That wasn’t a strawman... it was an example used to defend my argument that Obama flying somewhere to talk about climate is mouse nuts (-Elon Musk) compared to industry and agriculture.

Outside of refrigerant leakage and evaporation emissions, greenhouse gas IS directly tied to fuel economy and I’m not sure how you can argue otherwise. For a given fuel, it’s a chemical reaction defined by the laws of physics. We know exactly how much CO2 is produced by combusting a given mass of hydrocarbons.

8,887 grams/gallon of CO2 is the average that EPA uses. The exact number is dependent on many variables. Diesel is about 10,180 grams CO2/gallon, which is why diesel has less of an advantage under greenhouse gas standards compared to fuel economy. Under the GHG standard, a 30 mpg diesel is really equivalent to 26.2…

Remember that the combustion of gasoline is a chemical reaction with oxygen. The mass of CO2 comes from both the gasoline AND oxygen in the air that enters the intake. 

You’re right. Fortunately regulators and scientists know this and it was factored into the standards already (and why we weren’t aiming for something like 80 mpg). 

Most technology that does have a cost, pays itself off in a few years even at low gas prices.

Not realistic? Please explain, and do include in your explanation a mention of credits and flexibilites, and perhaps how they won’t help. You know, just to show that you actually understand what you claim.

This bike costs almost as much as a Tesla Model 3. It’s overpriced, there is zero justification for the price tag. 

Proof? This is just another rule of thumb carryover from winga-dinga old farts, right? There are practical engine design characteristics/goals and engineering reasons for large displacement engines in certain applications, it has nothing to do with reliability or whatever “stress” means.

Oh man this age-old point couldn’t possibly be less relevant in 2019 from either a practical or literal standpoint. There’s very little evidence that power-dense engines have general reliability problems, and in the physical sense, the amount of work being done to move and accelerate a vehicle in an identical way is…

Or wait a year or two, new Tundra should be released and likely to have a hybrid option of some sort. 

This isn’t really a new problem. The solutions to problems like this have existed in industrial processes for a long time. 

Tin foil hat time: What if automakers are doing a dieselgate-type of cheating but for HP and torque? This could even be done without upsetting emissions tests because emissions tests follow a set schedule and aren’t WOT, and cars all have instrumentation that could detect that the vehicle is stationary. 

Honestly I’m not even sure why I wanted the locking dif. I think I knew that I would probably keep the 4Runner forever (eventually as our third/utility vehicle), so might as well have it and not need it. I enjoy the sunroof - it’s great to have five windows + sunroof open on a nice day. But lets face it, I was a…

Seems like you missed the point entirely. 

48-volt mild hybrid is a thing, and can definitely fit in an 86...

Starting price you’re right, you can definitely get what you need for less with a taco. But once you’re looking at higher trims, it doesn’t cost much more. I cross-shopped the Tacomas and 4runners that were more or less equivalent for things that I wanted (automatic, sunroof, heated seats, locking dif), and the…

Absolutely. And at the end of the day, the 4Runner is a more durable vehicle. Not to take anything away from the Taco, it’s the better choice for many people -- but you get a lot more vehicle for only a few grand more with the 4Runner. I just wish fuel economy were better.

I had a ‘15 Tacoma, decided it wasn’t great to drive around and traded in for a 4Runner. Massively better daily driver (95% of driving) and kept most of the utility for the other 5% of driving where I do the usual DIY homeowner errands. Rental trailers are cheap, so a BOF SUV has been a net positive for me over a…

You must live at least an hour away from a major city, because otherwise it’s impossible to justify the compromise of an enthusiast car 75% of the time. Getting stuck on shitty roads packed full of inattentive drivers and crossovers, doing 25 mph in a 65 zone for miles on end, with cops and speed cameras everywhere…