Now, you might ask how do todays cars stack up against older cars?   Have they improved with all this technology?  You've seen a few examples already, but I will give more examples. 

It will be a complex answer, but the bottom line is that average fuel economy for cars alone hasn't really improved very much in the last decade and a half.  If so, what benefits have we enjoyed from all this modernization?  What has it done?  In short, cars have gotten bigger, heavier, more luxurious and their gas mileage has not really improved; even worse, many small, "efficient" cars made today get worse mileage than small and efficient cars of the mid-1980s.

Where is mileage going?  Let's look at some additional examples from the 1980s and compare them to newer cars.  The below cars have the base engine, so you don't have to worry that I'm comparing the biggest V6 of one year against the smallest L4 of another.  The numbers are listed as City/Hwy mpg.

                                                                                   1988                 2003

·         BMW 3-Series (manual)             21/28                21/30

·         Cadillac Seville (auto)                 17/24                18/27

·         Chevrolet Cavalier (manual)         25/36                26/33

·         Ford Taurus V6 (auto)                21/29                20/28

·         Honda Civic (manual)                 33/37                32/38

·         Honda Accord (auto)                  23/29                24/33

·         Nissan Maxima (auto)                18/24                20/26

·         Pontiac Bonneville (auto)            19/29                20/29

·         Pontiac Grand Am (auto)            23/31                26/33

·         Toyota Camry (auto)                   25/31                23/32

·         Volkswagen Jetta (manual)          25/33                24/31

Now, granted, most if not all of the 2003 cars in the above table have more power and better performance than their 1988 older brothers, but that is not what I am examining.  While driving through traffic in the city, or cruising comfortably on the highway, you will not notice the power improvements.  Increases in torque and horsepower give a car the ability to change speeds.  This acceleration can be from either from a low speed to a higher speed in the city or from one highway speed to another.  It is a shame that in 15 years, power has improved, but mileage has not. 

Look at the numbers.  They speak for themselves.  Are some automakers simply less talented than others?  Here are more examples.  How can a 4-cylinder Altima get only 29 mpg on the highway when the Chrysler Concorde and Pontiac Bonneville, two heavier and physically larger cars with bigger engines are also rated at 29 mpg?   How can a 4-cylinder, 150 horsepower Mitsubishi Galant get only 27 mpg on the highway?  Even a 350 horsepower V8 Corvette is capable of 28 mpg.    

Clearly, some of the makers are doing a better job at powering cars efficiently than others.  And although my examples seem to promote American cars over the foreign models, I haven't bought American in a while.  My last car was a Honda, because of their superior quality and reputation for reliability.  Of course, my 2000 Honda Accord V6 was rated at only 20/28, about the same as the larger, heavier, and more powerful Pontiac Bonneville.