The Incredible Shrinking Automobile
No matter what happens to the price of gas, the era of the oversize automobile is over. The foreseeable future is one in which trucks and SUVs are pushed into their respective niches and utilized by those who need them (farmers and construction workers) and not by those who just like the look of them (your wife).
In 2008, passenger cars outsold SUVs for the first time this decade. More than 460,000 subcompacts were sold; that's about a 20 percent increase in a year in which overall industry sales were down 18 percent. It says that the bigger-is-better philosophy is
waning and that maybe, just maybe, America is starting to catch on to what Europe has long known: Small cars can actually be cool (see The Italian Job).
Just a few years ago, the Mini Cooper was an adorable oddity. Today, it seems downright large next to some of the cars being hawked. And more are on the way, including a reborn Ford Fiesta (in 2010), a microcar from GM (in 2011), and any number of electric minicars from start-up companies such as Think. But forget the future. Here's the best of what's out there right now.
THE INTELLIGENT DRIVER
Best way to boost fuel efficiency
You don't have to buy a minicar to help do your part for Mother Nature. The Blade is an aftermarket device that attaches to your car's tailpipe and helps filter pollutants from the exhaust stream. It also improves fuel efficiency by shortening the duration of your car's wasteful cold- start period, when fuel burn and particulate emissions are both at their worst. The Blade looks a little like a gun silencer and is the first such tool to meet the EPA's 511 Protocol. According to Sabertec, the device's Austin, Texas-based manufacturer, the Blade reduces CO2
emissions by up to 12 percent and improves fuel economy by up to 12 percent, depending on the make and model of your car. What's more, it costs only $199. Its filter lasts about a year and costs only $20 to replace when it's, well, exhausted. bladeyourride.com J. D.
Best way to boost fuel efficiency
You don't have to buy a minicar to help do your part for Mother Nature. The Blade is an aftermarket device that attaches to your car's tailpipe and helps filter pollutants from the exhaust stream. It also improves fuel efficiency by shortening the duration of your car's wasteful cold- start period, when fuel burn and particulate emissions are both at their worst. The Blade looks a little like a gun silencer and is the first such tool to meet the EPA's 511 Protocol. According to Sabertec, the device's Austin, Texas-based manufacturer, the Blade reduces CO2
emissions by up to 12 percent and improves fuel economy by up to 12 percent, depending on the make and model of your car. What's more, it costs only $199. Its filter lasts about a year and costs only $20 to replace when it's, well, exhausted. bladeyourride.com J. D.
Posted by The Correspondent
on 12:49. Filed under