Compare the attitude reflected in this this letter (in response to Wednesday's column) with the one published in the print edition today:

Mileage could improve immediately if many of the (no longer an option / standard) comforts many Americans have come to expect were taken out of the cars. For example, I would love to know how much the Toyota Yaris (or any subcompact / compact car) could improve in MPG  if all unnecessary options were simply removed and I'm not recommending compromising safety.

Cars certainly would not need to have: 1) power steering, 2) power brakes, 3) power windows, 4) power door locks,  5) air conditioning, 6) automatic transmission, 7) cruise control.  Does anyone know the total combined weight of all these "extras"?  There have been many articles written about unnecessary extra weight in a car (and how the weight degrades MPG) and these options certainly have some weight to them. I would like to see Myth Busters prove or disprove my theory.   

In the old days, if you wanted these fancy extras you had to pay for them, now they come standard on the car - and of course the price (and poor MPG) reflects all of these mandatory/standard options!  I had a base model 1988 Honda Civic and it did not have any of the aforementioned options and I got 33 - 40 MPG gallon.   When purchasing a compact or subcompact (commuter) car, we should have a choice as to whether we want to haul around this extra weight or not!

--Patty