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Auto Q&A
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Posted by editor Mon Nov 6, 2006 10:47:01 PST
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0 responses 0 comments Dear Q & A: One of our guests was arguing last week that there’s a two-passenger car now available (not just in the planning stages) that can get hundreds of miles per gallon, accelerate faster than a Corvette, and go 100 miles an hour. This is science fiction, if I’ve ever heard it, with the accent on fiction. If there’s any truth to this wild story, please confirm.  
              — Fact Respecter

Dear FR: Not only is the car you’re probably referring to real, but you can order it through your latest (Holiday 2006 issue) of the Hammacher-Schlemmer mail order catalog. See page 8. You were a little conservative on your mpg rating, though. This car gets way better gas mileage than you guessed, in fact using no oil-based fuel at all, neither gasoline nor diesel. It’s electric. You could think of it as a hybrid without the internal combustion engine.

For delivery purposes, count on 3,000 pounds shipping weight, in a crate 39 inches wide by 60 inches high by 8 and-a-half feet long. Not much bigger than a crated Harley Davidson Road King.

You were also a little low on its top speed, a claimed 120 mph, and its acceleration, zero-to-60 in 4.0 seconds, among the world’s fastest. This may be in large part attributable to its torque, an eye-popping 1,000 lb. ft. For comparison, the super-hot Aston Martin sports car mentioned in last week’s column features 425 lb.ft. of torque.

One possible drawback to getting one of these beauties is the price: $108,000. Another may be that a couple can’t cuddle while cruising at 120 per. The seating is fore-and-aft, or tandem. And finally, the one discouraging spec that may make you hesitate to buy one is its range. It’ll go only about 60 miles on a battery charge. That’s not even enough to get you to Bakersfield and back. But think of how seldom you’ll have to visit the Chevron station. (By the way, H-S is not one of your fly-by-night mail order houses; they’ve been selling upscale stuff since 1848. Nevertheless, prospective buyers are well-advised to look into repair and parts availability before inking the contract.)

Dear Q & A: Do guys get better gas mileage than girls? I mean in general, average, all ages.                                
— Pam

Dear Pam: Tough one. Has any legitimate, scientific testing ever been done with this question in mind? One way to analyze it from an armchair perspective might be to observe the vehicles that males are most likely to buy and compare them with those most often selected by females. In general — very generally — guys seem to prefer hunkin’ trucks and SUVs and high-CID sports cars, don’t they? And their wives and girlfriends, when they have the purchase say-so, opt for sleeker, more “feminine” vehicles that not only have smaller, more economical engines but have bodies (like their own) that are less bulky and move through the air with less wind resistance. Both these factors tend toward better mpg.
Blunt bodies bull their way through the atmosphere. They may be “cooler” (more macho), but they’re aerodynamically less efficient. This is not to deny that there are more femmes out there enjoying high-hp than ever before, but just check out who’s behind the wheel when you see most gas-hogs on the road.
If your question was which sex has the heavier accelerator foot, just compare shoe sizes, M vs. F.

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