What are the hypermile "sleepers"

[red91sit]

Buick was certainly doing something right around the turn of the decade. The series 1 3800 in the '92 up lesabres got excellent highway gas mileage considering its great heft. 30 MPG highway is about average, which is amazing if you have ever driven one of these boats. I think some of the big advantages on this car is the curve aruond winshield. It should prevent most of the typical A pillar buffeting as well as the ridiculously undersized side view mirrors. They are absolutly useless.

On a side note, even though this car is huge and gets good highway mileage... I ABSOLUTLEY HATE IT

Originally Posted by MTUboi86

I've got a 1993 Buick Century with the 3300 (3.3L) V6. [NOT a 3.1L that started in 1994]
On highway trips (70mph) I always get above 30mpg. Going 55mph I usually get around 33mpg. I've gotten up to 38.4mpg on the highway (between 55 and 70mph). This is with cruise control and no hypermilling techniques.

In the city I usually get 17mpg, but that's cuz I tend to drive it like a sports car in the city ... cuz it has the power. Haven't attempted any hypermilling techniques to improve that yet. I will next summer though, once I get it un-stored from this winter.

I haven't heard anyone with a 3.1L in one of these cars (B. Centuries, O. Cierra, etc) that have similar body styles getting this good of gas mileage on the highway.

The four-cylinder engines put into this car actually get WORSE gas mileage than the V6.

[DarbyWalters]

I had a 1974 Subaru GL 2 door back in 1976. I drove it like I stole it and would consistently get 32+ from the 1400 cc. I actually liked that little green monster with a hlaf black vinyl top.

[yaris0128]

89-92 Ford Probes. I had an 89 GT turbo and I averaged between 31-35mpg out of that car. For a car that keeps up with todays sports cars thats just amazing. Its aerodynamics really help it slice through the air and with the bugs. Rare you'll be cleaing up any dead bugs on that grill.

[fowljesse]

1 vote for the Mazda MX-3. I have read about many people who exceeded 40mpg in the 4 cyl model without knowing anything about hypermiling. I think I could get 50mpg in one with some cheap mods, and driving technique.
My stock V6 model with only a K&N intake got 35mpg, and stays at about 32mpg city, with some highway. My MX-3 with 2X the HP of the stock V6 gets the same mileage, for now, and will get better than 35 soon.

[bowtieguy]

i read yesterday that the mazda2(1.5 liter) is coming to the US soon. and a diesel model is due here by 2012--wow!...possibly 4 door only, however.

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010...-2011-mazda-2/

[trollbait]

Not surprising about the Mazda2. It shares the platform with the new Fiesta. It will interesting to see the differences in performance between the two, and how things develope now that Ford no longer has a majority in Mazda.

[occupant]

The EPA ratings out for the 2011 Mazda2 are lower than that of the Fiesta. Possible the 2 does get the 40mpg but they're playing it safe? IDK...

My vote for this thread is any 1993-2002 Mitsubishi Mirage, or 1993-1996 Dodge Colt, Eagle Summit, and Plymouth Colt coupes with the 1.5L engine and the 5-speed. EPA ratings were 32/40 when new (28/36 on the new cycle estimate). The coupes are pretty slick, especially the 1993-1996 models, and I like the interiors and the seats. A friend of mine has a 1.8L 1994 Summit ES version and he gets 20mpg out of it because he flogs it all the time, it hasn't been maintained, and he has stupid wheels and rubber band tires on it.

Also I had a 1986 Mercury Lynx with the carbureted 1.9L engine, 108K miles, and a 4-speed manual I bought from an impound auction in 1994. I got 40mpg out of that while I taught myself to drive standard with it at age 16. I also liked to floor it 0-30mph in first, dump the clutch, listen to it backfire through the bad muffler, then accelerate normally in 4th from 30 up to 45-50 or whatever the speed limit was. Didn't have an adverse effect on economy that I could tell, and it sounded cool to me.

[BumblingB]

I am building a '93 Toyota Paseo. Hoping it'll turn out to be a sleeper. It is an automatic so I'm hoping for the best. Should hopefully have it done in 2 weeks. Got the initial tear-down of the engine done to check specs and ordered a rebuild kit so T-Day week I should be building the motor and installing the following weekend.

[trollbait]

The EPA ratings out for the 2011 Mazda2 are lower than that of the Fiesta. Possible the 2 does get the 40mpg but they're playing it safe? IDK..

It's city rating is 1 higher, and the combined is the same. It's possible it has different gearing, but it could just be normal variation in test results. As expected the double clutch six speed in the Ford does better than the classic 4 speed auto. I wonder amenable it is to advanced hypermiling.

I don't get how the SFE Fiesta can have the same combined fuel economy while getting 2 mpg more highway.

I once had a Mirage rental for a day. Liked what I saw of it during that time, but I'd don't remember being in anything so stripped. New base Kia's have more luxurious interiors.

[Deezl]

How about my 2011 335d? Flat 55mph, no wind to speak of, and I'm showing (haven't even been through my 1st 1/4 of a tank yet) 45-50mpg on the fuel economy gauge... we'll see. I'm managing to squeak ~19mpg out of my wife's 2010 Tahoe Z71 commuting 80% freeway 20% city, which I think is pretty good for the big beast. I just traded my 2010 Tundra DoubleCab Rock Warrior (13.8-15.6mpg) in on the BMW, and so far (only owned it for about 7hrs now, lol!) I'm extremely happy. 425 pound-feet of torque... 0-60 5.9sec... 36 rated highway mpg... what's not to love?