wrote:

I remember getting 50 mpg while cruising at 60 mph in my 1300cc
Civic with the CVCC engine turning about 500 rpm slower than
my brother's Toyota Corolla. So I think it was a damn fine
fuel efficient high torque at low rpm engine.

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You're comparing apples to oranges. 50mpg @ 60mph is about 10
horsepower, which tells us the vehicle is fairly light and well
streamlined. But it has nothing to do with airplanes. Expressions
such as 'high torque' and 'low rpm' are meaningless unless quantified,
and if ten horsepower are all you need, there are much lighter engines
than the Honda Civic.

-R.S.Hoover