mileage

My Smart Test Drive

khallgeisler — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Though they've only been available in the U.S. since January 2008, Smart cars are stirring up a lot of interest for a car so small. Once gas hit $4 a gallon, a seemingly magic number for American drivers, more people started showing up at Smart dealerships to see if the candy-colored egg of a car would suit them. I made the trek and tested the car recently to give you an idea of what to expect.

The car comes in three levels of trim: the Pure, which is so bare-bones it doesn't even have a radio; the Passion, which is the most popular version; and the Cabriolet, a convertible. They all have Smart's Tridion safety cell, the steel roll cage that protects the occupants in case of a crash, and they're all built in France and shipped to their final destinations.

Let's look at the car's pros and cons:

Pros

Affordability. The Smart starts at $11,590. The Cabriolet fitted with every bell and whistle, from metallic paint to heated seats, is still only about $18,000.

Fuel economy. The EPA rates the Smart at 35 city/41 highway.

Safety. Thanks to the Tridion structure, the Smart earned 5-star front and side crash-test ratings.

Roominess. You may be surprised to learn that the Smart was designed with a six-foot, eight-inch driver in mind. The interior is almost entirely devoted to passenger space.

Easy to Drive. There's nothing to learn; just hop in, turn the key (which is in the center console, like a Saab), throw it in drive, and go. If you want more control, use the paddle shifters or the electric stickshift at any time -- no clutch to worry about.

Easy to maintain. The engine is perched in the back under a panel. Oil, air filter, and the like are easy to access, and the motor flips down on hinges for more serious repairs.

Eco from the Get-Go. Plastic panels are recyclable and in some cases made of recycled materials, the factory aims for carbon neutrality, and all vendors are asked to supply parts in returnable containers.

New friends. People give more thumbs-up and waves to this car than any I've driven.

Cons

The Wait. Plunk down your $99 fully refundable reservation today, and you may wait a year before you take delivery of the car. Can't wait? Maybe you can win one.

Transmission. There's a lag when the gears shift, especially between first and second. It's really noticeable, but they tell me you get used to it.

Power. No one expects Lotus-like acceleration from this car, but be warned that it does 0-60 in 12.9 seconds. A Prius manages 0-60 in 10.9 seconds; a Tesla does it in less than 4. No sprinting into traffic here.

Capacity. The 71-hp engine can only carry so much -- about 600 pounds. A driver and passenger likely take up 350-400 of those pounds, and the heavier the load, the worse the mileage.

No Spare Tire. But the car does have tire-pressure monitoring standard, and it comes with an air compressor that can be plugged into the dash and tire sealant for emergencies.

Photo by Doug Geisler.

Top 10 Ideas for Saving Gas, Money and Driving Green

RiverWired.com — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Gas prices getting you down? Carbon emissions weighing heavy on your shoulders? At RiverWired we want to reduce your worries as we help you reduce your footprint. Instead of talking problems, we offer some solutions for saving gas and improving mileage. Now more than ever, you have big reasons for driving green.

1. 15 Tips For Better Mileage -- Want to Get 70 MPG in Your Toyota Prius?

2. The Hype About Hypermiling

3. Two Wheels Are Greener Than Four

4. Honda Civic GX Tops List of Greenest Cars

5. Driving Green = Fewer Greenbacks

6. Five Tips to Find the Cheapest Gas Near You

7. Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars: Save Gas, Save Money

8. Record Month For Selling Gas -- Saving Cars Getting Better Than 30 MPG

9. GE Backs Electric Cars -- This Time For Keeps!

10. Top 10 Green Things to Do While Stuck in Traffic

Record Month for Selling Gas-Saving Cars Getting Better than 30 MPG

khallgeisler — Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

April 2008 was a month of records for the auto industry. For the first time, one in five cars driven off U.S. lots was a compact or subcompact car. Also for the first time, gas-saving four-cylinder engines outsold six-cylinder engines. The other segment to do well last month was small crossovers, or "tall cars," as my friend Penny calls them. They look like SUVs but are built on car platforms.

Compared with sales from the same month last year, SUV sales fell 17.4%. Models that get better than 30 mpg or so sold like gangbusters, including sales of the jelly-bean-esque Toyota Yaris, which increased by 46%. Even the Ford Focus got a boost, to the tune of 32% higher sales than last April.

While vehicle sales were down across the board last month, the small-car trend seems to be here to stay this time. People usually buy smaller cars in a gas crunch (think of the death of the muscle car and the rise of the two-door hatchback in the '70s), but gas prices aren't predicted to get lower any time soon. Like, ever, really. Trucks may be relegated to the people who need them -- construction sites and landscapers, for example.

The latest sales results shouldn't surprise most people, especially RiverWired.com readers. When the Transportation Department announced its new CAFE standards on Earth Day, we pointed out that the average gas mileage of cars on the road is higher than the current minimum requirement not because of forward-thinking auto manufacturers, but because of you, the car-buying public, who chose gas sippers over gas guzzlers.

Yaris image courtesy of Toyota.

For more information, check out:

15 Tips For Better Mileage -- Want to Get 70 MPG in Your Toyota Prius?

The Hype About Hypermiling

Two Wheels Are Greener Than Four

Honda Civic GX Tops List of Greenest Cars

Driving Green = Fewer Greenbacks

Five Tips to Find the Cheapest Gas Near You

Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars: Save Gas, Save Money

15 Tips for Better Mileage -- Want to Get 70 MPG in Your Toyota Prius?

khallgeisler — Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

In a summer of $4-a-gallon gas predictions and $120-plus barrels of oil, we'll be hearing a lot about hypermiling. But what is it? Who can use it? Does it require a Prius to make it worth the effort?

Hypermiling is a series of techniques -- some obvious and safe, some tricky or of questionable sanity -- that maximize your car's mileage. While a lot of these techniques can be used by anyone, some require a hybrid's electric engine. And a hybrid, like the popular Prius or the Ford Escape, will see better fuel efficiency (more than 70 mpg) using these techniques than a high-mpg gasoline-only car like the Smart ForTwo.

Here are tips anyone can use:

1. As soon as a red light or stop sign comes into view, take your foot off the gas and coast.

2. When you restart, take it easy on the gas pedal. "No jackrabbit starts," as they said in the '70s.

3. On the highway, use cruise control. The more constant your speed, the better mileage you'll get. And don't speed.

4. If your newer car has a mileage gauge, use it. Look at it often. You'll find that knowing your fuel efficiency moment by moment becomes a challenge you can't refuse.

5. Keep tires properly inflated. If you're feeling a bit daring, and your tires are new or in excellent shape, push the psi past the rating a little.

6. Park at the highest point in the parking lot and coast as long as you can when you leave.

7. Lose the weight -- yours and your car's. Every pound counts when you're trying to ease the burden on your engine, so get rid of the tent and sleeping bags in the trunk from last weekend's mini vacation, or the box of files and paperwork that you never get around to lugging inside, or the unholy loads of garbage in the unused back seat.

If you've got a hybrid, try these:

8. Warp Stealth: Hybrid drivers are well aware that at low speeds, the electric motor alone powers the car. The "warp stealth" technique involves finding the sweet spot where the electric motor is doing all the work while the gasoline engine spins freely, but the car still travels at 42 - 55 mph. For a detailed, science-y explanation, click here.

9. Pulse and Glide: Press the accelerator pedal, nice and smooth, until you reach about 40 mph (the gasoline engine kicks in at 42 mph). That's the "pulse." Now let 'er ride on electric power to about 30 mph, then pulse again. This technique works with conventional cars, too, if you pulse then glide in neutral. Another super-geeky link to a detailed hybrid explanation here.

10. Use all-electric mode for the last mile or so of your trip to allow the batteries to recharge more quickly on your next start-up.

11. Similarly, if you're only stopping for ten minutes or less, push the "Park" button. Turn off all accessories -- radio, lights, etc. -- and let the electric engine idle. Turning the car off requires a little gas on restart. This is exactly the opposite of the tip for conventional gasoline engines above.

If you don't mind looking weird or tempting fate, try these:

12. Drafting requires you to be nose-to-tail with a semi. Close-ish won't cut it. Check out NASCAR races; that's how close you have to be to make this work. Hugging the rear end of a tractor-trailer at 75 mph seems a bit dangerous, but it saves gas for you and the truck driver.

13. Throw it in neutral on the downhill, and coast as far as you can up the next rise. Every traffic officer and safety expert will tell you that driving a car with the engine disengaged, especially with the idea of building up speed while you have minimum control, will tell you not to do this. Hypermilers will tell you to do it. Believe whom you will.

14. Improve aerodynamics by adding wheel skirts, folding in rearview mirrors, and blocking out your grille. Keep in mind that not having rearview mirrors or cooling air circulating around your engine are probably bad ideas.

15. Wear an ice vest, normally only seen in nuclear power plants, like veteran hypermiler Wayne Gerdes rather than entering the windows-down vs. AC-on debate.

For more information, check out:

The Hype About Hypermiling

Two Wheels Are Greener Than Four

Honda Civic GX Tops List of Greenest Cars

Driving Green = Fewer Greenbacks

Five Tips to Find the Cheapest Gas Near You

Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars: Save Gas, Save Money

Record Month For Selling Gas -- Saving Cars Getting Better Than 30 MPG

The Hype about Hypermiling

khallgeisler — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Previously, RiverWired.com covered ways to stretch a gallon of gas, including hypermiling techniques. Now the blog EcoTrekker has amassed a whopping 100 tips and resources for squeezing every penny out of that $3.25 (at least!) you're paying for each precious gallon.

Some of the tips are old news to RiverWired.com readers, like coasting to a stop and checking tire pressure. But some of the tips are new to just about everyone -- like wearing an ice vest rather than turning on the AC or rolling down the windows, which creates aerodynamic drag. It may keep you cool, but I doubt it's, you know, cool.

Many of the articles and advice pertain to hybrid cars, but those of us stuck with the combustion engine for a little while longer can learn something, too.

Photo courtesy of ashley.adcox.

For more information, check out:

15 Tips For Better Mileage -- Want to Get 70 MPG in Your Toyota Prius?

Two Wheels Are Greener Than Four

Honda Civic GX Tops List of Greenest Cars

Driving Green = Fewer Greenbacks

Five Tips to Find the Cheapest Gas Near You

Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars: Save Gas, Save Money

Record Month For Selling Gas -- Saving Cars Getting Better Than 30 MPG