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Comment by McGuffin | Hacker News Reader

Maybe if you'd bought a lot more Volvos, they still would've had a market for that option.

With draconian CAFE requirements coming (49 mpg average [1][2] for vehicles the size of a Honda Fit), manufacturers are really ramping up their efforts to be compliant. Automatic transmissions now can deliver 1-2 better mpg than a manual, plus sometimes faster shift times. You're also seeing a lot more CVT transmissions vs. conventional planetary gear ones these days because they typically deliver 2+ mpg better economy.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAFE#Agreed_standards_by_model_...

[2] I'm not saying the days of the V8 are over (like in Mad Max 2 -- "The last of the V8 Interceptors. A piece of history.") .. but if you want one, you might want to start thinking about buying one to keep.

That's the first time I've heard of automatic transmissions giving better mileage than manuals. I always thought the drive train loses on an automatic transmission (mainly the torque converter) was the issue? Has that changed?

Depends on the design, YMMV, etc. etc. But Consumer Reports found that the Ford Fiesta and Mazda 3 returned 1 mpg better when specced with an automatic.

http://consumerreports.org/cro/2012/01/save-gas-and-money-wi...

If you choose the CVT in the Nissan Versa, you'll get 5mpg better economy over either the manual or the automatic choices.

http://www.edmunds.com/fuel-economy/five-myths-about-stick-s...

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