But let’s face it: The Pickup/SUV exclusion from CAFE was a loophole as big as a barndoor. It led to automotive pornography: More than half of US auto sales were – until recently – “light trucks.” According to a belated, but nevertheless educational article in the WSJ, ” several years ago Ford even considered dropping cars altogether because they weren’t profitable, and focusing entirely on trucks.” That was when I had a subscription on an Expedition. Every two years in April, Otis Ford in Quogue, NY, drove a new black one on my driveway without even asking.

In the meantime, fuel-sipping diesel engines are all the rage in Europe. And if you think those turbocharged little rascals have a hard time getting up the hill, try a Touareg V10 TDI with 553 lb-ft of torque – so much that they had to put a chip in the tranny that keeps it from being ripped apart by the engine. EPA fuel efficiency 23 mpg on the highway. You can have your SUV, and eat too.