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Continental Divide, NM Car Consumer Discussions

Impressions so far Jeep Patriot 11,000 miles

by sedalia on Wed Sep 03 13:16:52 PDT 2008

Bought our Patriot end of Oct/2007. We endured an exceptionally hard winter in Colorado 2007/2008. I am very happy to report our Jeep Patriot 4x4 Trail-Rated (w/CVT) proved exceptionally stable and stout in many trips up and down and over the Continental Divide, even over rugged Hoosier Pass (Breckenridge-to-SouthPark) about 11,00-ft elevation, above tree line.. Patriot muscled right over in the worst possilbe conditions - extremely heavy winds, blowing/drifting snow, low to non-existent visibility: zero complaints, steady as a rock, great grip, nice and tight. The only problem the whole winter was when newly-licensed teenager was able to 'break the wheels' making a turn on icy street and hit the curb in an awkward way - which expensively boogered up the suspension and steering. Runs fine now after the fix. Jeep also ran great during the hot summer. That thing likes to get up hills, for sure. Can't wait to take it off-road this Fall at Kenosha Pass. Only real complaint is during a slow deceleration there is a definite dead spot at about 12 - 15 mph. Local dealership techie said this was because of the way transmission software is set up. He said that this dead spot comes about because of exigencies built in to the CVT protocol that need to account for a quick acceleration should it occur in that range, He was going to check with "his people" to see if there would be fix for this, but I never heard back. All-in-all, I like this vehicle, especially all the interior room and the way it handles on-road during inclement situations.

Re: Taurus observations? [brucelinc]

by snaglepus on Tue Jun 03 13:38:57 PDT 2008

"Going down into a pretty stiff headwind, we got 29.6 MPG. Coming home, we got 31.4. This was 90% Interstate cruising at 75 - 80 MPH. We have taken a number of shorter trips on two-lane roads at lower speeds and gotten 33-34 MPG. On her daily commute of 50/50 city and freeway, grocery shopping, etc. it averages around 24-25 MPG. The tall overdrive in 6th gear really helps fuel economy on the highway. The engine is powerful enough to prevent unwanted downshifts on hills, too" "The Taurus has a 3.16 axle ratio and a .74 OD for a final drive of 2.34. At 75 MPH, it is turning around 2000 RPM" :confuse: Using your figures which BTW I am unable to verify for a 2008 Taurus, we find that with the standard tire, a Continental ContiTouringContact CT95, size 215/60TR17 turns 767 revs per mile. 3.16 X 0.74 X 767 equals 1794 revs per mile at 60 mph. Indeed, rather 'tall' gearing. 1794 divided by 60 equals 29.89 revs per one mph. Taking that further, we find that: 75 mph will be 2241 RPM 80 mph will be 2391 RPM I do not see how this vehicle turning those revs will achieve those high average miles-per-gallon figures stated at those speeds. :confuse:

1700 mile trip mileage

by troylikesbikes on Thu Mar 27 07:55:03 PDT 2008

The car, 2007 Camry CE 5 speed manual. The trip, Denver to Gallup NM on interstate, to Flagstaff, around Sunset Crater, up to the Grand Canyon, to Page Arizona, backroads to Moab Utah and back to Denver via interstate. The weather, perfect, 40F in the mornings, 60F and sunny in the afternoons, only occasional wind. The speeds, interstate driving was all 80mph, backroads varied from 60mph to 70mph. The load was 1 adult, 2 kids, trunk half full, tire pressures at normal, no A/C used. Car mileage started at 9450, ended at 11202 for a total of 1752 miles. 47.11 gallons of fuel used, nearly all regular. 37.1 mpg. The only differences in the car between this trip and my last big space shuttle trip was an oil change to a lighter oil ( 5w-20 ) and a tire rotation. The first two tanks were in the 34-35mpg range, the big mileage gains were evident on back roads, I cracked 42 mpg on one half tank which was exclusively slower driving. The slower speeds bring up the mileage quite dramatically, the 42 mpg tank was quite a surprise, I knew these cars were efficient but thats quite an eyeful. 300 miles of range right at the half tank marker on the fuel gauge is becoming a common interstate driving marker, when I was hitting 330 at the same spot I knew something was going on good, but not exactly what. I should note that the run from Page Arizona to my front door in Denver was 608 miles, which I did on 15.78 gallons, for a 38.5 mpg tank. The slower backroads in Arizona and Utah being offset by steady 80mph driving on I-70 as well as climbing the Continental Divide. If I assume a 50/50 split of driving styles, then I was getting a steady 41.5 mpg on backroads, and 35 mpg on the interstate on this tank. This car rules. I still plan on a summer time experiment to see if I can get an entire tank above 40mpg like Caz can.

Re: I did the "IMPOSSIBLE" [210delray]

by troylikesbikes on Mon Feb 25 06:54:37 PST 2008

Yep, I made it: 602.1 miles on one tank of gas in my Camry! A little anxiety-provoking at the end, but success was achieved. Excellent!! The only time I ever attempt games like that is when I've got another 5 gallons of emergency gas in the trunk... Its nice to see that quite a few of us are able to do exactly whats expected of a solid 30+ mpg car though. I'm trying to think up a little Camry stunt myself, if I head west from Denver, doing only 60-65 mph, I should be able to stay free of any major slowdowns for 1050 miles easy ( Reno NV ). Throw 5 gallons in the trunk, and then run the tank to fumes. Drive slow on a non windy day, 37 mpg for 18.5 gal = 680 miles? Would I be better off heading east through Nebraska and Iowa to Chicago instead, avoiding that first big climb out of Denver to the Continental Divide? Thats about 1000 miles in distance, so there is plenty of room that way as well, but the scenery isn't near as nice.

Big 3

by 1stpik on Sun Feb 10 04:54:41 PST 2008

"Imagine if GM, Chrysler, or Ford were to go out of business, imagine how many Americans would lose their jobs, and think of the large hit our economy would take...." Tens of thousands of Americans already have lost their jobs, our economy already has taken a large hit ..... but GM, Chrysler, and Ford are still in business. And they'll stay in business no matter what happens. They'll just keep firing employees to boost their companies' stock prices. They'll keep moving factories to foreign countries. And even if they face a REAL financial crisis, our government will use our money to bail them out. If you doubt that, then you're too young to remember Chrysler in the early 1980s. The truth is, the people who "work" for the Big 3 are in a separate business from the executives who manage the Big 3. The first group is in business to sell cars. The second group is in business to sell stock. This corporate divide precludes any concept of "going out of business." . On a humorous note, here's an answer to the "10 Best" lists that automotive magazines perpetually compile. It's the "10 Worst" cars list from a survey of 27,000 readers. Enjoy: 1. (The worst) Jeep Compass: "Laughable aesthetics, second-rate road manners, pokey performance and interior materials pulled from the bottom drawer of Chrysler's parts bin." 2. Chrysler Sebring: "A born rental car ... hideous in a deeply bland sort of way." 3. Chevrolet Aveo: "From its tinny-sounding doors to its penalty-box interior, the Aveo screams cheap more loudly than an amphetamine-crazed parrot." 4. Dodge Nitro: "Comic-book styling can't overcome the Nitro's fundamental lack of fundamentals." 5. Chevrolet Uplander: "This dead van walking never fooled anyone with its SUV-wannabe styling on a poorly engineered '90s-era platform." 6. Hummer H3: "A 4,700-pound truck with a 220-horsepower, five-cylinder engine ... that is thirstier than Lindsay Lohan just out of rehab, slower than continental drift and rougher than Class VI rapids." 7. Hummer H2: "A huge, slow, thirsty, ungainly 5-year-old truck based on an 8-year-old platform. The H2's immense charisma has vanished as quickly as hopes for a little rapid-fire nation building you-know-where." 8. Chevy TrailBlazer/GMC Envoy: "Old school SUVs in the strictest sense of the term – for anyone whose education involved endless hours at a desk nailed to the floor in a drafty, cheerless classroom." 9. Chrysler Aspen: "A cynical repackaging of the Pleistocene-era Dodge Durango, complete with an arthritic suspension and interior appointments you're best advised not to keep." 10. Saturn Ion: "The lame-duck Ion waddles off the field of battle without achieving any glory whatsoever." .

Versa, a year later

by longo2 on Sat Dec 29 15:10:11 PST 2007

We now have 16,000 kms on our 2007 Versa, it's been to the Grand Canyon , through one Canadian Province, 7 states, 3 time zones and over several Continental Divides and Mt. Passes. I think that qualifies one more Versa comment on this site. The Vesa has the best 'cruise control' on the road..it will hold your set speed without gaining or losing one mph, up hills and down grades. Mind you on long pulls as the engine (with CVT transmission) keeps increasing rpms, when you hit the top of the hill, it will be screaming like a Mix Master set on Blend! The MPG numbers are very susceptible to weather conditions...crossing the Texas panhandle in gale force head winds, we were getting only 22 mpg, but on a long stretch of road North of Flagstaff Az with a good 'tail wind' we got 42. Only one trip into the dealership in the rain when my wife noticed the rear wiper busily cleaning the trunk instead of the window. So far so good, still our favorite vehicle. This link will take you to my Versa project to date. Use the 'slideshow' feature to enlarge and auto-scroll the pics' http://picasaweb.google.com/longo3002/VersaPics