poor CITY mpg-ALL MAKES-not just MZ3

[everfeb]

Been crunching some numbers from the fuel economy section of the latest \"Consumer Reports New Car Preview 2006.
I won\'t bore you with my methodology.

Of 17 4 cylinder ATX vehicles that I was able to compare \"CR\" ROAD TEST city mpg to EPA suggested city mpg for that car...the 17 vehicles road tested by \"CR\" AVERAGED 31.4% POORER MPG CITY than the EPA #\'s suggested they should get. 31.4%. Incredible.

The SCIONxA got 38% worse road test city mpg than EPA #\'s suggest...VOLVO S40 37%worse...FOCUSZX4
34%...ELANTA 33%...VIBE 38% worse...FORESTER 35%. The only matching #\'s I could get for MZ3 was for the 2.0-5spd 25% worse.

\"CR\"\'s HWY road test mpg were, in most cases, equal or better for some reason or other than EPA #\'s
suggest. In general...the V6\'s I compared were even worse than the 4 cyl. when comparing ROAD TEST city mpg to EPA. IE..4\'s were 31.4% worse, V6\'s were probably around 34%. And how would you like to have bot an INSIGHT..41% worse, JEEP LIBERTY CRD turbo diesel..50% worse (EPA says 22mpgUScity-
road test got 11).

This may shed some light on why some 3 owners are fairly satisfied with their mileage (they probably do lots of highway miles on average with limited stopgostopgo). While others of us have been quite disappointed (lots of city stopgo miles) especially when comparing our 3\'s real city mpg to the EPA #\'s. I know I\'ve been getting OK hwy mpg with my 2.3 ATX but felt it was a real pig on gas around town. This little study kind of shows that to be true BUT...I do feel much better. I\'m glad to see it\'s not just the 3 which gets much poorer CITY mpg than EPA #\'s suggest it should...it looks like I would have been disappointed with the city mpg I got with ANY car compared to EPA #\'s.

Hope this makes some of you feel better. I do. It\'s not JUST my 3.

everfeb

[MajesticBlueNTO]

everfeb, good find! more evidence to support the fact that the EPA fuel economy testing is way out of date, as shown in:

Car and Driver by Csaba Csere

highlights:

* The mileage shortfall is caused by EPA fuel-economy test cycles that bear no more relation to real-world driving conditions than a Sunday afternoon bicycle ride does to the Tour de France.

* And because we all drive differently, on a variety of roads, in many different climates, no single test can possibly predict the fuel economy every driver will achieve.

* The current city and highway test cycles, however, underestimate the mileage that almost everyone gets. And how could they not? The highway test crawls along at an average speed of 48.3 mph and never exceeds 60.

* On some test cycles, the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius have suffered 33-percent fuel-economy reductions just from turning on their air conditioners.

[billyfo]

read this STar Wheel section about Lexus RX400h, to find out how real test mpg compare to it factory stated mpg.

[nifty6]

Have to agree with you that the 2.3 Auto is a pig on gas around town, stop and go.
Just got from a 6,700K trip down south. All, or most driving highway, revs. no higher than 3000RPM. A/C on about 80% of the time, cruise on. I averaged 37MPG or, from mempry, about 32MPG American. Yes I did the necessary conversions from American gallons to Imperial gallons. I think the key is keeping the RPMs down when highway driving.

[akherad]

I feel good now