Car owners battle automakers over advertised MPG
Hyundai Elantra / Hyundai Motor America
(MoneyWatch) Car buyers have become so focused on gas mileage that some are going to court when their vehicles don't get the advertised numbers
Hyundai Elantra owners, joined by public interest group Consumer Watchdog, are suing the automaker over this issue. Their suit claims that Hyundai advertises that the Elantra gets 40 MPG, but does not explain that this rating is only for mileage during highway driving. Hyundai claims that its ads comply with all laws and regulations.
The Hyundai suit follows a similar action against Honda regarding ads saying the Honda Civic Hybrid gets 50 MPG. A Honda Civic owner initially won her case in small claims court but then lost on appeal. Honda did settle a class action suit by 460,000 Civic Hybrid owners over gas mileage, giving each one $100 to $200.
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In the past, car shoppers seemed to understand that ratings published by the Environmental Protection Agency covered separate numbers for city and highway driving, while a third figure pertained to combined driving conditions. But as more cars have achieved a 40 MPG highway rating and car companies push that number in their ads, owners seem to be taking the claim more seriously.
Several automotive magazines and websites have found that most new cars come close to their combined rating in normal test driving. But if you are an aggressive driver or have a daily commute filled with stop-and-go traffic, that will have a major effect on actual mileage. "So much depends on how you drive and where you drive," says Jack Nerad, executive editor of Kelley Blue Book and the kbb.com website.
If you are shopping for a new car, be sure you understand all the mileage ratings and how those are likely to translate into the real world. Here's how:
- Check the full rating of any car you are considering at the government website fueleconomy.gov. For instance, the 2013 Hyundai Elantra - in addition to that controversial 40 MPG highway rating -- also is rated at 29 MPG in city or suburban driving and 33 MPG combined.
- Pick a car that suits your driving habits. A hybrid like the Toyota Prius is especially good for slow driving in the city. It shuts itself off entirely at stoplights and then restarts seamlessly. In fact, the car's 51 MPG city rating is higher than the 48 MPG it gets on the highway. The combined rating is 50 MPG. On the other hand, if your work dictates constant highway driving, consider something like the Volkswagen Jetta TDI diesel, which is rated at 42 MPG on the highway and 30 MPG in the city. The combined number is 33 MPG.
- Take a hard look at your driving style. If you accelerate hard from a stop, tailgate other drivers, and have to brake frequently, you are hurting your gas mileage. If you care enough to shop for a high-MPG car, it's probably worth driving in a way that gets the best possible mileage.
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Errrrr why? Your conclusion makes no sense. My 8 year old Prius has NEVER averaged less than 38 MPG on a trip and and even then that was going up the the California Sierras (more than 4000 ft. elevation gain with allot up ups and downs) with the A/C on full blast at highway speeds for 4 hours straight. I typically average 45 MPG even under the worst possible conditions for gas millage.
"Top Gear; BMW M3 gets better gas mileage than Toyota Prius."
http://spikestl.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/top-gear-bmw-m3-gets-better-gas-mileage-than-toyota-prius/
Where they only got 17 MPG out od the prius.
This has been going on since the EPA has been rating cars; we surely ought to have gotten the message by now: "your real-world results may vary." And read the window sticker BEFORE you buy that supersized SUV; amazing how many are surprised after the fact.
So instead of pushing of changes to how these numbers are developed, people decide to sue the car company ?
ric - It's probably a little of this and a little of that. My guess is the car companies lean (heavily) on EPA/US DOT for a better rating, and also likely provide a vehicle that might get a smidgeon more mileage than another one of the same model/engine/etc.
Otherwise you're right. How people drive and maintain their vehicles is a huge factor. You hear about the "super milers" who actually engage in some unsafe driving behavior to squeeze out more mileage, but there are a lot of common sense things people can do.
First there's the obvious - don't buy some behemouth that you don't really need for any purpose other than to make up for some other shorcoming you may have.
The simplest of all things is, if you see a red light ahead, why accelerate until you have to brake at the last minute? That's just dumb - "gee, I think I'll speed up so I can get to the red light faster so I can sit and wait and idle away gas longer." My wife does that - result: worse mileage, more brake wear, and subsequently more tire wear. Whereas, if you coast up to the red light, you've already expended the (gasoline) energy to get you there, and sometimes the light will change before you get there and you already have forward momentum, so it takes less gas to accelerate away from the light.
Jack rabbit starts is another huge waster of gas.
Lot's of simple things could get people not merely 10 percent more mileage, but probably 20 - 25 percent more mileage. But, you can't fix stupid; people will do what they do.