Surprising facts about gas mileage
Hybrids can stretch a gallon but not as far as
expected
With gas prices on the rise, you might be
worried about how many miles your car gets per gallon. You could, in
fact, be getting fewer miles per gallon than you expected when you
bought your car, and owners of hybrids may be the most surprised.
On every new vehicle, manufacturers are required to list how many
miles you can expect to get per gallon of gas. Carmakers are allowed
to make these claims based on a government test at the Environmental
Protection Agency in which vehicles are put on a treadmill-like
device called a dynamometer. The tester watches a computer screen to
determine how much to accelerate and when to brake so each vehicle
is tested in exactly the same way.
But just how accurately does a test on a dynamometer reflect the
mileage you get on the road? Not very, says David Champion, Senior
Director of the Auto Test Department at Consumer Reports.
According to Champion, manufacturers optimize their cars in order to
get the best results they can on EPA tests. "That isn't always what
you're going to get in real life," says Champion.
The United States Department of Energy and the EPA maintain a Web
site with fuel economy information, including testing results and
frequently asked questions. Some of the reasons listed as to why a
consumer's fuel economy may differ from the EPA estimates include
factors related to driving conditions, driver behavior, vehicle
maintenance, and the contents of the fuel being used. You can find
this information at
www.fueleconomy.gov.
Consumer Reports tests vehicles for fuel efficiency on the
road. Our test course is marked with speed posts and stop signs to
simulate stop-and-go city driving and a meter reads the actual
amount of fuel consumed by the engine during the test.
Consumer Reports finds vehicles often get worse gas mileage
than the figures listed on the manufacturer's sticker, especially
for city driving. For example, a four-cylinder Chevrolet Malibu has
an EPA estimate of 24 mpg in city driving, but Consumer Reports
only achieved 16 mpg in our city test. That's one-third less fuel
economy. The Dodge Stratus four-cylinder model is estimated to get
22 mpg in the city, but achieved just 14 mpg in our city test. And
the four-wheel drive Nissan Armada, which the manufacturer's sticker
says should get 13 mpg for city driving, got a mere 9 mpg in our
test. That means driving around town, you'd get about 100 miles less
on a tank of gas.
Hybrid owners haven't been exempt from feeling this pinch either. In
our testing, we fell way short of EPA estimates of 60 mpg city and
51 mpg highway. Our Prius managed only 35 mpg in the city and 50 mpg
on the highway, with an average of 44 mpg overall. The Prius still
provides the best fuel economy we've recorded in a five-passenger
vehicle, but it's not nearly as high as the EPA figures would have
you believe.
The Honda Civic Hybrid had similar results. Our tested 2003 Hybrid
sedan with a CVT returned 26 mpg in the city and 45 mpg on the
highway, with an overall average of 36 mpg. The EPA quotes 48 mpg
city and 47 mpg highway.
"When we do our tests, it's on the road and it gives us a much more
realistic evaluation of the fuel economy of each vehicle," says
Champion. The EPA is currently re-evaluating how it measures fuel
efficiency.
Hybrid owners may be particularly disappointed with their mileage,
considering hybrids typically cost more than similarly sized and
equipped conventional cars.
At $3.00 per gallon, cars in the same class as the Prius burn about
$1,900 worth of fuel in 15,000 miles. The Prius would save about
$900 per year at that rate. But people expecting better mileage from
their hybrid will find that it takes longer to recover the price
difference in gas savings alone.
No matter what mileage your car is supposed to get, there are a
number of things you can do to improve its fuel efficiency. Just
keeping your car tuned up and your tires properly inflated can make
a big difference. For more tips, see our report on
saving money on fuel.
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