The thread concerned mpg. Today’s vehicles are heavier and faster, but still get better mpg.
Newer mid-size (and even larger) cars do 0-60 in under 7 seconds and get 25+mpg in mixed driving, not to mention handling much better. Mid-’60s muscle cars were barely faster and got half the mpg.
But there was something enjoyable about those big bench seats and lots of elbow room. And there was no beeping and buzzing! Many vehicles today give the feeling of being strapped in a padded bathtub.
Newer mid-size (and even larger) cars do 0-60 in under 7 seconds and get 25+mpg in mixed driving, not to mention handling much better. Mid-’60s muscle cars were barely faster and got half the mpg
Still a vast gap in technology. Also, big block V8s were in their infancy in the mid-60s. There’s going to be a wide gulf between the capabilities of a 24-valve 4OHC V6 multi-port EFI mated to a 6-speed automatic and that of an OHV V8 2BBL mated to a Powerglide 2-speed automatic (even the base-model 2012 Camaro V6 has 325 horses, a number you’d be lucky to get with the 327-cid small-block V8 of the mid-60s). The sheet metal on the 60s cars, though, is quite another story.
And no, not all new cars are heavier than 60s cars; you won’t see too many new cars over the 5,000-lb mark.