HEMI versus Hybrid Challenge - Chrysler 300C vs Lexus GS 450h

On the "scenic" section of the road, with cruise control set, the Lexus 450h averaged 35mpg U.S. and the Chrysler averaged 28mpg U.S. For the Lexus ... pretty nice! 35mpg. For the Chrysler ... I don't believe it. Yeah, it's a magazine and not a manufacturer test, and I do believe the test was unbiased, but 28mpg for a HEMI ??? Wait a sec. Does Hemi have the cylinder-deactivation fuel-management technology? If so, then I suppose this is possible. What I do NOT like about this article is that although they do have an accelerating/decelerating "normal conditions" highway portion of their test, there is no city test. There needs to be a city test, with stoplights, stop signs, and other drivers on the road. For the "normal highway" test, the 450h reported 29.5mpg U.S. and the Chrysler reported 26mpg U.S. Again, I still don't believe it. They said the highway conditions involved accelerating, decelerating and "normal conditions." I don't believe it. My pickup truck (before I bought my Corolla) averaged about 10mpg under "normal" driving conditions (when gas was $2.00 per gallon - yeah, it hasn't been that long ago).

**[(3.78L/gal)/(L/100km)](62.5mi)

 

although i admire the time and effort put into the test...a proper comparison should have been with a Lexus counterpart that is NOT a hybrid

lexus gs460 or gs350 V lexus gs450h

my .02

 

Heh... I was just writing up some reflections on muscle cars
a few days ago, and this pair of articles is sort of up the
same alley but of course doesn't get into the more physics-
oriented aspects of ecodriving.
.
_H*

 

I don't either. Friends of my Dad picked up a 300C a little over 2 years ago. They drive like you'd expect any couple in their late 70's to drive, very gently

In Winnipeg city driving, they're lucky to average 15 mpg summer, 10 mpg winter. That's Imperial gallon, not US gallon: there are 4.54 litres per Imperial, 3.78 litres per US gallon

On the drive to their vacation place at Whiteshell, they usually get 25 mpg, once they got 28 mpg. If any driving would bring the variable cylinder management into play, theirs would.

The Chrylser replaced a 2002 Buick LeSabre, which was a far superior car in every measure: nicer ride, far better fuel economy, etc

In winter, the car is downright dangerous unless it is shod with winter tires

However, they'll soon be done with the 300C. Like a lot of older folks, they have a hard time getting into a car, then getting back out after they stop. Sometime this month they will be picking up a new Chrysler Town and Country minivan.

When they were trying it out they stopped by my house and took my dad and me for a spin. It actually is a very nice, comfy vehicle. Very easy for an elderly person to get into, just the right step-in height

Getting back to the 300C, according to the EPA, it will get 15 city and 23 highway

 

Nice article.

Incidentally, it highlights some of the pitfalls many have when trying to make sense of Canadian consumption measure - L/100km.
Many fail to realize that, unlike MPG or KM/L, L/100km is NOT a linear measure. The lower the consumption, the more impact even small improvements make. How far off can 5L/100km and 6L/100km be? - as far as the difference between 16km/l and 20km/l...
I've seen some manufacturers take advantage of this fact when reporting/highlighting fuel efficiency numbers.

 

because lots of people compare the operating cost from a conventional car to its hybrid counterpart, since the lexus comes in both hybrid and non-hybrid models, its the best comparo scenario

 

forget the prius nothing compares to it anyway hehe

as far as the hybrid v conventional test...that would be quite intereting, not just on performance but over all experience (cost of ownership, resale, pretty much pros and cons of the entire package) my .02

 

I think the idea was to compare 2 different methods of achieving good fuel consumption from a vehicle with good performance and appointments. This was a comparison of hybrid versus engine management to achieve performance and economy.

Which Lexus uses cylinder deactivation?

 

I had a similar discussion over at the FJ forum when some members thought EU market vehicles, especially the diesel ones, got *far* better fuel economy than what is for sale in the US

Fuel economy in the EU is also in l/100km. When it is converted to MPG, especially in the UK, it's *always* converted to miles per IMPERIAL gallon

The FJ forum members then realized the fuel economy wasn't so impressive after all, especially when you factor in diesel costing upwards of $5 per US gallon