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Whiny fuel economy/EPA story on NBC
- 03-10-2005
posted on March 10, 2005, 9:38 am
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about cars not getting nearly the mileage their owners were led to
believe by the EPA stickers. This always happens when gas prices go up
and the media is complicit in the "blame the EPA for my lousy mileage"
mentality. There was NO MENTION of driving habits, maintenance or
inflating tires properly.
They even had the nerve to criticize the EPA for neglecting to let the
car idle in traffic for a while during the test. DUH... should you
complain that your mileage won't be quite up to the estimate if you are
NOT MOVING while your engine is running?
Assuming the tests are fair across manufacturers, I believe it's pretty
easy to achieve the EPA numbers (at a minimum) in everyday driving if
you drive conservatively and take care of your car. My 4-cyl 87 Camry
was rated at 25/31 and I consistently made 27 or 28 mpg around town for
the 15-1/2 years I owned it. It easily did 40 mpg or better on the
highway at 65. My current 03 Matrix is also rated at 25/31 and I am
consistently hitting 30 mpg in mostly suburban driving. It's not quite
as good as the Camry on the highway (35 or so) but I also drive it
faster.
Come on people, if you are myopic enough to buy gas guzzling cars, let
the tires go flat and drive with a lead foot, then at least stop
complaining... and please.... LEARN HOW TO DRIVE
Thanks for reading my little rant...
Re: Whiny fuel economy/EPA story on NBC
Mark wrote:
I saw the stories too. For the most part, most people get below the EPA.
YOu have to remember not all areas of the country are flat, at a
constant temp, or have other conditions that maximize economy.
In Nebraska, i don't think any of my cars have really exceed the
sticker. Usually under. My 96 s10 2.2 does about 17/23 in normal
weather.
Bob
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Re: Whiny fuel economy/EPA story on NBC
I'm like Mark here. I generally do better than the stickers. But, I have
almost always lived in rural or suburban areas, and when I have had to
travel I was generally going the OPPOSITE way from the gridlock, so I
usually had smooth sailing. On cars rated 25-30, I did 30-37. Where I live
now I can run my cars in their most effecient ranges and manage to
consistantly run 5 or more MPG over EPA. I have a Chrysler LHS that during
the fall I was gettin 30 MPG overall with. It does have a lot to do with
driving habits. Toyotas don't seem to mind being pounded on; my GTS gets
better mileage at 70-75 than at 40MPH. The Chrysler needs to be driven
like you have an egg between your foot and the throttle to get the kind of
mileage I was getting, and does much better at 45-50 or 62MPH. At 70 you
can watch the fuel guage drop.
Newsgroups
Re: Whiny fuel economy/EPA story on NBC
The last time prices went up, there was a story on NECN (New England Cable
News) where they were interviewing a guy, at the pump, complaining about
the high cost of gas...while filling up his EXCURSION!!!
If you're gonna cry about it, buy a Prius! What a fool.
Re: Whiny fuel economy/EPA story on NBC
Highlander, here in Northern California runs low 20's on highway. In Idaho,
Washington or Oregon I run about 10% better. I probably drive a bit hard to
get best mileage but In summer I am over 17 in town and about 21 on highway
with V-6 AWD. about 23 up north
Ron
Re: Whiny fuel economy/EPA story on NBC
Mark wrote:
You can stop there....Calling the stuff on TV at 6:30 pm
"news" is false advertising. Especially true for NBC and
CBS. At least Dan is leaving the "news" department and
working full time for the tabloid departement (60 minutes).
He was always better suited for National Enquirer style of
semi-fictionalized reporting than for honest news reporting.
Ed
Re: Whiny fuel economy/EPA story on NBC
get 34mpg hwy in my '94 Saab 9000 cse if there is no traffic and I'm not
stop and go. If I do wind up in stop and go traffic my mileage drops to
17-20 mpg.
I've also been tracking the MPG in my '04 Pilot. In town/traffic I get
about 14-15mpg. In open road driving I can get 18-20mpg. Not bad for a
6cyl SUV IMO.
Craig
markpippin@email.com says...
Re: Whiny fuel economy/EPA story on NBC
Mark wrote:
Agh! You used the "A" word. Whole hypothesis falls apart in huge
crumbing mass of little bits.(oddly not unlike legos?)
The problem is that the test is outdated and has a 20mph speed
for city and a 45mph for highway, with very gentle cycles
inbetween. Manufacturers gear the cars to do well at those
exact speeds, of course, so as to satisfy their fleet/type
efficiency requirements, so you get silly data that isn't
close to reality.
All it really does is tell you a range compared to other
vehicles. A Pruis will get better mileage than all but
about a handful of vehicles, for instance. The numbers
are moot beyond that.
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