3 ms·
For those who aren't aware with the issue around CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards: There are separate standards for "cars" and "light trucks" --
by flyingfences 5y ago
For those who aren't aware with the issue around CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards:
There are separate standards for "cars" and "light trucks" -- a difference of about 10mpg. When the standards were created in the '70s, "light trucks" were expected to be, well, trucks: body-on-frame pickups and SUVs with real utility. Nowadays, all these crossovers are considered "light trucks" as well, while a wagon or hatchback is a "car". In essence, the automakers get a 10 mpg relaxation in standards (worth, at current rates, $550 in EPA fines alone per vehicle sold) for taking the same wagon, jacking up the suspension a couple inches (thereby bungling the handling and pedestrian safety), and adding some "rugged" plastic cladding.