The Truth About Safety, Size, and Saving Gas

Hey Mr. Green,
Why do today's subcompact cars have such poor fuel economy compared with those made 20 years ago? Some people claim that safety requirements have added weight and lowered gas mileage.
--Robert in Wallkill, New York

Hey Robert,
U.S. automakers turned to power and speed because there's more profit in a big, fast luxury model than a rinky-dink Lynx or Sprint. Claims that safety rules add significant weight are wrong. By 2001, they had boosted weight by an average of only 125 pounds--less than some drivers have gained since Ralph Nader started hounding Detroit to make safer cars in the '60s. Air bags, seat belts, head restraints, electronic stability controls, and smarter frame designs don't weigh a whole lot.

Many of us buy bigger vehicles because of the belief that sheer mass equals safety, resulting in billions of gallons of wasted fuel. Sure, the laws of physics dictate that a lighter vehicle is more likely to get squished than a heavier one if the two collide, but design can make a world of difference. While the fatality rate for SUVs is lower than for subcompacts (about 12 fatalities per thousand collisions compared with roughly 17 per thousand), research shows drivers are more likely to get killed in these behemoths than in midsize cars. And depending on your choice of wrecks, even a subcompact may be safer than a hulking SUV. If you favor a rollover, for example, the SUV is the surest way to flip your thrill-starved soul into the great beyond, because the fatality rate in SUV rollovers is almost triple that in subcompact rollovers.

For more information about vehicle safety, check out ratings by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety at iihs.org/ratings.

Comments

[Byron Will]

I have wondered about this question as well. You delve into the relative safety issues of various size cars and SUVs, but do not answer the question directly.

For example, I have a 1986 Toyota Corolla which gets a consistent 39-41mpg on the highway. My friends with new Corollas rarely get 34mpg on the highway. I don't think their driving habits differ substantially from mine, i.e, they do not drive at 75mpg while I'm chugging along at 55, etc. With supposed "better" technologies, seems they should be doing better than me.

Of course, to answer this question, one would have to compare quite a few models and have better data than my subjective collection.

Please leave the SUV's out of the equation, as I don't think they pertain to the question.

Any thoughts?

Best,

Byron Will
Portland, OR

[Scott]

Byron hit it on the head. Please answer the question as to why today's subcompacts get such poor gas mileage compared to the predecessors. Also, we all know that the EPA MPG is never achieved.

[Bob Clancy]

Aye..... I wonder about this too. My '91 Honda CRX gets 40-41 mpg like clockwork, with 200k on the speedo. As far as I know, no late-model 'conventional' car gets this much, and real-world Prius mileage isn't much better.

Why?

Bob Clancy
NM

[Eric West]

I have noticed and wondered about this as well. I think size has a lot to do with it when comparing specific models. My friend's new Corolla appears remarkably similar in size to my 87 Camry. A new Camry would be much larger than mine. Also, it seems to me that engine power has gone up a lot in specific models, presumably increasing weight and encouraging us to accelerate faster, etc. For instance, a new Camry appears to be available with either a 2.4 liter 4 cyl. engine or a 3.5 liter V6 engine, whereas mine has a 2.0 liter engine, and when Toyota introduced the V-6 Camry I believe it had about a 2.5 liter displacement.

Just my thoughts -
Eric
KS

[Gifford Pinchot]

The real reason U.S. automakers turned to power and speed is because that is what US consumers wanted!

[Gifford Pinchot]

Chevrolet has more models with an EPA estimated fuel efficiency of 30+ mpg hwy than any other automobile manufacturer. And the 2009 model full-size nine-passenger hybrid Tahoe "hulking" SUV with a 6.0 liter 332-horsepower V8 is EPA rated with the same city fuel efficiency as a standard 4-cylinder Toyota Camry (21 mpg).

[Henry Richzen]

You should be wary of several of the devices on the market. Before you decide to use a device to increase your fuel economy, you may want to do some research on the product’s effectiveness and potential dangers to your car. This will make sure you don’t cause a bigger problem than the one you’re trying to solve.