Up until model year 2003, if you wanted to start a nice little flame war over on the Miata.net Forum all you had to do was ask why the Miata doesn’t have a Low Fuel Light. On one side you had the pro camp who wondered aloud about how come the cheapest Hyundai has one. The con camp consisted of the sports car purists or the ones who actually use the normally included gas gage.
I guess Mazda figured if it sold a half dozen more cars they would add it, so in all 2003 Miatas you now get a low fuel light.
I was on my way to the local gas station this evening to fill up as the needle was about on ‘E’ when mine came on. Filled up the tank and I managed to get 10.4 gallons in there. The total capacity according to my brochure is 12.7 gallons, so I had 2.3 left to burn. Even at the lowest EPA city mileage of 23 MPG I still could go over 50 miles before actually running out.
Coincidentally, I had my ’03 LS low fuel indicator come on for the first time this past Sunday while driving into San Francisco. Stopped at the next gas station (only a mile away) and added 10.764 gallons, and so I still had about 2 gallons left. It’s good to know how far you can still go under these circumstances.
My old ’88 CRX didn’t have an indicator light, but whenever the fuel got down to about 2 gallons left, it would start to hesitate when accelerating from a standing start. Same thing, I guess, except those two gallons got me from 60 to 70 miles.
My ’83 Prelude had one. I needed it for about the last year of my ownership of the car too, the gas gage broke. While driving my uncle around one day he commented that I needed gas as the gage was on E. I told him that the gage was broke, but not to worry as I had a low fuel light. He then asked was I sure the light worked?…