Got gas?

This will be short...but I've got a problem.

No, not those kids who are constantly on my lawn.  GET OFF MY LAWN! But, while driving around, I notice that there's an attempt to do something car companies should be doing anyway.  In order to give the salesperson another angle to woo potential buyers, they will frequently boast about a new environmentally friendly technology.  Only our brand has it. 

For me it was the PZEV.  Subaru and Volkswagen (maybe until they were outted as liars) tout Partial Zero Emission Vehicles on the lot.  In truth, all of the available Subarus have the acronym on their backsides.  Hello, reducing exhaust and greenhouse gasses has been mandated by many states...specifically California.  And, in order to postpone mandated zero emission vehicles (read: electric cars...thank you Mr. Tesla, whomever you are!) they have invented this category of technology with the promise that they'll reduce it even more...in time.  BO-GUS!

Another misnomer is Mazda's SKYACTIV.  It's just a fancy way of saying: we get slightly better mileage.  To be fair, according to fueleconomy.gov, Mazdas have pretty decent MPG, at least 2 or 3 MPG better than other vehicles in their respective classes.  Supposedly, their cars similar to my Outback can get 29 MPG on average.   Mine only gets that for strict highway driving...granted my car has 82,000 miles on it and is 6 years old.  Still...a car gets what it gets.  No need to tattoo it on the back of the car as if to say "Ha ha, we have it and you don't" especially when it's not drastically better and your hybrid still pales in comparison to the Toyota Matrix.

Still, by comparison, Mazda is at least truthful...compared to Ford who has their FLEXFUEL showcased on each rear bumper of every car off their lot.  FLEXFUEL doesn't improve fuel economy nor does it reduce emissions.  All it does is allow for the vehicle to use a mix of ethanol and gasoline...at any ratio.  Dudes, ethanol has been proven as a last stand for a dying and artificially (government) propped-up way of continuing to support the corn industry.  You can read a ton of books about how our dependence on corn is largely due to governmental promises (Omnivore's Dilemma) to keep that industry afloat.  Well, Ford bought it hook line and sinker and rejiggered their fleet to be able to accept the lie about the abundance of the alcohol additive.  Popular Mechanics reports that our E15 gasoline already has it in it!  My car is FLEXFUEL already...maybe it can't run exclusively on ethanol, but who's buying 100% ethanol for their car anyway?  Nobody in the US. 

Anyway, if and when you buy a new car...don't get drawn into the new buzzwords that don't amount to much.  If you're like me, taking a look at the car's fuel economy and whether it adheres to California's emission standards shouldn't be a selling point, it's responsible manufacturing.  All cars should be as efficient and environmentally friendly as possible.  Instead, you should focus on more serious things...like color and number of cupholders...you know, important stuff!