Speaking automotive performance..

[ironglow]

  There are varying ways to look at performance.  Many, most I would guess..look at speed as their niche in performance. Trying to find that small
   edge in passing speed or whatever.
     I once did that also as a young man. ...And it can be an interesting pursuit..

        These days however,  I like to gain an edge in efficency; not to beat anybody..but for the satisfaction of accomplishing efficency in operating
  a motor vehicle.

  This includes not just fuel mileage, but also looks to minimum shop time etc.

   I mentioned a few weeks ago, that I was thinking along the lines of a sub compact car for transportation.  Well, I did buy a Mitsubishi mirage
   same as the one pictured below.
    It has a 3cyl engine, 1.2 liters..78 hp, with CVT transmission.  Speed wise; I won't be winning any "stop light grand prix" prizes...but then I won't
    be competing for that.

  Myb desire is to excel in efficency.  No Jack rabbit starts, nor 'hot brake' stops at intersections.  Among other  bad habits, that cuts fuel mileage.

  I bought the car at the end of June, and have about 2500 miles on it..  It has an "average miles per gallon" running count indicator on it, which
  is a great assist in driving wisely.


 I am not disappointed with the results thus far.  As many of you know, I live in a small town..maybe 700-800 population...

  It is a rural area, in the foothiills of the Alleganies.  Similar towns dot the area, few smaller..most somewhat larger.  Travelling in and between
   these towns I normally get 45 to 55 miles per gallon..while on good, country roads and interstates, I get 58 to 63 mpg so far.

  Makes me feel good when I can equal or better the hybrids.

  Efficency also means for instance, making brakes last longer than most also..  I see folks tailgate so closely, that they are hitting their brakes every
   few seconds.   ....Brake job coming up sooner than necessary.

  I know most folks like larger cars..and that is fine..  I am usually travelling alone, although the car can sit 4 comfortably, and I am accustomed to
  and like smaller cars.

  When my wife was alive and my boys home with us, we drove a series of VW beetles and small trucks...and loved them..so size is no problem with
    me.

  I truly like the car..easy to maneuver..I can do a complete U-turn on a narrow residential street...and find parking spaces other have to pass up.

   Then too, at 65.5 inches wide, as opposed to most being 10" to 12" wider, I am less inclined to be chipped by parking lot door slammers.

  Some dislikes... Electric steering says I return the steering... caster does not automatically return wheels straight after sharp turn..mustr steer
     it back.

    Radio scratchy static on AM..but I guess many are like that, now that AM is about to go the way of the dinosaurs.  I rarely use FM..since I listen to
    talk radio, rather than music.

  All tolled...I really like the car... but it may not be sold in the US after 2025..sub compacts are on the way out.

  One big feature to me...  Warranty ...5 years 60,000 miles bumper-to-bumper..10 years 100,000miles complete drive train.

  That helps...

   

[Lloyd Smale]

as long as your happy. not a car for me but lots dont agree with my tastes either. especially people my age. 68 and i still like full size v8 pickups, fast cars and my harley. ill will add that i would count on that aver. mpg being accurate. in all the vehichles ive owned they been at least 10% proud. my last ram was closer to 20%. but that said if mpg matter to you your doing great. i might put a total of 10k a year adding up my 2 trucks my jeep and my challenger combined. i would want 10mpg but 18-25 is going to take food off my table. heck in the summer i can match your numbers with a harley i paid 6k for thats like new and at least to me it makes getting there alot more fun

[ironglow]

  Yres; as I said..different strokes for different folks...  I just take pleasure in beating the figures posted for the hybrids.

  ..And believe it or not... there is fun in getting there with small vehicles as well..the handling and the agility add pleasure..at least to me.

  I am wondering if others have found the fun involved in small cars..

[Lloyd Smale]

now a porche boxer or a bmw m4 might be fun and if i was thinking jap a nissan gtr is eyewatering fun. but my 392 challenger got 26mpg with the wife driving it on a trip and thats as good as the little porche and much better than the other two. 25mpg and the wife can drive to work and back 3 times on one gallon of gas. twice on a gallon of gas in her truck. if that wasnt good enough id pass on a new car that got 40 and buy a used fun car for 15k and use the rest for gas. buddy just sold his wifes 4 cyl turbo camaro with 40k on it for 17k. it gets 30mpg and has 300hp. still nothing id want but at that price it would take you a while getting that mpg with that little car to even out in dollars per mile. add to that id much rather be in that camaro in a wreck than one of those go carts. wife tried a new little car one time. after one winter of driving through blizzards she said sell it and buy me a new 4x4 truck. you couldnt pay her to have a little car again and that one was a buick verono that's substantially bigger than yours. nope, no thanks. i worked hard my whole life to become financially able to drive a truck that gets 10mpg and not loose sleep over it or have to eat ramen noodles to fill the tank and can buy what i want not what i need. how many miles a week do you put on that car. i drive my harleys quite a bit in the summer but thats just having fun. summer i drive my 2006 gmc and probable dont spend more than 20 bucks a month on gas. jeep jk in the winter and probably use less because anymore i detest cold

[Graybeard]

As said different strokes for different folks. I'd not have that little car Pete just got but then I'd no more have those hot rod cars/trucks of Lloyd's.

I love my 17 Tundra but it is getting very difficult to get into it for both of us. As much as I don't want to I'm prolly gonna hafta trade it for something easier for us to get into and out of. I honestly don't know what that will be.

To determine we'll just have to go look at and get into and out of a bunch of vehicles. Even with the step bar the Tundra is just too tall a climb for me and Faye both. If I had a grab bar on driver's side like there is on passenger side I'd have much less trouble getting in.

I think I'd like a Four Runner but am not sure how getting in and out is. I've found it as difficult to get into and out of a full size Ford crown vic as it is my Tundra. Mini vans are almost impossible for both of us. I had a Honda Accord for a short while. I just can't climb down into and then back out of those either.

I think I will need an SUV, just dunno what kind. I might have to go with a two wheel rather than 4x4 one to be able to get in and out.

Nothing works properly on me, legs, hips, knees, back, shoulders are all shot. I don't have enough years of life left to get replacements for all that has quit working on me and some parts can't be replaced that have quit.

I'll struggle along needing a stepping stool to get into the Tundra awhile longer but how much longer we can do it I dunno.

Speed means nothing to me. I go 55 even in 65/70 zones mostly. I set the cruise control to whatever the speed is so long as it isn't faster than 55. I don't care about gas mileage cuz I only drive about 2500 a year. I care about not being crowded in a small vehicle and being able to get into and out of it without a major struggle. For me it's to get from point A to point B and nothing more. I hate to drive and so don't anymore than I have to. Cars/trucks are not about fun to me, just transportation.

[Lloyd Smale]

easiest for me to get in and out of with my crap back is a full sized truck with running board steps. smaller units have to small of a door opening and require me to bend down. with the truck i can stand upright and easily step up on the running board. my new silverado has those auto deploy electric steps which allows them to come down lower but then completely retract when the door is closed. worse one for me is my challenger or any car because i have to about crawl into it. maybe just try a set of those running boards on your tundra. there not cheap but much cheaper than a new vehicle. it would take me an hour to get into one of those clown cars and id have to roll out onto the ground to get out

[ironglow]

  I'm just 190 pounds, and don't need more than a ton to haul me around. 
  Of course, with your ATVs, snow machines etc, I can see where you have much use for a truck.  Now days, for the few times I need such equipment, my son or one of my grandsons will furnish it.

  One thing I found by going for efficency instead of speed..  The law doesn't even notice when I am driving for efficency..

    ...But if I were to go out for speed, I may find some troubles for my efforts !   

[Lloyd Smale]

knock on wood i havent had a speeding ticket in 25 years. i dont really drive like a maniac. do let um run occasionally though but mostly on desolate stretches of road with no traffic. harley is rarely more than 5mph over any speed limit. ive been pulled over a couple times but a va disability card looks alot like a mich drivers license and wink wink handing them the wrong one has probably got me out of a couple. that and im friends with a good many here locally. wife drives faster than me. efficiency to me is having a vehicle to do ANYTHING i need or want to do without having to ask for help. son in law thinks like you but a little different. hes a mechanic and drives old beaters he picks up cheap because he knows i have good vehicles he can use. seems like about once a week hes borrowing and hes the type that tends to not bring them back until i loose patients with him. even he doesnt worry about fuel economy. he saves enough buying beaters that he doest care what kind of milage he gets. just told him yesterday to bring back my mig welder. hes had it for over 6 months!! just got my 06 gmc back yesterday he borrowed it last Thursday to pick up a sheet of plywood!!

  I'm just 190 pounds, and don't need more than a ton to haul me around. 
  Of course, with your ATVs, snow machines etc, I can see where you have much use for a truck.  Now days, for the few times I need such equipment, my son or one of my grandsons will furnish it.

  One thing I found by going for efficency instead of speed..  The law doesn't even notice when I am driving for efficency..

    ...But if I were to go out for speed, I may find some troubles for my efforts !   

[Graybeard]

My Tundra has the running boards, had them added before I picked it up. But to get my foot up on it is a long step and then yet another long step from the running board up to the floor of the truck.

There are no grab bars on driver's side like at all four other doors to hold onto and help to pull myself up. These days my legs don't really have the strength to push my weight up. I need to use both my hands and legs for rising up whether into the truck or getting up if down on the floor.

All I have to hold onto is either the roof or steering wheel when getting in, neither is ideal and there should be a grab bar like there was on all of my other Toyota's. There is one on the front passenger side so that helps Faye get in and out. I can get into the passenger seat much easier than the driver's seat.

I like the room in the full size truck once in but getting in is getting almost impossible.

[Lloyd Smale]

youd like those retractable running boards. they come down lower than running boards and retract right up to the rocker panels when you close the door so they dont get tore off in the woods. buddy of mine wired a switch on his so he can step up on it hit a switch on his keychain and they raise right up with him on them

My Tundra has the running boards, had them added before I picked it up. But to get my foot up on it is a long step and then yet another long step from the running board up to the floor of the truck.

There are no grab bars on driver's side like at all four other doors to hold onto and help to pull myself up. These days my legs don't really have the strength to push my weight up. I need to use both my hands and legs for rising up whether into the truck or getting up if down on the floor.

All I have to hold onto is either the roof or steering wheel when getting in, neither is ideal and there should be a grab bar like there was on all of my other Toyota's. There is one on the front passenger side so that helps Faye get in and out. I can get into the passenger seat much easier than the driver's seat.

I like the room in the full size truck once in but getting in is getting almost impossible.

[ironglow]

  I built running boards a few years ago, for a local lkady who is a horse enthusiast.  I made it so there were 3 horse shoes on each side, round end pointing outward.

  It made a nice step on that F-150, but so as to avoid drilling the frame, i sure had to do some "spaghetti work" with the square fods that bolted in various places on the frame.

  Drilling the frame is frowned upon by the DMV..