Car_and_Driver_USA_July_2017

and it’s nowhere
near as engaging to
drive. Off to find an
E36 wagon!
—Paul Andrews
Lansdale, PA
It must be nice to
have someone else
pay for your gas. How
did you manage to get
28 mpg in the Mazda
3 2.5? I’ve averaged
34.4 over the course
of 10K miles in mine.
—Len Cabrera
Alachua, FL
It’s well known to
most of our readers
that in shaking down
test cars, we tend to
drive a bit harder
than most owners.
We also measure
fuel economy not by
the often optimistic
trip computer, but
by the number of
gallons that go into
the tank following a
process to ensure
consistency. In
addition to that,
we calibrate the
odometer, a second
source of error in
crowd-sourced
mpg—Ed.
As a truck-hating,
Golf-driving freak
who has owned
nothing but small
manual hatchbacks
since the 1983 GTI,
I truly enjoyed
“One-Car Wonders.”
Your style evaluation
of the Civic hatch is
spot on. All other
publications forget
that back seats
matter.
—Mark Nedde
Madison, NJ
ELECTRIC COMPANY
Exactly where are the
third-row rear-facing
seats for $2500
“EXACTLY
WHERE ARE
THE THIRD-
ROW REAR-
FACING SEATS
FOR $2500
LOCATED?
DO THEY
POP OUT OF
THE TRUNK? ”
located [“2015 Tesla
Model S P85D,” April
2017]? Do they pop
out of the trunk?
Couldn’t have been a
popular option as I
don’t see it offered on
the new models.
—Gary Roelli
Shullsburg, WI
They’re still offered.
The seats fold out of
the floor, but you
have to plan before
using them. The
Model S provides no
place to stash the
cargo cover or the
tray that hides the
seats when they’re
not needed—Ed.
The Tesla’s 4000-
mile road trip shows
why electric cars are a
long way off. It took
20 hours to “fuel” the
Tesla, and Tesla is the
best in the market
today in charging and
in capacity.
I have taken 4500-
mile road trips the
last three years. I
figure it took maybe
two hours to fuel on
each trip. Some stops
came after 300 miles
and a few after 400,
with some under 200.
The difference
between me and the
PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL SIMARI