[sad-lumina-owner]

In any case, modern (new) cars and trucks AREN'T aerodynamically efficient, or fuel efficient either.

Here is a great list of mods CAR MAKERS could do to improve their products AND please the "American" (or any mass market) buyers:

I want to try to list steps that car makers could/should take to improve the fuel efficiency. The most obvious would be to mold the plastic on the front of the vehicle to be smooth and round, with grill openings that are sized (and placed) only as required to cool the engine. Similar to the original VW Passat.

...or the original Ford Taurus

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...or the original Ford Taurus:
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Sealing all the seams and joints (with gaskets or backing flanges) in the high pressure areas of the vehicle.

I vote for smooth underbelly trays.
With access panels for maintenance.

How about not selling econocars that cruise at 3500rpm on the highway? I could happily double the 5th gear ratio in my protege5.

I agree with the aerodynamics. The under belly tray is also a good idea. Fender skirts for the win!

All new cars should have instant built in MPG units (like higher line models do now) and like Ford did it years ago on a truck, they should have an optional vacuum gauge with a red/green zone.

Tire pressure monitors really suck, but they do let a driver know of an inflation problem. This is already required by law for new cars anyway, but a monitor that tells you the air pressure in each tire would be great!

Forget the honkin' 16"-22" rims and wide tires! Lets bring back the skinny tire! I'm not talking about Metro wheels on an SUV, but a tire and rim size proportioned to the vehicle.

Optional switches or programmable system that allow the driver to turn the A/C compressor on or off and other accessories like Daytime Running Lights, autolocks, entry illumination, "sealt belt minder", etc as desired. Cars being sold to the general public cannot have a "kill switch", "Alternator cutout", etc because the general public are stupid.

I would also love to see the return of the diesel here in America.

...
- transmission gear ratios
- aerodynamic front molding/design
- underbelly smoothing
- on-board FE feedback system

I think some car makers are doing these, but not for every car. I believe it was Mercedes who modded their C-class down to a 0.25 Cd:

second this, some vehicles need a 7th gear. my dads mini cooper s runs so high cruising on the highway.

Some more items:

Tire pressure monitor.

Average & "instant" MPG displays, that are on all the time. (The xD uses the same display for the odometer, the two trip odometers, average MPG, instant MPG -- way too many things on one display! You have to toggle through them with a button that could not be a bigger pain to press...)

Fully ducted cooling system, with the intake down low on the front, and the exhaust in a low pressure zone; minimizing the size of the radiator and the reducing the drag as much as possible.

Throttle control that maintains even throttle in a user-set speed range, with minimal throttle increases to maintain the speed in that range.

Higher gearing with 6-7 speeds (smaller engines need more gears to work efficiently); or CVT transmissions.

Video cameras and screens in place of side mirrors.

Efficient and effective fresh air flow through the vehicle, with intakes on a high pressure area, and exhaust vent(s) out the back of the vehicle into the low pressure wake zone, to reduce drag as much as possible.

Automatic engine shut off and start up; at least with CVT (or automatic) transmissions -- and possibly with standard shifts, based on having both the clutch and the brake applied?

Lean burn in low vacuum conditions.

Store hot coolant in a vacuum insulated tank, to speed up warm-up time; a la what the Prius does.

Coat all the window glass to exclude as much heat as possible.

Make A/C on the defrost setting optional.

Tighten up wheel openings, and always use aerodynamically designed wheels/covers, with rear wheel skirts (at least optional).

Make roof racks removable. Years ago, I saw a "papoose" add-on storage system that locked onto the back of the car, with a single caster wheel to support the weight -- it tucked completely into the air flow behind the car; and it would be a great way to add storage space when needed; that did not affect how you drove very much.

For new 4-cylinder engine designs, the crankshaft could be split with a hydraulic coupling that can automatically disengage two cylinders completely; saving all the pumping and friction losses, for situations when 2 cylinders are enough to provide the required torque to move the vehicle.

Or, make every vehicle with a plug-in electric w/ serial hybrid ICE drive train.

i want:

plug in hybrid with regen braking
engine waste heat recycling -what ever technology is best.
instant mpg and trip mpg computer
engine block heater
boat tail

totally love cars from the 80's, it seemed aerodynamics where put high on the agenda back than, and designers finally decided to do away with obsolete grills on favor of flat aerodynamics nose panels... wheel arches where shaped for tire clearance and ninimal aerodynamic intrusion

ford sierra 1982 Cd 0.34 (later the car got a more conventional grill, but the big headlights still dominated the front...)


citroen ax 1986 Cd 0.31 (this one will appeal to metro fans!)


opel omega 1986 Cd 0.28
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opel calibra 1989 Cd 0.26
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i think this proves it's more than possible to build practical cars, that don't even have to all that funny looking.

...and all these people are American car buyers who would pay for mods like these in a second.