John DeCicco, an expert on automotive eco-ratings, reflects on the lawsuit brought against Honda by Civic Hybrid owners who are disgruntled with their MPG. And he digs up detailed mileage logs of his Civic Hybrid and conventional Honda Civic.
In March 2007, two Honda Civic Hybrid owners filed a class action lawsuit against Honda because their cars were averaging 31 miles per gallon—well below the advertised 49 mpg in the city and 51 mpg on the highway. The news this week that Honda offered to settle the suit has done little to resolve the case, or the larger problem of Environmental Protection Agency window stickers commonly overstating real world mileage.
Hyundai is the most fuel-efficient automaker in America. That’s according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest annual fuel economy report. In lab tests to determine combined city-highway fuel economy of cars and trucks, Hyundai’s fleet achieved 30.1 miles per gallon. The Korean company is the only automaker to top 30 mpg.
Nine of the top 10 vehicles in the Environmental Protection Agency's fuel economy rankings for the 2010 model year are hybrid gas-electric vehicles—putting to rest any question about the technology’s ability to wring more miles from a gallon of gas.
Taking its place right next to other great existential riddles—such as “What is the sound of one hand clapping?"—GM’s claim that the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid will get 230 mpg left journalists bewildered about its meaning. Check out our favorite candidates for the best explanation of a number that defies explanation.
General Motors announced Tuesday that the Chevy Volt could get a government in-city fuel economy rating of “230 miles per gallon.” While the potential for a three-digit mpg rating is grabbing headlines, figuring out what it means is another matter. What's the significance of MPG in a vehicle which seldom or never uses gallons of liquid fuel?
What will fuel-economy numbers look like on the window stickers of electric vehicles coming to the US market next year? Trying to find the answer could short-circuit your brain.
Our recent drive of the Fusion Hybrid proved that the vehicle—if driven with a light foot—can achieve mileage in the mid-40s. That makes the Fusion Hybrid the first American hybrid sedan to hit the mpg big leagues. And that earns Ford a spot on any hybrid buyer’s consideration list, despite the un-truth of their primary marketing claim.
The Mercedes Benz S400 Hybrid is the world’s first mass produced car with a lithium ion battery. It’s the first Mercedes with a hybrid drive. And, with a price tag likely to approach or exceed $100,000, it’s going to be an ultra-niche vehicle. We achieved 29.3 miles per gallon in a 150-mile mixed driving course though Southern Germany.
The new Honda Insight is being billed as the Prius-fighter. Living up to that expectation will depend on real-life numbers that drivers start to post. We recently ran the Insight twice in our usual test loop. When we drove with a lead foot, we got a very modest 38.8 miles per gallon. On the second slow and steady run, we easily managed 51.2 mpg.
