for safety sake) as the visual may cause me to vomit on my keyboard.

Vehicle X on the other hand...


...Now That's High Mileage Monkey Style!

Right, if gas prices keep rising I expect we will see more motorcycles on the road. And scooters, which some of them can get over 100 MPG.



I don't know if you would call that "in style," but hey, saving money.

Which reminds me. Funny story. I was driving down a busy road to go to UPS a few days ago and I saw this old guy on a moped but it wasn't an ordinary old guy. He had a beard, along with a cape, a shirt that said "Gas Saver Man" on the back and some tights. It was completely hilarious so apparently my city has a new super hero that...gets better gas mileage than all the others

@Chugworth - Um... That would only be "Stylish" if if one was a teenage girl...

@Djberec - Even tho a moped clearly violates the performance requirements, I'd have to say the guy's got style...or at least a hell of a sense of humor. I'll offer an additional 50 points if you can produce photos of this bazaar "Supper Hero".

I get around 30MPG in my '96 Ford Mondeo, about 36mpg in US gallons. If I did more motorway miles it would probably be more, but most of my journeys are short and quick.
However, my car does not to 0-60 in 4 seconds which is a shame.

I too wish to see photos of this Super Hero.

Hey now, if gas starts getting up ridiculous like $12/gal, then I'd really think about one of them. Style doesn't really bother me... unless it's hot pink.

But seriously, times would have to be rough for me to consider either a motorcycle or a scooter. I like riding with air conditioning, and no bug guts.

If people weren't such terrible drivers, I would buy anything with two wheels. I just don't trust other drivers and think they would probably end up killing me with their SUVs.

I don;t pay for gas. period.

i take busses whenever i can (my school ID is an unlimited bus pass), i walk anywhere local, and i'm bringing my bicycle here next trip home.

another thing i do is Zipcar. www.zipcar.com

it's a great idea and it's awesome for those of us who dont need a car every day.
if you decide to sign up, lemme know, ive got some referral links thatll get us both free credits to our accounts. won't post them here cuz its against board rules.

@Chugworth - The windshield does a fine job on the bug problem, but I'm with ya on the A/C (I live in Florida). but I consider it a "fair trade" to not be stuck in a castration-mobile. My wife had a Yugo back when we got married, and if you flipped the A/C on while going down the highway at about 60mph it would load the engine so badly it would damn near put you through the windshield if you forgot to brace for it (I'm not kidding).


Motorcycles do require that you take defensive driving to the next level ... but is it really that bad that you make a point of paying attention when rolling down the highway? I started riding on the street when I was 14, I'm 43 now...so I've been doing it a while. Sure there have been a few misshapes, but nothing serious and it's made me a much better driver.

I've already had "the discussion" with my wife...and the only condition she gave was that I have to wait until my truck (which will get parked) is payed off next April. So next May the bright orange beauty in the pic above in mine!

...Which means my primary objective at this point is to scheme up any way of pushing up the time table...

Well Phonics Monkey, I found just the car for you. It costs $2500 and gets about 50 MPG:



http://www.tatanano.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tata_Nano

LOL

That's cold man, that is seriously cold...


Luckily it doesn't meet the performance requirements!