AlanMcR wrote:I think the G300 comes in at 5700lbs, w/o fuel/tools/spares. Add 5 people, gear, extra fuel, dog, etc. and it adds up to 7000lbs very quickly.
A deployable chin spoiler or belly pan might help, but thermals would need to be considered.
The OM606 would be a bit more efficient with a properly geared stick shift. The 722.6 auto has some annoying traits that damage fuel economy. Basically it tries to guess what you might do next. Most notably: when you are cruising along below the torque peak (60mph&2400rpm) and you gently accelerate (or hit a gentle rise), it makes the assumption that you might want some real power and releases the lockup. Now you are going 60mph&2600rpm, with the extra power being wasted in the torque converter. This continues for quite a while before it decides to lock up and save some fuel. The practical result of this is that driving in the 50-60 mph range is not as efficient as 65mph, where it almost never unlocks.
Fascinating stuff. One of the many reasons I prefer manual transmission... if I wanted the car thinking for me I'd hold out for a truly automated Tesla. But where's the fun in that?