THE CAR COACH REPORTS: Feb. 15, 2013
EPA + MPG = SOL OEMs EDITION
First it was Hyundai with overstated MPG figures on several of its models, then it was Ford with the Fusion Hybrid. Now, the EPA is investigating even more MPG claims: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130213/OEM11/130219920/epa-looks-to-audit-more-mpg-claims#axzz2KyeV8ZSf
Now I tend to drive with a bit of a lead foot so my vehicles never match the stated MPG claims on the window sticker. I can accept this since OEM's MPG testing is typically conducted under conservative and ideal driving conditions.
However, it seems there are a number of situations occurring lately that involve conservative drivers missing the stated MPG mark no matter how feather-footed they are. What gives?
Are OEMs lying to us? Are their tests that disconnected from real world driving? With gas as expensive as it is this days, many car buyers are paying close attention to window sticker claims now more than ever. In fact, fuel-economy is one of the top three reasons car buyers choose a specific make and model.
On a personal note, a colleague of mine recently drove his new car, which has a stated 33 MPG highway, for 10 hours straight, averaging 60 mph. It returned 27 MPG. He only made one stop the entire trip to fuel up and shut the motor off during this process. This is almost a 20 percent difference and yet he drove the entire length of the trip in a conservative manner on flat highways with no traffic and ideal weather conditions. Even if you factor in a 3-4 percent loss due to E10, there is still quite a discrepancy.
And this type of scenario is quite common--I hear it from my readers all the time. Because of this, I am actually going to go out on a limb and say that the Feds should step in and investigate this situation. If manufacturers are lying to us and are exaggerating their MPG claims, then we, the American car buying public, are being duped into spending more at the pump than we should and that is just not acceptable.
What are your thoughts?
Post your comments at http://laurenfix.blogspot.com/
My Final Thought:
Have you been keeping up with the Tesla / NY Times debacle? Apparently, a writer at the Times made some negative claims during a test drive review of the Model S but Tesla says it has the data to refute them. http://jalopnik.com/new-york-times-makes-it-sound-like-tesla-doesnt-know-h-204904371
They can't both be right but whoever is will certainly make the other look very foolish!
See you next week! Love your car!
--Lauren Fix
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