Automotive extinction technologies

Half of today's "automatics" are really automated manuals (controlled by computer). Hence MPG equal to a driver-controlled manual.

I testdrove an Accord with a manual transmission. It felt just fine in 6th gear, due to its almost 300 horsepower engine (V6 with I3 mode to save gasoline). Of course it's worth noting you don't have to use the sixth gear. You can pretend that the car is just five gears and ignore the top one. (Seems obvious to me..... not sure why I needed to explain it.) I plan to drive one of those manual Accords in a few years.

As for turbo lag, today's fuel-efficient ecoboost engines have turbos the size of dimes. They have measurable lag, but it is faster than a blink of the eye (you cannot perceive it).

 

Orr first car, an '81 Honda Civic with Honamatic, was a clutchless, manually selected TWO speed, if I'm not mistaken.

 

No, a mini van must have:
1. a flat floor pan for 4' x 8" plywood.
2. Sliding side doors.

 

Which rules out ever being 'mini'