Hi All:

___I think some are being a bit overzealous here … And Ford isn’t pulling its own weight in regards to the Excursion either.

___An OTR (Over the Road) 18-wheeler w/ a late model CAT or Cummins Diesel when pulling a 30 - 50,000 # load can achieve between 5 and 8 mpg. I have heard from some of the driver’s that 10 mpg is not out of this world with the latest diesels and driving in a fuel efficient manner. Not many drive at the limits or with well maintained trucks just yet but there are more and more every day driving to save $’s then just 1 + year ago given the price they are paying for Diesel #2 nowadays.

___Anyway, why doesn’t Ford, GM, DCC, Toyota … only allow these monsters to use the much more fuel efficient and powerful Diesels instead of the fuel sucking SI-ICE pigs with the poor FE ratings that are always blamed for everything from destroying the planet to killing baby seals? The baby seals comment was in jest These Cummins/Allison Diesel’s in many cases allow these consumer based trucks to receive upwards of 24 mpg out on the highway when not towing and mid to upper teens around town as well as while pulling loads you couldn’t imagine. We can all speak of NOx and PM but even these items have cures and not expensive ones (DPF’s and Urea injected SCR-CAT’s while on ULSD/LSD) in terms of $40,000 + trucks if the EPA and CARB don’t get in the way with too high a bar. 120,000 + miles with no active consumer intervention is one I hope both rethink if we want to get off this steady diet of Crude.

___Just my own rant as I see plenty of these huge monsters out on the road and if they are going to be there, they may as well achieve at least low to mid twenties type FE out on the highway instead of this 10 - 12 mpg type crap we always read about

___A bit OT but the ULEV-II based Acura MDX is EPA rated at just 17/23 and the wife just about achieves City estimates in winter temperatures back and forth to work. This is one of the more efficient mid-sized/large SUV’s. To bad I couldn’t have purchased it with Honda’s 2.2 L iCDTi or the 3.0 L 240 HP SI-ICE in the V6 Accord instead. The boys and I are shaming my wife into considering another automobile as of late. She hates it when the 22 Year old says, “We aren’t going to drive that Pig, are we”. I just add that it’s a “Fuel sucking pig”. She hates it when I say that

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net