Gas Prices Are Going to Go Up

My Mazda3 has a normally aspirated 2.5 liter 4 cylinder, which I gather is pretty much as big as 4 bangers get these days. I went to Salt Lake City last week and average just over 36 mpg. Not bad when everything but the first few and last few miles were with the cruise control set at 80 and some really stiff, tumbleweed blowing winds. While it is comparable to a Corolla in size, it really feels substantial and handles great. Even though it's 0-60 is a so-so 7.6 (the turbo is probably a lot quicker) what I care much more about is that when you need power to merge onto Interstates it has more giddyup than I've had since I gave up my old '65 Impala with 283 V/8 and Powerglide transmission.... do we have a "nostalgia" emoji?

I don't know about these days, but I had a Nissan 240sx back in the late nineties that had a 2.4 liter 4 cilindar, and that was considered HUGE at the time

Interesting. I'm not a car guy, so I had no idea of the 240's engine size. I traded a 2012 Mazda3 with a 2.0 Liter 5 speed manual. Good basic transportation and very nimble, but not much in the power department. I'm so used to driving small cars that even driving my brother's Rogue I feel like I'm herding a whale.

I paid $4.19 today at the safeway pump. Other prices I saw were 4.59 and 4.69.

As a former Versa driver (basically the non-electric Leaf), they are surprisingly roomy and comfortable. I'm 6'4" and never had a problem with space or head room (in contrast to a lot of recent SUVs where my head is literally hitting the ceiling unless I recline the seat, and my arm is jammed against the seatbelt holder).

Also, I think I've had to purchase gas maybe once in the last 2-3 months. My newer car gets closer to 400-450 miles per tank, and due to remote work, I'm rarely driving more than 10-20 miles per week for various errands. Its gonna suck when I have to start going back in the office though.

One of the complaints I used to have about the corolla was that it lagged in acceleration. A friend of mine had one and it did not do much when you floored it. The engine it has now has a good bit of pep. It is not the 6 but it moves. There is also a reality I know. That extra bit of power a 6 has will fuck a drive at the extremes anyway. I am not talking about your standard weekend road warrior getting through traffic and flooring it. I am talking getting near the limits of the physical attachment to the road. Do you know how many people lose control because that little extra power causes them to go over the coefficient of friction? Not to mention the little bit of extra acceleration will fuck with a person when in tight traffic that I am causing to close up.

I guess it might just be preference, but when I am doing some truly radical road rage I actually lose control with too much power.

That's a fairly expensive Arco as far as Arcos go. Gas stations on Fair Oaks should really be avoided unless it's an emergency.

Mazda has some fucking kick ass small engines. I used to work with a friend who's uncle owned a ameteur racing team that went with miatas and rx7s. Those 4s were not at all wimpy back in the days when 4s were wimpy. The racing engines were a bit more than stock, but still.

I thought RX7s had rotary engines.

Same with my Honda Fit. Amazingly roomy for such a small car. My girlfriend’s Lexus seems to be much more cramped despite being a significantly larger vehicle.

Ayup - the CX-30 is a crossover based on the Mazda 3 chassis. I had a CX-3 before it (my first foray into Mazda - I'd have stuck with Kia but they made some poor design decisions around the time I was changing vehicles) that was based on the Mazda 2. The extra room and gizmos are appreciated, though I wish they'd kept the heated steering wheel... that was a godsend on cold mornings. The air-con takes a little too long to get the cabin warm (and on icy mornings I need it focused on the windscreen, not me).

Wankel.

That's wanker.

He may be, but I was referring to the engines.

He drives a Ford F-150 pickup. Which, by the way, isn't best selling if you combine sales of GMC and Chevy.

Wanker.

The one vehicle I do remember seeing disappear almost overnight at that time we're the Hummers. In my podunk hometown, they were fucking everywhere at I remember at least two kids in my high school drive them ( ). After gas hit $3, they were gone within months.

People did buy more cars for a few years after that but once sticker shock wore off, it's been back to trucks and as mentioned earlier, the domestic brands didn't even try to produce cars anymore, apart from a scant few legacy lines like the Mustang.

Sad

I'm so hella glad I drive MINI.

I dunno. I think it’s fair. The one on Fair Oaks and Watt is worse. At least I’m not my wife who goes to the shell cuz it’s closest…

I get by with a leatherette steering wheel. My trim level doesn't have heated seats either, but I'm able to keep my car garaged, so that helps. It also helps that I've never gotten used to them...you never miss what you've never had

My ass is well-padded enough I rarely use the heated seats - if I do it's on a long trip if my back is hurting. But it's tricky to put on weight in your fingers...

My lowly Leaf has front and rear heated seats and a heated steering wheel. Plus a cabin heater that is instant on.

Yeah there are a few times I need the extra range and leave the climate control off, but this is rare.

Also turns on the climate control by timer so my regular commute is with a comfy cabin from the getgo.

Did I mention that it's fun to drive with full torque from a dead stop? It doesn't have a ludicrous mode like Teslas but it's still crazy fast off the line.

I've never owned anything domestic.

Yeah I had a Chevy Bolt for work for a while. Good shit. It could go like a bat out of hell from stopped and, better, went up hills as if they were flat. Good info on the Leaf. Might get one next time.

Yeah, you're too cool for that.

So Toyota or Nissan?

Toyota. '04 Tundra and '05 Camry. But I lied. I forgot about the S-10 Blazer I briefly had in college.

But you have feelings for Ford. How long have these lasted?

I never really cared for Fords.

Then why would you spread propaganda that they are America's favorite truck? There seems to be imbedded feelings for them.

Every time I check, every list of the most popular vehicles in American that includes pickups and SUVs, the F 150 is number one. But, you're right. If the Silverado and Sierra sales combined have sold more than F150s (and it wouldn't surprise me if they do), then they should be number one because they're the same truck. My point though, was that the most popular vehicles in America has been full sized pickups for decades.