Dragging a very efficient elephant – The ignorance of the eco-models

I guess you all know them, hate them, only like them in front of your boss who set you up with it – the eco model. The basic recipe is to take a regular model, add a random colour to the name and remove any form of engine from it and replace it with a coffee mill. The problem is, that the rest of the car is rarely changed. Sure the engine modification is enough to fool your accountant and pay hardly any taxes, though how would you make a heavy car go forward with a tiny diesel?

Let me explain: the two major factors that determine performance and fuel consumption are the power and weight of your car. The more powerful the car the faster, but all this is limited by the weight that needs to be moved forward. On higher speeds aerodynamics comes into the game as well.

The aero is mostly been taken care of by lowering the suspension (which actually looks good) but the engine power that is taken out of the car is not followed by an equal loss of weight. What you get is a car of regular weight with an enormous lack of power. This causes the engine to take on much more work than in a regularly engined car, something which doesn't show when you are cruising on the highway on 3.5L/100km. Yet when you need engine power (which occurs more often than you think) the engine has no power reserve to accelerate and will consume fuel like their is no tomorrow, diminishing the whole point of your iBlueGreenDynamicLineMotion-car.

Of course, the development of engines is always a way forward, where would we be without direct injection and lean-burn fuel mixtures. Yet putting your state of the art engine in a horse carriage will not make any sense. In my opinion manufacturers should focus more on weight reduction. It can't be that a modern hatchback weighs over a third more than a Mk1 Golf, even when using aluminium and s-loads of plastic. It is like despite diets and exercises you weigh a third more than 5 years ago, it's stupid. Modern engineering can do better, I hope.

Furthermore, styling is still a higher priority than aerodynamics, which is true in some respect but pointless in others. Yet the pointless Audi-like grills are one of the least aerodynamic parts on a car, if only a flat floor would be mounted under the car that could save a lot of fuel.