I’m curious as to why small crossovers have tiny fuel tanks. I’ve seen the Buick Envista and that vehicle is plenty big enough to accomodate a 15-16 gallon tank to enable it to go at least 600 miles if not more at the 32mpg interstate rating. Why do automakers keep putting 11-13 gallon tanks in vehicles that only allow it to go around 300 miles on a tank. Wouldn’t the bigger fuel tank be the better and more sensible option?
In: Engineering
The first gen Subaru Crosstrek/XV has a small fuel tank, and an engine that’s undersized for the application. The engine specifies the use of super-thin 0W20 oil.
I believe that the priority behind all of these decisions was chasing emissions ratings. The few cases of people swapping in the larger 2.5l engine have shown better fuel economy due to not having to work the engine so hard. The manual version chews clutches because the driver is forced to compensate for the lack of torque with higher revving. The thin oil is more prone to finding its way past piston rings and leaks, but it does reduce mechanical drag and therefore lower emissions. A larger fuel tank is heavier when full, and would also affect the rating.
Just my personal thoughts.
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