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4
Green Machines
Fuel efficient
cars are
available
for earth
conscious
consumers.
JULIE CANDLER
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
P
resident Bush used the word "ozone man" as
a dig at the vice presidential candidate on
the opposing side of the campaign for the
White House. Sen. Gore, said the president,
was an environmental extremist. Now Mr.
Bush is out and ozone men and women are
in. Consequently, the politically correct car
today is fuel-efficient. The goal for all cars,
as recommended by our environmentally-conscious Vice
President-elect Al Gore, should be a corporate average
fuel economy (CAFE) of 40 to 45 miles per gallon.
That requirement would cause the loss of thousands of
jobs in the domestic auto industry, according to
President Bush.
Wrong, President Bush. When you leave the White
House for the real world, you will be able to find 41
super fuel-efficient models in dealer showrooms. They
are both domestic and imported models, rated at 36 or
more highway miles per gallon. That's not too far from
the Gore goal. These cars may be a little weak-muscled.
But look at it this way: they are powerfully challenged.
"What's more, " says David Cole of the University of
Michigan .Transportation Research Institute, "the last
thing President-elect Clinton wants to do is hitch him-
self to a wagon it's impossible to live up to. He's looking
at 40 mpg as a goal, not as a rule."
Technology is bringing the goal closer. Mr. Cole cites a
study of future fuel economy standards commissioned by
the engineering board of the National Research Council,
on which he serves. "They determined that we could
reach an average fuel economy somewhere around 34
miles per gallon by the year 2005. Europe, where gas
prices are higher, is already at about 32, and in this
-.11011101411411111414111141.111,
country the average is now 28."
One reason larger cars are the best
sellers in his dealership, says Tom
Zielinski, sales manager of Shuman
Motor Sales, Inc., Southfield, is that
"we are getting such good fuel economy
from our larger cars now that a lot of
people are taking a look at them. Some
1993 full-size cars get 27 and 28 miles
per gallon on the highway."
The auto industry is also helping the
ozone problem by replacing harmful
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), the ozone-
depleting chemicals in refrigerants
that destroy the earth's barrier
against ultraviolet rays. BMW of
North America, Inc., has discontinued
use of CFCs in all its '93 cars, replac-
ing them with an environmentally
friendly refrigerant for BMW air con-
ditioners. Other auto makers are drop-
ping CFCs, usually one vehicle at a
time.
The little gas-savers have more
advantages than a wind at your back.
They cost at least $10,000 less than
some of the large gas-eaters. They cut
fuel bills. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency estimates the aver-
age annual fuel cost for a Geo Metro is
$328. For a Mercedes 500 SEL, it's
$1401. Gas misers also save their own-
ers maintenance and insurance costs.
To put further icing on these little
cupcakes, many are no longer styled
like the rolling boxcars that were
dubbed "econoboxes." Some have metamorphosed into
downright sexy cars, with the nice lines and curves of
their big muscular cousins. They are fun to drive and
easy to maneuver around the traffic lanes. They can
scoot into parking spaces half the size of those needed
for full-size vehicles.
Their disadvantage is in losing the crunch battle in a
collision with a larger vehicle. However, small cars con-
form to the same standards as large cars for protecting
passengers against death and injuries. Some have dri-
ver's side air bags.
According to the latest figures from the 1993 fuel econ-
omy guide of the Environmental Protection Agency, 10
car makers produce vehicles that achieve a combined city
and highway fuel economy rating of 35 miles per gallon
or more.
We narrowed our list to the top 10. And the winners
are: Geo (by Chevrolet), Honda, Suzuki, Ford,
Mitsubishi, Subaru, Dodge, Plymouth, Eagle and
Pontiac.
The gas mileages winners, of course, are subcompact
cars and a few compacts. All have front wheel drive and
in most cases, manual transmissions. Add an automatic
and mpg figures plunge six to ten miles per gallon. No
mid-size or larger cars make our list. Neither do any
pick-up trucks or utility vehicles, even the smallest.
Unless otherwise designated, all of the vehicles have
four-cylinder engines.
Taking them in order of their fuel-efficiency, Geo
Metro, made by Suzuki, is the mileage master of the
marketplace. All Metros have a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder
engine. They are part of Chevrolet's line of inexpensive
Geo cars.
The Metro XFi, with 49 horsepower, gets EPA mileage
ratings of 53 city and 58 highway, a top-rated combined
average of 55 mpg. Other Metros earn a combined mpg
ranging from 35 to 48.
"Metros are all doing real well for us," says Chuck
Chenet, sales manager for Joe Panian Chevrolet Geo,
Inc., Southfield. "The XFi is a great commuter car for
basic transportation."
The Metros include a cute-as-a-button LSi convertible,
GREEN MACHINE page A6
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