I'm not saying "the new heavy cars are better in every way" than old cars.

But, I suspect a modern car that's 35-40 years newer than your old CRX is probably light years safer than your old CRX with more comfort features as well. I think the closest thing on the road today to a CRX (practically a micro car in its day) is a Smart Fortwo. I see in various websites that Smart ForTwo cars are reported as weighing anywhere from 1550-2050#s.

Hey, fella, don't bring logic into this!

We are in a new golden age of automobiles.

They are safer, quicker, faster, more economical, and more luxurious than cars from 20/30/40/50 years ago.

My 1978 SC cost 20,000 in 1978. That is nearly a 100,000 in today's dollars. There are numerous 2024 hot hatchbacks that can be had for 50,000 or less that will smoke my old SC in every category.

Stop living in the past and embrace the best vehicles that have ever been produced.

Unfortunately, the buying public's taste is running in just the opposite direction. Nobody wants light and cheap vehicles...they want big heavy ones. Cost and MPG don't seem to matter.

Just look around at what people are driving nowadays...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1719425807.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1719425807.jpg

I just did a DE at Barber Motorsports in my antique 85 Carrera.

Many of the guys there were younger than my car. It was the ONLY air cooled car in a field of 165 cars. The whopping 200 HP is a joke compared to any of the modern cars on track with me. I was passed a lot.

I spent two days earlier that same week at the Porsche Driving experience in a brand new 911 GTS, and a new 991 Turbo S, and a Cayman GTS. I was expecting to see the stars turning to streaks like in Star Wars when they jump to hyper space in the Turbo S. It is just astonishing fast, but for 250K+ I ain't gonna get one.

The 911 GTS is just amazing. Just steer, hit the brakes or gas, and the PDK does all the rest. I was hitting 120 in the GTS with ease, and only 90 at redline in third in my antique at the same spot. I had just as much fun as the fast guys.

And no way will I sell my antique. Lots of the guys at the track came over and took pictures of my car and asked about it.

What is the mpg on a 2024 GMC compared to a 1980 or 2020 GMC?

Smart ForTwo (sizes seem to vary quite a bit, presumably due to different years/models.

Length - 100" - 106.1"
Width - 57.9 - 74.5
Height - 59.1" - 61.2"

I now understand what you are saying, and you are correct. The consumer is the primary driver of larger/heavier vehicles.

Both in size and 'options'. Massaging seats, larger rims and tires, larger brakes, etc.

It's an american trend.

The rest of the world can't afford this big, this, thirsty, overengineered vehicles .

Europe, Asia , South America, just look at the size of what's for sale.

Hey, late middle-aged white guys have it rough in this country, for a litany of reasons, and on top of that we're forced to buy ugly, bloated, oversized, overpowered disposable appliances loaded with every single luxury item a design team can possibly think of because THE GOVERNMENT IS MAKING US DO IT!!!

That Tundra made in San Antonio Texas sold for the american market exclusively.

The rest of the world prefers the simpler bullet proof hilux.

Why can’t they sell hilux in the United States?

Why can’t we buy diesel passenger vehicles that achieve 45+ mpg without a battery pack?

Because...the bureaucracy makes the rules. Sad, but true. As said before...forced to buy cars designed through bureaucratic regulations.

You can buy a Hilux and import it. Just pay the 25% light truck duty when it arrives.

A couple of points:
First, Tire technology. The changing rubber formula over the decades in pursuit of traction and longer milage is the reason modern rubber will age out. Not radial construct.
Second, Manufacturers, trying to sidestep fuel economy demands for passenger automobiles have pushed the market to SUVs. They have made the big arsed mobile roadblocks into " better deals " and marketed the heck out of them because the standards are more lax.

Best
Les

Exactly. Mustang is currerntly Ford's only car. Hmmmm.

25 year old hilux. Dot and epa age out exemptions.

Light, cheap, efficient doesn't really sell here, its not the mfg fault.

Honda fit, Nissan versa, Fiesta.....these are cars that would have been unheard of performance and efficiency wise in the 90s compared to similar size and placed offsets.

Rav4 outsells corolla and even the Camry.

The people have spoken with thier dollars, it sucks, but they want big.

Speaking of Camry, they are all hybrid starting next year: Huge and heavy compared to ye olden cars but dead nuts reliable, reasonably priced, 50mpg. Why should people buy something smaller other than fun?