If current full size pickups from the Big 3 can achieve 26+ mpg then it shouldn’t be to tough to get reasonable sized pickups to get 40+ mpg.
If the consumers made the choices, this awesome power would be quite a bit less and the fuel economy would get higher. You can’t get that power without wasting gasoline. In the rain at 60 MPH, I could spin the wheels on my 02 GMC Sierra with the 4.8 engine. I can just imagine what the bigger engine can do.
The Rav with the 2.5 engine has as much power and the same weight. Of course the rear wheels won’t spin under the same conditions because of the weight over the rear wheels. There is a lot of room left for better fuel economy. The federal government has the only stick big enough to move the car makers.
With those standards and truck prices will come vastly increased expenditures for diagnostic equipment and specialty tools along with repair bills that will make current one seem like parking meter change.
@RK ,yes that created a lot of excitement ,but for some reason could not meet the crash standards or whatever , quietly went away (good thing the import tractors didnt suffer the same fate (I would say a compact tractor would cost 50K now, if they had meet the same fate -good thing they had a toe hold before tier 4 .
Of course the rear wheels won't spin under the same conditions because of the weight over the rear wheels.
Also has a lot to do with it being FWD or AWD.