I don't think you're right there at all. Taking your specific example, a '95 Golf got about 24mpg (combined cycle). Today, the 2 liter gasoline engine gets ~36

I don't think you're right there at all. Taking your specific example, a '95 Golf got about 24mpg (combined cycle). Today, the 2 liter gasoline engine gets ~36 combined. That's despite the '95 golf having a curb weight of around 2,500lbs, and the 2015 being over 3,000lbs. Don't forget that since the '90s, European and USA crash safety legislation has caused very large increases in vehicle mass. Airbags, collapsing structures, side impact beams, rollover protection all are required now. And finally (though you didn't mention this), the crappy visibility of today's cars is directly as a result of increases in crash safety standards: poor visibility is a function of thick A, B, and C pillars; they are thicker today because cars have to stand up to more. Edit to add: This video shows a 50+ year old Chevy Bel Air in a head on, offset collision with a modern Chevrolet grey box. No analysis, and I'm not putting it here to add weight to any point, but it does show that we have made some progress. http://oppositelock.kinja.com/classic-car-vs-modern-car-safety-1642008672 http://oppositelock.kinja.com/classic-car-vs-modern-car-safe...