Oil embargo led to reduced weight, higher mpg
Fuel mileage ( high fuel mileage) was the name of the game in the U. S. auto industry 40 years ago, and the means of achieving it were major downsizing, smaller engines with fewer cylinders and, for some car producers, a switch to diesel from gasoline.
I’ve compiled a list of the
35 highest fuel mileages I recorded while testing and reviewing new cars and trucks for The Denver
Post from 1978- 1982. An oil embargo a few years earlier by member nations of OPEC brought about gas shortages, inflation, unemployment and depressed stock market, and by 1978, makers of cars for the U. S. were launching many new, lighter- weight models as gas- savers.
The best miles per gallon I managed during that era was 47.9 with a 1978 Volkswagen Rabbit Diesel, built in Germany. Its 4- cylinder diesel engine was mounted transversely in the front- wheel- drive Rabbit.
As opposed to a gas engine, the diesel had no carburetor or electrical ignition system. It had no spark plugs, points or coil. It had a compression ratio of 23.5 to 1, compared with 8.2 to 1 in the gasoline engine.
On cold mornings, a wait of about 40 seconds was required for preheating the engine before starting.
The VW’s full sticker price was $ 5,043.50, $ 195 higher than if it had been gasoline- powered.
The second- highest mpg occurred more than three years later, in June 1981 in an Isuzu I- Mark coupe, also with diesel power.
Starting the Japanese- built Isuzu required a wait of only 4 seconds, and little clatter was heard.
Budwellscars@ comcast. net
Top MPG 1978- 82
47.9 by ’ 78 VW Rabbit Diesel 45.6 by ’ 81 Isuzu I- mark diesel 45.1 by ’ 79 Renault Le Car 41.6 by ‘ 81Toyota Starlet 41.3 by ’ 81 VW Dasher Diesel 40.8 by ’ 81 Plymouth Champ 38,6 by ’ 81 Dodge Aries
The 1978 Volkswagen Rabbit Diesel. ( Bud Wells photos) 38.3 by ’ 81 Ford Escort 38.3 by ’ 80 Toyota Tercel 36.5 by ’ 81 Mercury Lynx 33.7 by ’ 80 Saab Turbo
The ’ 78 Mercedes- Benz 240D diesel barely made the 30- mpg- and- higher list. 33.0 by ’ 78 Mazda GLC 32.4 by ’ 80 Chev Chevette 32.2 by ’ 80 Olds Omega 31.7 by ’ 80 Porsche 924 31.6 by ’ 80 Dodge Omni 024 31.4 by ’ 80 VW Rabbit Pickup 31.4 by ’ 78 Toyota Corolla 31.3 by ’ 80 Olds 98 Diesel 31.3 by ’ 80 Audi 4000 31.0 by ’ 81 Isuzu I- mark 31.0 by ’ 78 Peugeot 504 Diesel 30.7 by ’ 81 Mazda 626 30.6 by ’ 78 Dodge Omni 30.2 by ’ 80 Plymouth Horizon 30.1 by ’ 78 Mercedes 240D Diesel