Can you achieve the EPA fuel economy ratings on your car?

[mobile363]

I cant.

Im canadian so quoting Canadian numbers. My Rio is rated at 6.6l/100km city and 4.9 HWY. To translate that is 35 city and 48 hwy US numbers.

I regularly get about 8.0l/100km in the city and hwy im not sure as i haven't really driven it on the higway for more than a half hour, but the avg fuel economy will read around 6.2 which is 38mpg.

The van, well, i dont really drive it often, but after the wife has driven it the fuel economy usually reads mid teens L/100km or about 15mpg which is terrible. But i did manage to get just a hair over the sticker mileage which is 7.9 and i achieved 8.3 which is 28mpg.

Both cars are new. Rio has 1800km and caravan about 5000km

[adrew]

Yes.

2011 Yaris - EPA 29/36 - lifetime average with 80% city is 35.3 US MPG

2012 Yaris - EPA 30/38 - dealer tank returned 38 MPG with 50/50 city highway, second tank looks like it will be about the same.

Our 2007 Sonata was originally rated 24/33 but we rarely got those figures and usually got closer to the revised estimates which are now 21/30.

[clutchrider]

2012 GLI

My computer says 21.7 which is BS because I have been tracking about 26-28mpg on average and I am not a light footed driver by any means. Ratings are 24-33 so I'm pleased.

[mobile363]

Yes.

2011 Yaris - EPA 29/36 - lifetime average with 80% city is 35.3 US MPG

2012 Yaris - EPA 30/38 - dealer tank returned 38 MPG with 50/50 city highway, second tank looks like it will be about the same.

Our 2007 Sonata was originally rated 24/33 but we rarely got those figures and usually got closer to the revised estimates which are now 21/30.

Im hoping the outside temperatures have something to do with it. Because my car isnt living up to its promises. But we haven't had many days of temperatures above freezing here since i bought it

[Mazda 3s]

My car is rated at 22/33 (26 combined). I'm pretty close to the combined figure after 21,000 miles of mixed driving:

[adrew]

Im hoping the outside temperatures have something to do with it. Because my car isnt living up to its promises. But we haven't had many days of temperatures above freezing here since i bought it

If you do lots of short trips when it's very cold, the car won't warm up all the way and will get poor mileage until it does. My commute is about 7 miles and the '11 Yaris would drop about 5 MPG when it was below freezing.

[brickfrenzy]

Yup. My 2009 Passat Wagon I routinely beat the 19/28 ratings it had, getting mid 20s in the city and 31 on the highway.

The V wagon is rated 12/18 and after 4 fill ups, I'm averaging around 13.5 in the city and 18.5 or so on the highway.

[leaftye]

Yes

[Lwize]

It's doable.

09 Rabbit 2.5 stick is (sadly) 21/30 EPA, and I'm in the 24-25 range in mixed driving.

[mobile363]

If you do lots of short trips when it's very cold, the car won't warm up all the way and will get poor mileage until it does. My commute is about 7 miles and the '11 Yaris would drop about 5 MPG when it was below freezing.

yea most of what i do is short commutes. I notice that if i reset the meter after the car has warmed up and drive around in the city i can keep it just above the epa rating but i have to shift at 2000rpm and be light on throttle. Thats fine though. Im sure thats how they get the ratings.

But i cant explain why the hwy mileage is so bad. warm engine, even with a slight tail wind, im not getting 4.9l/100km. I can if i drive 80km/h in 6th gear, but as soon as i get to 100km/h, it goes down. And most highways here are limited to at least 100 with major highways being 110.

[mariok2006]

18/24 EPA rating.

3000mi average is 28.5 mpg. 80% city driving. I love this car.

[Mazda 3s]

18/24 EPA rating.

3000mi average is 28.5 mpg. 80% city driving. I love this car.

How is that even possible?

[1Point8TDan]

City yes, highway no or at least in winter no. A trip from Whitefish yielded closer to 12l/100km but i was driving fast and down shifting. Supposed to get 10l/100km. City I get 13.8l/100km and rating is 14.0l/100km. Majority of time truck stays in city. Passat and A4 easily beat expectations everywhere. All three cars chipped though...

[VW1.8Tsunami]

Rating: 14/19

I've never been below 14. I've topped out at 22mpg on a road trip with an average speed of ~55mph. Regular highway trips where average speed is ~70, I get high 18s. My daily commute is ~15.5mpg.

[MKV Aaron]

Sure, if i wanted too.

Trying for mpg, easily exceed.

Driving the way i normally do, not even close.

[Blonde Guy]

I cant.

Im canadian so quoting Canadian numbers. My Rio is rated at 6.6l/100km city and 4.9 HWY. To translate that is 35 city and 48 hwy US numbers.

I regularly get about 8.0l/100km in the city and hwy im not sure as i haven't really driven it on the higway for more than a half hour, but the avg fuel economy will read around 6.2 which is 38mpg.

The van, well, i dont really drive it often, but after the wife has driven it the fuel economy usually reads mid teens L/100km or about 15mpg which is terrible. But i did manage to get just a hair over the sticker mileage which is 7.9 and i achieved 8.3 which is 28mpg.

Both cars are new. Rio has 1800km and caravan about 5000km

The Rio is rated 30 city and 40 highway in the US. Canadian numbers are lots more optimistic than US numbers.

That said, my TDI is rated 42 highway, and I've managed 72 on my best trip. I'm pretty sure that would be better than even the Canadian number. My worst trip was below 15 MPG, so I think there is nothing simple about fuel economy in the real world.

[2.0T_Convert]

Civic - Yes beat that with ease.
CR-Z - Yes beat that with ease.
GTI - Nope.. close but nope... can't seem to get better than 30.X MPG tanks even with mostly highway.... And some weeks it is just plain 27-28 MPG.

[undpilot757]

In the M3 on the highway, a little. I can squeeze out 29-30mpg with the cruise control off going 70. The cruise control is a bit too agressive or maybe lackadaisical with the hills and nets me about what the EPA rating is.

In the city though, I blow it out of the water. I can get 26 in non-stop and go, 24 in stop and go traffic. The only reason I have a preference for a manual transmission...

[mariok2006]

How is that even possible?

Low average speed. The speeds stay low (S2000 has terrible aero and gearing for hwy), the RPM's do too without bogging the car. I can be in 6th by ~35 for steady state cruising. The rest is just anticipation of traffic patterns to minimize stop/go. I beat on it when I can do it safely.

I averaged 13mpg at Sebring Raceway when all 240hp get utilized

[xerodustrial]

In my GTI, exceeding the EPA highway mileage is pretty easy -- all I have to do is drive a reasonable speed (55-65mph) and not stomp on the throttle.

Exceeding the EPA city mileage is much more challenging, but I can still do it. I leave the DSG in Drive and then manually tick up through the gears at about 2k until I reach 6th, always avoiding boost. Add in a LOT of coasting and luck (with regard to red lights and whatnot) and I can best the EPA by 2-3mpg or so. On the downside, it takes serious concentration, and most of my driving is on the freeway, so I don't usually bother.

[Live-Wire]

US EPA number yes... Canadian 'EnerGuide' numbers... helllllz no! They are using the outdated EPA tests that are way too optimistic.

Combine the Canadian test method, and the Imperial gallon (4.5ish L instead of the US gallons 3.78L) and you get opertunistic dealerships (and national TV commericals...) advertising nearly 60mpg on cars like a gasoline Focus. Guy at work bought a Jeep Wrangler because he likes them, and the sticker said 35MPG highway (imperial).............. It gets around 22 hwy (US gal)

[RacingManiac]

MK6 GTI is rated for 21/31 by EPA, I get a bit more than that for city and a bit less than that on highway most of the time. I haven't got a good handle on the number now that I am running wider tires though...

[Obin Robinson]

2001 Porsche Boxster EPA fuel estimates:

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bymod..._Boxster.shtml

17 City (I regularly get 22 and have never seen lower than 20mpg)
25 Highway (I get 24 with traffic but just recently averaged 27.5 mpg going from Virginia to Texas.

2012 Kia Soul EPA fuel estimates:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/31827.shtml

26 City (we get 28.5 usually)
34 Highway (yeah that's about right)

obin

[DonPatrizio]

I think the Jetta is rated 24/31 and I have averaged 27.16 mpg since August 2009. On purely highway, the Jetta gets 32 mpg even.

[warren_s]

Depends entirely on how I'm driving but I pretty much always beat the EPA numbers. Current average over the last couple thousand miles is 26 MPG (car is rated for 21/30) but I tend to see closer to 34 on my twice-a-week commute (which is about 30 miles, 1/3 of the time in city) if the traffic is steady.

[whitejeep1989]

Yes. I can actually surpass EPA HWY figures. Driving at 55 MPH on hwy, with no crazy starts and stops, or asshat passing maneuvers, I've seen 24 MPG. EPA HWY rating is 19 MPG.

[two.twoliter]

Easily. Protege is rated 22/28 and last tank was 33 mpg (mixed city and highway). Lowest I've gotten is about 25.

In most of my cars I get around the highway number in city driving.

Back when I was delivering pizza I even averaged 30 mpg in an '89 Camry wagon (manual) that was rated 23/29. My strategy is lots of throttle getting up to speed, then get into high gear as soon as possible and maintain that speed. Coast in gear as much as possible. Anticipate stop lights and try to not stop if you don't have to.

[mobile363]

US EPA number yes... Canadian 'EnerGuide' numbers... helllllz no! They are using the outdated EPA tests that are way too optimistic.

Combine the Canadian test method, and the Imperial gallon (4.5ish L instead of the US gallons 3.78L) and you get opertunistic dealerships (and national TV commericals...) advertising nearly 60mpg on cars like a gasoline Focus. Guy at work bought a Jeep Wrangler because he likes them, and the sticker said 35MPG highway (imperial).............. It gets around 22 hwy (US gal)

So i can pretty much get US EPA figures so thats not so bad i guess.

I do think our Canadian numbers are a bit whack. Yes, a Focus is advertised at 60mpg which is 4.8l/100km or 49mpg US. Whereas in the US this same car is rated at 40mpg with the SFE package. But speed limits are generally higher in the states than here

[6cylVWguy]

Nope.

I get about 24 mpg during strict highway driving at 70 mph in the mustang, which is rated at 27 highway. I would guess that if I had the standard rear end, I'd probably be able to match the EPA rating.

[Rockerchick]

Yup, no problem.

My GTI is rated 20/28, 23 combined. I get 23-24 pure city driving. Got 31mpg pure highway (cruise set around 72mph). Mixed is 26-28. Pretty happy with that.

Husband's car is an '01 Jetta TDI. Also doss better than rated. 35/44. Got 52mpg highway and 47 mixed. But EPA tends to under-rate the diesels it seems.

Our '84 Jetta TD blows the EPA ratings out of the water as well. Gotta love those diesels...

My New Beetle 2.slow was about on par with EPA ratings.

[Bones_Jones]

yes on both, but i would have to drive like a grandpa.

[The Holy Molar]

My car is rated at 22/33 (26 combined). I'm pretty close to the combined figure after 21,000 miles of mixed driving:

What app is this?

[VTECeateR]

I'd say so. about 60% of my driving is city and EPA say 21/29 24 combined.

Here is my last 10k miles....
http://www.fuelly.com/driver/atphoto/gli



If I drove exactly 50% i'd easily be at 24mpg. And if I didn't have to drive over a 500-foot hill both ways going anywhere it would be even better

[Mazda 3s]

What app is this?

RoadTrip

[Numbersix]

Yes. And a bit more, usually.