1.4 L engine gets up to 60 mpg

[moribundman]

The Audi A2 four seater is rated at 45 mpg, but over 65 mpg are do-able.

Article:
http://www.greenconsumerguide.com/audi.php

Picture:
http://www.autogazeta.com/g/377/A2.jpg

 

[Jimbo]

I thought all along that "wiz-bang" hybrid technology is a big waste, but US consumers seem to want that instead of more conventional solutions.

Imagine the gas mileage that an up-to-date 1972 Toyota Corrola could get. A 2000lb car with a 1200cc engine was perfectly adequate transportation for young "baby boomers", but not today?

That Audi looks nice, but how much does it cost with an aluminum body?

 

[brianl703]

The Ford Ka is sold in Mexico. I wonde how hard it'd be to sneak one across the border and if you could drive it around in an "undocumented" manner.

 

[T-Keith]

Last time I checked the old metro got 50mpg highway. Probably capable of more if your easy on the gas at lower speeds, and that's with throttle body injection and a distributor. We've been capable of high mpg cars for years, people just don't want them.

 

[XS650]

quote:

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Originally posted by brianl703:
The Ford Ka is sold in Mexico. I wonde how hard it'd be to sneak one across the border and if you could drive it around in an "undocumented" manner.

---

I think it would be pretty iffy unless you wanted to fake a registration and take your chances with that.

I did read about people who bought brand new old-style VW bugs in Mexico and seripticiously transferred the serial numbers and registration over to their US registered older bugs. That was a lot easier than changing a Ka into something elese.

 

[Al]

quote:

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Originally posted by XS650:
There are lots of cars in the world that fill that niche, but here in the land of the brave and home of the free we aren't allowed to buy them.

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BC there is no demand. That's gonna change for lots of us.

 

[XS650]

quote:

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Originally posted by Al:

quote:

---

Originally posted by XS650:
There are lots of cars in the world that fill that niche, but here in the land of the brave and home of the free we aren't allowed to buy them.

---

BC there is no demand. That's gonna change for lots of us.

---

I could go far a small good handling S-Box with a small t-charged diesel.

A good handling moderately powered sedan can be a lot of fun.

I recently noticed that peanut oil was $5/gallon at Costco. Probably less than some of our foreign friends pay for diesel at the pump.

 

[blupupher]

quote:

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Originally posted by T-Keith:
... Probably capable of more if your easy on the gas at lower speeds,...

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Thjis is true with most any car, but people seem to like their lead feet.
I had a friend with a Metro, I made fun of him till he told me about the 50mpg he was getting, and this was when gas was ~$1/gallon. My Jeep was lucky to get 10mpg.

 

[moribundman]

quote:

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That Audi looks nice, but how much does it cost with an aluminum body?

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An A2 with the 1.4 liter TDI engine can be had in Europe for the equivalent of about $27k. That's of course three times the price of other small cars there. However, the A2's build quality, very good handling, nice interior, and crash safety should be considered.

 

[Matt_S]

quote:

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Originally posted by moribundman:

quote:

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That Audi looks nice, but how much does it cost with an aluminum body?

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An A2 with the 1.4 liter TDI engine can be had in Europe for the equivalent of about $27k. That's of course three times the price of other small cars there. However, the A2's build quality, very good handling, nice interior, and crash safety should be considered.

---

Don't Europeans pay much higher sales tax also? I'd expect the price of that car to be lower here without all the taxes. True?

 

[brianl703]

quote:

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Originally posted by XS650:
I think it would be pretty iffy unless you wanted to fake a registration and take your chances with that.

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I wonder if the judge would buy the story that my undocumented Ford Ka is just here to work and for a better life..

Probably not.

 

[kenw]

can it pass US emissions?

 

[brianl703]

It probably would pass a state emissions test but I don't know if it would comply with EPA emissions rules.

 

[moribundman]

quote:

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Don't Europeans pay much higher sales tax also? I'd expect the price of that car to be lower here without all the taxes. True?

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The VAT is generally included in the price of anything from food to cars in European countries.

Audi has no intention of bringing the A2 to NA.

 

[XS650]

quote:

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Originally posted by brianl703:
The Ford Ka is sold in Mexico. I wonde how hard it'd be to sneak one across the border and if you could drive it around in an "undocumented" manner.

---

Brian, I always knew you were sharp guy, but didn't realize how closely the auto manufacturers follow your posts.

I just read in todays paper that Nissan will sell their built in Mexico Versa in the US next year.

Here's better article than the one in my newspaper. It also mentions Honda's and Toyota's plans for US small cars.

My local fishwrapper also had blurb on the KIA Rio for 2006. Looks like it has been improved and gotten bigger inside without getting bigger or heavier outside. There are also some interesting smaller cars in Yurp. Would they be called S.Boxen ?
Nissan Versa


Fixed bad link

[ September 29, 2005, 06:06 PM: Message edited by: XS650 ]

 

[Quattro Pete]

quote:

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Originally posted by moribundman:
The Audi A2 four seater is rated at 45 mpg, but over 65 mpg are do-able.

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That's of course UK gallons, but still, I wouldn't mind that kind of gas consumption at all.

 

[JHZR2]

quote:

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Originally posted by moribundman:

QUOTE]

Audi has no intention of bringing the A2 to NA.

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yeah, becaue Audi is soooooo high end...

Its not just audi... I love how all of the "luxury" euro car makers have so many duped...


I love to see mercedes with plastic hubcaps, the small Audi and BMWs, etc., etc.

JMH

 

[XS650]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jimbo:


Imagine the gas mileage that an up-to-date 1972 Toyota Corrola could get. A 2000lb car with a 1200cc engine was perfectly adequate transportation for young "baby boomers", but not today?

---

There are lots of cars in the world that fill that niche, but here in the land of the brave and home of the free we aren't allowed to buy them.

 

[genie47]

quote:

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Originally posted by XS650:

quote:

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Originally posted by Jimbo:


Imagine the gas mileage that an up-to-date 1972 Toyota Corrola could get. A 2000lb car with a 1200cc engine was perfectly adequate transportation for young "baby boomers", but not today?

---

There are lots of cars in the world that fill that niche, but here in the land of the brave and home of the free we aren't allowed to buy them.

---

We have exactly the same situation here but more so due to the taxation/subsidies given.

The new diesel engines for example the FIAT-GM 1.3L turbodiesel gives excellent economy and power. However, here in Singapore, private diesel engine cars have a road tax of 7X of private gasoline engine cars.

Authorities here cite the potential pollution with diesels but with the new Euro4 emission diesels this argument is moot.

A deeper analysis of the situation reveals that most of the public transport companies moving all those people around are government linked companies. Diesel here enjoys subsidies. They don't want to share. Removing the subsidies will let the price of diesel hit the roof and there goes the "cheap public transport".

It just plain sucks.

 

[drm7]

I had a 1978 Datsun B210 in High School. I never checked the mileage but I could put 2-3 gallons in and run all night. It had a 1-bbl 1.5l 4cyl w/68hp.

I'd love to run around in something like that again but with all the heavy cars and trucks on the road I just don't want to take a chance. My mom was killed by an Explorer when she was T-boned in her Saturn. She never saw it coming and it only hit her doing 40ish. I now have a Suburban and a Mazda MPV. If we could get 70-80% of the cars running around back down to the compact class then I might do it but there are just too many 5000lb++ vehicles on the road.