My Pontiac Firefly / Chevrolet Metro / Geo Metro / Suzuki Swift
metrompg.com welcomes fuel efficiency nerds everywhere

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Latest fuel economy stats
for my '98 Firefly 1.0L 5-speed
  best: 2.3 125.1 104.2
 worst: 6.4  44.1  36.8
prev.3: 3.3  82.3  68.6
   all: 3.8  73.4  61.1
L/100km | mpg IMP | mpg US
Jul 28/07: more, graph, calc.
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Best non-hybrid MPG: Mitsubishi Mirage
Highest MPG for a new car: Mitsubishi Mirage?
Mitsubishi's 1.2L, 3-cylinder Mirage is the first new non-hybrid car that can match an old Metro's mileage. The company says 44 mpg (US) highway, 37 city. (Some drivers are already beating that in various economy driving contests.) How? An efficient engine, very light weight and aerodynamic design.


Cheapest to own? 2015 Nissan Micra Forum
2015 Nissan Micra Forum
The Micra's fuel economy isn't its most notable feature -- the $10,000 price is. That makes it one of the cheapest cars to own. And its 109hp, 1.6L engine and good power-to-weight ratio means it's fun to drive too.


Latest 10 posts:
1. Recipe for getting 99.7 mpg from a Geo Metro
2. Aerocivic.com - famous aerodynamic Honda Civic gets a web site
3. Snapshot: effect of tire pressure on rolling resistance
4. 65+ vehicle modifications for better MPG
5. Metro mania: forget stocks, put your money in old Geos!
6. 100+ Hypermiling / ecodriving tips for better gas mileage
7. Experiment: how long should a block heater be plugged in?
8. Everything old is new again: Car and Driver magazine modifies an econobox to improve MPG
9. Project Convertible XFi: alfresco efficiency
10. The floor is yours: MetroMPG opens a fuel efficiency forum
11 ... 64. Show all posts


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Links:

Good MPG forums: I spend a lot of time at Ecomodder.com and have also been known to lurk around cleanmpg.com.

Chevrolet Aveo forum - AveoForum.com: discussion of the Chevrolet Aveo and its siblings (Pontiac Wave, Pontiac G3, Suzuki Swift+, Daewoo Kalos).

> Lots more Metro links...
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Send me a note:
darin AT metrompg D-O-T com,
or here


MetroMPG has opened a fuel economy forum
Read about the project here, or go straight to EcoModder.com.		 ScanGauge fuel economy computer Save fuel with a ScanGauge II fuel economy computer.
I personally recommend this tool. I've owned both versions (I and II) and can't say enough good things about it. If you're serious about saving fuel, get one.

For more information and to order, visit EcoModder.

Dutch 'new driving' techniques steer for efficiency

Posted Monday, October 17/05 in Driving efficiently

The Dukes of Holland

The Dutch call it "the new driving" - and it's yet more evidence that Europeans take their driving more seriously than us North Americans.

That's right - new driving. Like new math. It's social marketing, meant to encourage a shift in the way folks behave behind the wheel. (After all, who wants to drive the old way?)

Yet, bizarrely, the Dukes of Hazzard are the spokespeople.

OK, not quite. More accurately, the Dukes of Holland are the spokespeople. It's a weird Bo and Luke parody in the form of a series of TV ads that promote the campaign. Their bright orange car sports not the Confederate flag on its roof, but the Dutch flag. The number on the door is "02", not "01" - a symbol of their progressive ways.

Tailpipe emissions seem to be the main target of the Dutch government ("new driving" is funded through an environmental budget), although they point out that the same driving techniques apply whether the aim is to reduce vehicle wear and tear, save fuel, minimize pollution, or increase safety and comfort.

nieuwe rijden screen grab

There's not too much new information in the driving tips that you can't find elsewhere (and in English ... I actually went through the unintentionally hilarious babelfish dutch/english translation of the site - see link below). No, it's noteworthy because of the way it's presented, and where the message is coming from (i.e. from the top).

But it's not just empty marketing. There are teeth behind the idea too. Next month (Nov/05), the speed limit on portions of four major highways is being cut from 100 km/h to 80 to improve the air quality for residents of adjacent suburbs.

The Netherlands campaign is actually just one example of a Europe-wide effort to encourage "Eco-driving" habits. Maybe one day North Americans will take up the challenge too.

Yee-haw!!

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Related links:





EcoModder fuel economy forum Note: MetroMPG has opened a fuel economy forum
Read about the project here, or go straight to EcoModder.com.


darin AT metrompg D-O-T com, or here