Go Hypermiling Podcast

Type: Audio
Hosts: Kacey Green and Manuel Santos
Recorded: April 13, 2010
Music: Test Drive by Black Kettle
Runtime: 33 min : 45 sec
Moderating: N/A
Technique: Squeezing your car for the best “summer time” fuel economy
Main Topics:Mazda’s diesel to take on hybrids & How I learned to love the Prius
Sponsors: CleanMPG, Hybrid Canada, & Midlands Hybrid | Enginer PHEV kits, Midlands Honda, & CleanMPG Scangauges

Our Technique segment discusses: Squeezing your car for the best “summer time” fuel economy.

We had a general discussion on how to prepare your car for the summer months. 

Mazda’s diesel to take on hybrids

“As other automakers rush to bring more hybrids to market, Mazda Motor Corp. is taking an entirely different approach to fuel economy.

The Japanese automaker plans to bring a diesel-powered midsized sedan to the United States in 2012 that will get 43 miles per gallon. That is better than any of today’s midsized hybrids, and Mazda promises its car will cost far less.

Consumer Reports test engineer Jake Fisher called it one of the most important announcements made at the New York auto show last week.

“That was big news, because we need a small displacement, fuel-efficient diesel that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg,” he said. “Volkswagen has one, but every other manufacturer seems scared of diesels. I think it’s fabulous that Mazda has thrown its hat in the ring.”

Mazda, Japan’s fifth-largest carmaker, has a history of contrarian thinking. It remains the only proponent of the rotary engine and has always found its biggest successes by zigging when other zag.

Its new Sky-D diesel is no exception. While the engine has been in development for years, Mazda CEO Takashi Yamanouchi said his company only decided to bring it to the U.S. market after learning Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. would not bring diesels here. Toyota does not see a “substantial” market for diesels in the United States”…

How I learned to love the Prius 

“Test-driving cars teaches you some lessons you wouldn’t expect.

That brings us to the curious case of the Toyota Prius. As I headed off to pick up the Toyota hybrid for an extended test, I felt like a Punjabi groom being pushed into an arranged marriage with an unattractive woman. I’d just finished driving three Mercedes and a Porsche – the idea of a two-week trip in a Prius was a serious comedown.

Now it was in our garage. And I didn’t like it. The Prius looked like an over-styled cheese wedge. And it didn’t sound like a car – when I pressed the Start button, it remained silent. The only sign of life was a “ready” sign that flashed up on a screen.

My wife and I headed south, toward Lookout Mountain, Ga. This was a trip we’ve done dozens of times over the past 25 years, but in the Prius, it was an alien experience. There were no gears to shift, and no tachometer to tell me how fast the engine was turning. The Prius’s propulsion system was hidden and mysterious, controlled by microchips. As a former mechanic and dedicated car guy, this offended my instincts. I felt like sticking a sign in the window that said, “This isn’t our car.”

Seven hundred kilometres later, we made our first gas stop. We were somewhere in Ohio. This was weird. In our Honda, we’d be lucky if we make it to the Canadian border without a fill-up. And the tank on the Prius was clearly smaller than the Honda’s – I filled it for less than $30 (U.S.).

This second fill-up took us almost all the way to Lookout. At first, we thought there must be a mistake. Countless people had told me that the fuel economy of the Prius was a myth. “Not much better than any other car,” one friend declared. They were wrong. We had gone more than 1,400 kilometres on just over 70 litres of fuel. Bargain!

And I had to admit that the Prius was starting to grow on me. I liked the way it glided silently down the highway, as if propelled by an invisible hand. And I was obsessed with the digital fuel-consumption displays. Getting 5.5 L/100 km was easy. When I tried, I could get it down to 3.5.

When we glided down a hill or put on the brakes, the display showed energy flowing back into the Prius battery. We were getting something for nothing!”…

Please feel free to post a comment or to leave an audio comment using the button on the sidebar of this site.

Kacey Green
Go Hypermiling! 
“Hypermiling in today’s world”