Saving Gas With Old Technology
Bring back the 3-Cylinder Cars!
The 3-cylinder car. The Geo Metro, the Suzuki Swift, the Subaru Justy. Where are they now? Sure these cars may be small, and scoffed at, but they got 45 to 55 miles per gallon.
In their prime these cars were sold as economic alternatives, or cheap cars. Now a 3-cylinder car is packaged as a smart car, and sold for a higher price. Why is it that these cars, manufactured largely in the late ’80s and early ’90s aren’t back on the market. With the high price of fuel, the market is definitely ready for an affordable car with good mileage.
I have heard many reasons why these cars aren’t manufactured anymore, none of them satisfactory. I’ve been told they break down too easily. I’ve been told they aren’t safe enough. I’ve even been told they don’t go fast enough for the freeway.
These excuses are ridiculous. If you see a 3-cylinder car driver in a parking lot, inquire about their car. These cars easily outperform any U.S. speed limits. I have owned Geo Metro for 3 years now. This year it turned 15. I changed the timing belt, $12, and the alternator. That is all the repair it has needed, and it is still running strong, with over a quarter-million miles on it.
Car manufacturers should consider releasing some simple economical 3-cylinder cars again. The problem is, a car with no fancy add-ons, doesn’t pull as much of a profit. It is the extras that make the manufacturers money. Unfortunately, this model of business has been giving the big companies a hard time.
There may be more of a reason too. Consider that VW makes a 3-cylinder car, Der Fox, but it is not sold in the U.S. Consider FORD is planning a 3-cylinder car, the line is also called “Fox”, but it is for the European market. Why is it other countries can buy these economical cars, but not us?
I find it silly when car commercials claim “Better MPG,” with something like 25 miles per gallon. Not everybody needs a car that can go faster than is legal anywhere in the U.S., so just increase the fuel mileage, even if it means rereleasing the Geo Metros.
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