Raising the standard to such a high goal may have been unnecessary, who voted for this?
Don’t you think 30 MPG is a reasonable standard, and one which can be achieved at a reasonable cost? I think so.
Sure, but the government’s goal is to save millions of barrels of oil and save motorists hundreds of dollars each year, if you buy a new car.
As stated above, a plugin hybrid can save gasoline. A Rav4 plugin hybrid starts at $43,095. Many more people can afford a 35 mpg, $25,000 car, but the high CAFE requirements have eliminated most offerings.
If someone wants a cheaper PHEV, the Ford Escape PHEV starts at $35k.
I respectfully disagree
37MPG was efficient maybe 30 years ago
Not so anymore
Good news! The EPA is not in the CAFE business! NHTSA manages the program, and the current administration is rolling back requirements. That would be the case whether NHTSA or EPA manages the CAFE program.
+1
The 2026 Toyota Corolla is rated at 32 mpg city and 41 mpg highway for standard gas models, and the hybrid Corolla is rated at up to 53 mpg in the city and 46 mpg on the highway.
And go back to getting 10mpg and vehicles that put out 100 times the pollutants they do now? No thanks.
I’ve taken my 2017 vette on a couple of road trips over 200 miles each way. I’ve averaged 31mpg cruising in 7th gear under 75mph and engine rpm is under 1,500 (little over idle in some cars).
I do like the gas mileage I’m getting with my new Highlander Hybrid (33mpg). Far better then my 14 Highlander V6 that averaged about 21mpg.
How does this compare to the 1993-1997 Corolla, or the 1998-2001 Corolla, or the 2003-2008 Corolla, etc? I realize that the newer models are probably bigger and heavier than the older models. How does the current Corolla compare to a Chevrolet Cavalier with the 2200 pushrod engine? I remember that the Cavalier was considered a fuel-efficient vehicle in its day,
The most efficient car I ever owned was a 1988 Corolla sedan, equipped with the 1.6L engine with a carburetor and 3-speed automatic transmission. I routinely got over 40 MPG driving this car, however in those days, gasoline was not diluted with ethanol.
Fuelly shows both the Corolla and the Cavalier getting better over time, with the best mpgs (38-42) for the Corolla in 2021-2026. For 1983-2004 it was in the 25-30 mpg range:
Toyota Corolla MPG - Actual MPG from 8,753 Toyota Corolla owners
Chevrolet Cavalier MPG - Actual MPG from 660 Chevrolet Cavalier owners
So no ‘good old days’ evidence there. The Corolla has gotten bigger, safer, and faster, while getting better mpgs.
Maybe if you only checked highway driving at 60 mph . Combined city and highway I would think the mid 20 mpg more likely.
One of my previous cars was a 1997 Mazda Protégé 1.5 with an automatic transaxle . . . Probably 4 gear ratios. The car’s been gone for awhile
Anyways, I’m not an aggressive driver, yet that car NEVER saw 30mpg. Maybe 28mpg or 29mpg
So that theory the older small cars got excellent fuel economy goes right out the window, at least in my book
My 2011 Outback (3.6 liter H6) was a pretty fast car, and yet I got a consistent 24 mpg in local driving, and 29-30 mpg on long highway drives, so I can’t muster any excitement about 4 cylinder econoboxes from The Good Old Days that did only a little bit better.
My 59 VW git 25. My diesel olds got 24. No idea what my corvair, Buick wagon, Lincoln, etc. ever got. Never checked and just put gas in when needed. I’ve never considered mpg a key factor in a purchase except the diesel.
The 90 Mazda Protoge we had was rated for 36mog highway with the 5spd manual, 4spd auto was 31mpg. Mom did repeated runs to her parents in Oregon and back in 5th gear most of the way getting 38,39,and 40mpg on those trips. Mixed daily driving was closer to 35mog on average. We had 19yrs if fuel logs ti verify mpg.
And just think . . .
Nowadays a mid-sized car, which is safer and much better optioned, will get better fuel economy
Owners manual showed What all those blank switches could have been. When she upgraded to the 2010 prius the lack of academic cruise pushed mom over the edge to wanting a new car. Dad had the cash set aside for a couple years wanting safety and comfort features.
Only missed a backup camera that would have come with navigation on the next model up for a couple thousand if you found one. Prius in the summer of 2008 here was sold out before the boat arrived. This blizzard white base car had all weather mats and nothing else and basically the last one unsold before the hybrid sales tax exemption ran out.
“Academic cruise” . . . ?
Do you mean adaptive cruise control?