No, Honda, Mazda, Toyota do not have a death wish, (maybe some German brands do) they are just doing what they have to do. The gas mileage numbers are real. The $$$avings are not necessarily equally great. It's not a big secret that the intended benefit is largely for the environment. The owners have to pay the cost of R&D and any side effects leading sometimes to more repair and maintenance costs. But the fact is that my 2009 CR-V would never reach 29 mpg in any real trip, even 100% highway (EPA 27 mpg highway). Now, if you let the famous VTEC kick in all the time... forget the fuel savings. The 2.4L NA engine is rated for less power and almost the same torque as my civic. This is what a good engine without turbo and with normal ported injection can do when it has to also obey the emissions regulations. Now compare that to the 2019 Honda CR-V which has much more power and city mpg higher then the highway mpg was 10 years ago... Who cares about anecdotes about some guy in Manchuria who had his engine oil overflow via the dipstick tube... I would buy a 2018 CR-V anytime.Mostly the gas engine dramas that started about 7 years ago are the result of making mileage numbers look good on paper. Every DI and DI turbo engine out there use more oil in one way or another - and now require longer drives to make them work well. Start/Stop makes no common sense either, but again, looks good on paper. Real solutions like a piggyback port injection system alongside the direct injection costs too much. Not to mention, having these little beasts have an appetite for premium fuel is a cost factor to the consumer. Mazda and Toyota are in the early phases of wrecking their engine technologies too. So I guess it's all good. (?)