Why don’t those new 40 mpg cars average 40 mpg?
Very good fuel economy, but only in some conditions
Great for the highway, but not as great in the city
So, high gas prices have you out shopping for a new car with great fuel economy, but you have a limited budget. No problem. The dealership has some great new cars that offer hybrid-like performance, but without the hybrid price.
Perfect, right? Until you realize you’re still spending twice as much on gas as you would have with a Toyota Prius, even in a compact car smaller than a Prius. How did that happen?
Unlike these new compact cars, the Toyota Prius actually averages about 50 mpg in the real world. In fact, in heavy congestion – typical of many urban commutes – the Prius can achieve well above 50 mpg.
Unfortunately, while these new compacts might achieve 40 mpg on the highway, in real world mixed driving conditions, these cars will achieve well under 40 mpg. Even worse, in congestion, these cars will even average well under 30 mpg.
That’s not to say these new so-called 40 mpg cars can’t be good buys. In the right conditions many can be very value-driven buys, particularly for those that drive mostly at constant highway speeds. In other conditions, however, something like the Prius would have been a better buy.
Typically, in the real world, hybrid-like fuel economy is only found in hybrid cars.
Again, these new ‘40 mpg cars’ can be good buys for the right buyers, but when a car salesperson tells you these new cars offer hybrid-like fuel economy, know you’re not being sold the whole truth.
Justin,
I have a 20 minute commute that is all city driving.
I am aware that short trips, like going to lunch, are mpg killers.
My problem is I bought the wrong hybrid… A Honda Civic.
I got the 40 mpg I was searching for initially, but once the battery was 6 months old, those numbers fell way off.
My friends with Toyota Prius’ continue to enjoy the 40 plus mpg city, even after 50,000 or more…..
The problem is that while some hybrids CAN get the 40 mpg they advertise, MOST CAN’T……..
David,
The Prius absolutely CAN do better than 53 mpg in heavy congestion and that has been proven, even in the second generation Prius. Here’s one link for instance, that cites a cars.com study. http://www.hybridcarblog.com/2008/05/prius-escape-hybrid-rule-city-fuel.html.
It seems it’s your ignorance that is the problem.
You guys seem rather ignorant. The car companies don’t come up with their own MPG figures, its an EPA regulated process. Also, the 40mpg value that you are referring to is the Highway mileage. It is NOT the city mileage. What people should be looking at is the combined fuel economy.
Also, a Prius will NOT do better than 53mpg in heavy congested traffic. I highly doubt you could do 300 miles in 5mph traffic and still get 50+ mpg. 15 Mpg seems more like it (i would guess that i normal non hyrid car can muster up 5-8 mpg doing 5 mph).
The funny thing about my Insight-II is that neither mileage score is correct. I *average* 45-48 MPG, but the real world “city” figure is a good bit lower than 40 and the real world “highway” mileage is much higher than 43 )I sometimes get above 60 MPG highway).
The hybrid alternatives are *fantastic* choices for people who do primarily highway driving. In my prior career, a Cruze would have been great since I drove 1,500 miles each week for business and most of it was interstate highways at 65 MPH.
It’s a matter of the right tool for the right job.
Smurf, You very likely didn’t have a long enough commute for the car to warm up and reach proper operating efficiency. Any car you purchase would suffer in the same circumstances. Multiple short trips is a MPG killer in any non-electric vehicle. It’s too bad you didn’t realize this earlier.
The inability of my hybrid to achieve the advertised city mileage was part of the reason why I sold it….
As 90% of my mileage is city mileage, that was the only stat I was interested in.
I agree. That’s why I tried to be supportive of these small cars. I just don’t like the deceptive mileage claims.
Should we be surprised by such marketing? These automakers don’t really want too many to buy these new 40 mpg cars, they want them in SUVs and trucks instead.
Nevertheless, compared to previous generations, I do have a small bit of hope that Gen Y is a bit more concerned about fuel economy than previous generations.
I agree that hybrids are better for many considering the around-town mileage. The overriding problem, though, is that people will continue to buy SUV’s and trucks and not even downsize to smaller cars that do at least get better highway mileage.
As much as I wished people “got” the hybrid understanding, I’m concerned that STILL very few people get even the fuel-efficiency concern. They *won’t* be inconvenienced.