Prius the worst offender for inaccurate milage claims... (apparently)

DaveG · 08-04-2006, 05:29 AM

MOTORISTS are being ripped off to the tune of £192million by inaccurate fuel economy claims — with the greenest car the WORST offender.

Research has shown big differences between the number of miles per gallon makers say models do and what they actually deliver.

Biggest sinner is the Toyota Prius, a car highlighted as eco-friendly.

Full Article (such as it is)

You gotta give them credit, nothing like grasping at straws... Of course this article is from a tabloid rag, which is why I didn't bother even posting it in the news category

Dave

wstander · 08-04-2006, 06:47 AM

At least the Page 3 girls are cute;-)

eagle33199 · 08-04-2006, 09:26 AM

getting a 404 page not found error...

At least we know the reason for this so called problem... the EPA tests are horrible! everyone is off by roughly the same percentage for average drivers... thus with high mileage you end up off by more

SteveS · 08-04-2006, 10:16 AM

Yes, but the real crime of this article is that it round-aboutly says Toyota is deliberately misleading buyers... it doesn't rectify this baldfaced lie until the end of the article. How many people do YOU know who read an entire article?

Article Text:
MOST cars are far less fuel efficient than manufacturers state, a study has found.

The worst performer is the hybrid petrol-electric Toyota Prius, which does only 52 miles per gallon, nearly 14mpg below Toyota’s claim.

On average, cars use 8 per cent more fuel than manufacturers estimate, research by What Car? magazine showed.

Drivers pay an average of £87 a year more for fuel than they would if manufacturers’ claims were accurate.

Eight of the top ten worst performers were small cars which tend to be bought because of their fuel economy.

The Kia Picanto 1.1 did 46mpg compared with the claimed figure of 57.6mpg. Smart Fortwo achieved 51.5mpg instead of 60.1mpg, the Peugeot 107 54mpg not 61.4mpg, and the Toyota Aygo 54mpg instead of 61.4mpg.

The magazine calculated what car owners can expect by using an electronic meter inserted into the cars’ fuel systems to measure the fuel used over identical routes and conditions.

Steve Fowler, editor of What Car?, said: “The fault lies not with the manufacturers but the method of testing cars’ economy enforced by the EU. Tests are carried out in laboratories with only gentle acceleration and at high temperatures — very different to real driving conditions.

“The EU should adopt a more realistic system suited to the way motorists drive, to provide accurate data.”

Soylent · 08-04-2006, 10:21 AM

The worst performer is the hybrid petrol-electric Toyota Prius, which does only 52 miles per gallon, nearly 14mpg below Toyota’s claim.

Wait, Toyota claims the Prius can do 66 mpg?

Jonnycat26 · 08-04-2006, 10:29 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Soylent @ Aug 4 2006, 10:21 AM) [snapback]297636[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Wait, Toyota claims the Prius can do 66 mpg?
[/b]

In the UK, yes.

The article is from a UK paper.

sl7vk · 08-04-2006, 10:29 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Soylent @ Aug 4 2006, 10:21 AM) [snapback]297636[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

The worst performer is the hybrid petrol-electric Toyota Prius, which does only 52 miles per gallon, nearly 14mpg below Toyota’s claim.

Wait, Toyota claims the Prius can do 66 mpg?
[/b]

They're talking about UK mpg.... Different from ours. divide that number by roughly 1.2

curtissac · 08-04-2006, 10:53 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Aug 4 2006, 08:26 AM) [snapback]297610[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

getting a 404 page not found error...

At least we know the reason for this so called problem... the EPA tests are horrible! everyone is off by roughly the same percentage for average drivers... thus with high mileage you end up off by more
[/b]

I hav achieved EPA esitmated mileage with every car I have had until our 2005 Chrysler Pacifica. Prior to that I had a 1995 Ford Explorer and a 2001 Hyundai Sonata. I bought the Sonata use and never looked up the actual EPA estimates but it averaged between 20 and 24 MPG.

My Explorer got EPA numbers until a year a two after I purchased it and California did a major fuel reform. I lost about 4 mpg when that happened. I was getting about 23 on long highway trips and it went to about 19 overnight.

Our Chrysler is rated 24/17. But on California gas it is more like 21/15.

I drive my Prius mostly on the freeway between Sacramento and the bay area (I have projects in Berkeley, Oakland and Palo Alto) and I have been averaging about 52 mpg. The car gets close to 60 mpg in heavy, bay area commute traffic - the kind of traffic that moves and average of 25-25 miles per hour. The mileage goes way down in grinding slow, 5 mile per hour, stop n go (like yesterday coming through El Cerrito and Richmond).

Even on "Nevada gas" I bet the average driver would see far below the estimated 60 mpg city in a Prius. I would bet many of the regulars in this forum are not average - most of us are very conscious of how we use the accelerator, brakes, coasting, etc. - and even then I don't think I can get 60 mpg out of my Prius in suburban Sac. Like my wife, the average driver that gets in a Prius and drives like any other car will probably see city mpg in the 30's. Nothing to be ashamed of when you consider most cars around you are getting less than 20, but nothing near "advertised."

For those reading here that don't have a Prius (thinking about one or something) - The 2006 is rated 51 highway and 60 city. I get 51 on the highway if I keep it under 70 miles per hour. Honestly

I set my cruise control at 69 miles per hour. I found that doing 70 miles per hour was just enough to keep the average under 50mpg.

molgrips · 08-04-2006, 12:30 PM

On my last car, I got exactly what the combined stats said I would.

(We have urban (from cold) extra-urban (open road, warmed up) and combined, which is a mix of those two figures. Combined for the Prius is 65.7, and I get 57-58)

They don't seem to test constant speed highway driving though. Extra-urban includes lots of speeding up and slowing down I think. I could maybe get 63 or so on a whole tank of country road driving (when the figures say 68), but on long long trips at 70mph with the cc, it's always 58.

Charles Suitt · 08-04-2006, 02:13 PM

*I*N*T*R*E*S*T*I*N*G* ...that these writers and indeed most Prius purchasers simply do not read the window labels, nor do many trouble to read the Owner's Manual. Toyota does not claim you will achieve the mileage indicated on the label... never has. I have never owned a vehicle which fully achieves the EPA estimates. I do achieve the EPA estimates for Prius highway travel regularly, never the "in town" estimates.

08-04-2006, 10:16 AM	#4
SteveS Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Upper Bucks County, PA Posts: 184 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #7 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Yes, but the real crime of this article is that it round-aboutly says Toyota is deliberately misleading buyers... it doesn't rectify this baldfaced lie until the end of the article. How many people do YOU know who read an entire article? Article Text: MOST cars are far less fuel efficient than manufacturers state, a study has found. The worst performer is the hybrid petrol-electric Toyota Prius, which does only 52 miles per gallon, nearly 14mpg below Toyota’s claim. On average, cars use 8 per cent more fuel than manufacturers estimate, research by What Car? magazine showed. Drivers pay an average of £87 a year more for fuel than they would if manufacturers’ claims were accurate. Eight of the top ten worst performers were small cars which tend to be bought because of their fuel economy. The Kia Picanto 1.1 did 46mpg compared with the claimed figure of 57.6mpg. Smart Fortwo achieved 51.5mpg instead of 60.1mpg, the Peugeot 107 54mpg not 61.4mpg, and the Toyota Aygo 54mpg instead of 61.4mpg. The magazine calculated what car owners can expect by using an electronic meter inserted into the cars’ fuel systems to measure the fuel used over identical routes and conditions. Steve Fowler, editor of What Car?, said: “The fault lies not with the manufacturers but the method of testing cars’ economy enforced by the EU. Tests are carried out in laboratories with only gentle acceleration and at high temperatures — very different to real driving conditions. “The EU should adopt a more realistic system suited to the way motorists drive, to provide accurate data.” __________________ http://www.epmfaq.com http://forums.epmfaq.com 2006 Classic Silver Metallic #7 ---- Opie and Anthony - XM Satellite Radio Channel 202

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08-04-2006, 05:29 AM	#1
DaveG Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 807 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: C Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	MOTORISTS are being ripped off to the tune of £192million by inaccurate fuel economy claims — with the greenest car the WORST offender. Research has shown big differences between the number of miles per gallon makers say models do and what they actually deliver. Biggest sinner is the Toyota Prius, a car highlighted as eco-friendly. Full Article (such as it is) You gotta give them credit, nothing like grasping at straws... Of course this article is from a tabloid rag, which is why I didn't bother even posting it in the news category Dave

08-04-2006, 06:47 AM	#2
wstander Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 982 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	At least the Page 3 girls are cute;-)

08-04-2006, 09:26 AM	#3
eagle33199 Platinum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 4,446 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #7 Thanks: 39 Thanked 98 Times in 58 Posts Friends: 4	getting a 404 page not found error... At least we know the reason for this so called problem... the EPA tests are horrible! everyone is off by roughly the same percentage for average drivers... thus with high mileage you end up off by more

08-04-2006, 10:21 AM	#5
Soylent Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Miami Beach, Florida Posts: 306 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: N/A Package: #3 Thanks: 2 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	The worst performer is the hybrid petrol-electric Toyota Prius, which does only 52 miles per gallon, nearly 14mpg below Toyota’s claim. Wait, Toyota claims the Prius can do 66 mpg?

08-04-2006, 12:30 PM	#9
molgrips Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 197 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	On my last car, I got exactly what the combined stats said I would. (We have urban (from cold) extra-urban (open road, warmed up) and combined, which is a mix of those two figures. Combined for the Prius is 65.7, and I get 57-58) They don't seem to test constant speed highway driving though. Extra-urban includes lots of speeding up and slowing down I think. I could maybe get 63 or so on a whole tank of country road driving (when the figures say 68), but on long long trips at 70mph with the cc, it's always 58.

08-04-2006, 02:13 PM	#10
Charles Suitt Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Dallas TX Posts: 1,624 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #6 Touring Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Friends: 0	**INTRESTING*** ...that these writers and indeed most Prius purchasers simply do not read the window labels, nor do many trouble to read the Owner's Manual. Toyota does not claim you will achieve the mileage indicated on the label... never has. I have never owned a vehicle which fully achieves the EPA estimates. I do achieve the EPA estimates for Prius highway travel regularly, never the "in town" estimates.