It's not 1970 anymore gramps. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll stop being terrified of technological progress.

(Baggenfrock get fucked, Mon 20 Jul 2015, 15:01, 1 reply)

It's not really progress if modern cars use just as much fuel as ones from 30 years ago
and still break down as often, only now you can't fix them by the roadside like you used to.
( Grrrmachine the indifference engine, Mon 20 Jul 2015, 16:38, closed)

Cars are rubbish.
But according to The Internet the average fuel consumption for passenger cars has increased from 24.3 to 36.0 between 1980 and 2013.

Maybe if you washed the grease off your hands you'd learn how to Google.
(Go Man River everybody loves anal, Mon 20 Jul 2015, 16:58, closed)

How is "... the average fuel consumption for passenger cars ..." derived?
Things like 4.2L Jaguars and the like are much, much, more economic than they were in 1980 -- from something like (19mpg to 40mpg combined I would guess). So that allows the more common family car a good bit of leeway if you're going by model and not "per million cars".
Even if you are going "per million cars" the prices of petrol meant all kinds of gas-guzzlers were rife but that doesn't mean that a decent family car, for example was any less economical.
Personally, I would expect fuel consumption to have gone down, generally, across all cars but the figure quoted is pretty meaningless unless one wants to show just how expensive using petrol is nowadays.
(Me, I'm not... in any way intoxicated, Tue 21 Jul 2015, 21:26, closed)

To be fair, the best selling car in the UK was a Ford Cortina
which did an average of 29-32mpg. In 2013 the best-selling car was the Ford Fiesta, which does a decent 45mpg and can go over 60mpg if you treat it gently.

But the modern trend of driving glorified tanks around with little Erin or Jemima in the back fucks all that up quite a lot, as you say.
( Grrrmachine the indifference engine, Wed 22 Jul 2015, 6:04, closed)

I can't believe you want me to compromise the safety of Denby and Persephone, you monster.

(Go Man River everybody loves anal, Wed 22 Jul 2015, 8:46, closed)

I reckon increased fuel efficiency has been cancelled out by the obligatory everything-proof reinforced roll cage and armour plating,
so when you're taking the little darlings 5 minutes down the road to their primary school in your fucking 9 seater sumo carrier, hit a speedbump at 45 and somehow turn the thing on its roof, they won't even get a scratch.
( drimble he'd been white, he'd been black, Mon 20 Jul 2015, 17:44, closed)