MotorWeek Retro: 1982 economy cars

[kevm14]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HS8XoLH9ovQ

This video is how the "lame" V8s of the 80s seemed fast at the time.

[kevm14]

The fuel economy on that Sentra is unbelievable.

[bill25]

Turns out that with almost no acceleration and tipping the scales at only 2000 lbs., it doesn't require much fuel to move around.

[kevm14]

Cars like the Sentra (small family car) didn't commonly get 44 mpg until like 4 years ago. Granted, there is no other similarity. But it is just odd that it was so far ahead of its competition. I assume it was carbureted, too. Maybe it was like what Honda did with the CVCC in 1975.

[kevm14]

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/198 ... ented-test

The small-car market isn't what it used to be. High interest rates are choking car sales in general. The economic slump is especially hard on the less af­fluent, who make up a significant per­centage of small-car buyers. And the now-you-see-it, now-you-don't gas crisis isn't helping either. With supplies plen­tiful and fuel prices falling, full-sized gas guzzlers don't seem so unattractive anymore.

Some things don't change.

35 mpg for the regular five-speed Sentra, and an incredible 43 mpg for the one they call MPG. According to the EPA, the Sentra MPG delivers better fuel econo­my than any other gas-engined car in America.

Sentra MPG? Man, this was like 10 years before the Civic HX or whatever, right?

Since at 2100 pounds the Sentra is not especially light (despite the use of 169 pounds of weight-saving high-strength steel), much of the credit for this efficiency must go to its E-series en­gine. Introduced last fall in the 310, this 1.5-liter, overhead-cam powerplant features the same high-swirl, fast-burn technology used in the Stanza and 200-SX engines. It is 46 pounds lighter and takes up less space than the 210 engine it replaces, while developing two more (67) horsepower and three more (85) pounds-feet of torque. That's enough to power the Sentra from rest to 60 mph in 12.7 seconds, and through the quarter-mile in 18.6 seconds at 72 mph. Such performance won't bring an enthusiast's blood to full boil, but it's quicker than that of most econoboxes and enough to handle any traffic situation, even when fully loaded.

C/D test mileage was much worse than MotorWeek. They got 32. But I bet if I could find road tests of the cars in the MotorWeek review, they would have been even worse.

[kevm14]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Se ... .931986.29

At the time of its release, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave the Sentra MPG the highest gasoline mileage among gasoline powered cars sold at that time, 43 miles per gallon in city and 58 miles per gallon in highway, a combined 48 miles per gallon.[5] Curb weight of only 1875 pounds helped it to achieve that number. The Sentra MPG was a special configuration that featured a three-way exhaust catalyst and an electronically controlled fuel metering unit to monitor the air-fuel mixture automatically and make adjustments to boost fuel mileage.

Damn look at the sales.

The Sentra quickly became a success, partly due to the appeal of low fuel consumption. In its first year of sales, it was already the best-selling import in the U.S. and the fourth best-selling passenger car overall (together with the earlier 210), with 191,312 units sold of both cars.[7] The Sentra ended the 1983 year as the eighth-most sold passenger car, with 209,889 units.[8]

Trim levels were standard, Deluxe and XE, while price range were between US$4,949 for the base two-door sedan up to US$6,899 for the two-door XE hatchback coupe. Standard equipment on all models were four-wheel independent suspension, front disc brakes and rear drums, rack and pinion steering, maintenance free battery, rear ashtray and bucket seats. Deluxe models added halogen headlamps, remote-locking gas filler door, carpeted trunk and rear wiper-washer on the wagon. Deluxe and XE offered tinted glass, trip odometer, vanity mirror, dual remote mirrors and door trim. XE offered cut pile carpeting, analogue quartz clock, remote rear window opener, low-fuel warning light, AM-FM Clarion stereo radio, power steering, tachometer and 155/13 whitewall radial tires.[5] Sunroof was available as an option.

Base price equates to $12,377.78 and the XE hatchback price equates to $17,254.86. I say these prices aren't far off what we have now - you can't necessarily compare averages because the XE at $17k probably was still missing things more expensive cars had - things you get on today's $17k new car.

Also, Clarion head unit. Nissan has used those for a while apparently. The 4th gen used them, even with the BOSE. And probably before and after, too.