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A 40-percent improvement would amount to a real-world average of about 28.6 miles/gallon ... (http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2008/01/cafe-35-mpg.html)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2007_Chevrolet_Tahoe_Lineup.jpgEric Evarts - Consumer Reports - Jan. 2, 2008

2008 Chevrolet large SUV lineup with an EPA combined of 15 mpg and CAFE of 21 – Yet another writer who “gets it” wrt the real CAFÉ FE numbers. -- Ed.

At Consumer Reports, fuel efficiency has always been an important factor in our vehicle ratings. Helping consumers save money and reducing pollution are also high priorities. So after years of stagnant and even falling fuel economy, we were encouraged when the federal government this month passed the first increase in fuel economy standards for cars since 1985. The initial Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements first took effect in 1975.

The new standards require all new passenger vehicles sold in the United States by 2020 to average 35 mpg. That's reported to be about a 40 percent increase over the current standards of 27.5 mpg for cars and 22.2 mpg for pickups, minivans, and SUVs.

However, in our testing, reaching a real-world 35 mpg would require a bigger jump than that. The current new vehicles we have tested have averaged 20.4 mpg overall on our fuel economy test loop—22.8 mpg for cars and just 16.6 mpg for pickups, minivans, and SUVs.

To reach a true 35 mpg in the real world would require an increase of more than 70 percent in overall vehicle efficiency, broken down to more than 50 percent for cars and more than double the efficiency for pickups, minivans, and SUVs combined. That would be a tall order, for sure… http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2008/01/cafe-35-mpg.html

Despite the media hype, by 2020, it still may be only the most fuel-efficient, and possibly revolutionary cars (think plug-in hybrids and fuel-cells) that can deliver more than 35 mpg in the real world—the same place that has the real gas pumps.

—Eric Evarts

BS.

Consumer Reports always gives fuel economy numbers that are way too low.

I mean, come on, my Prius is considerably above 35 mpg now, in the dead of winter. Trying to tell the masses that you need a plug-in hybrid to get up to 35 mpg is a poorly-informed bit of hyperbole, and does no one any good.

Harry

Hi Earthling:

___CR actually achieved 44 mpg overall including both the city and highway tests and the 150 mile mixed driving run which is only 2 under the current 08 EPA combined. I do not know how Toyota, the EPA, NREL, ANL or CR achieved such low figures myself but they did and it is a basis for comparison. Remember the last 4 years, CR has been reporting 44 mpg vs. the EPA’s 55 mpg when most were receiving ~ 45 mpg. That is why CR is a good benchmark. CR’s fuel tests were even used in some of the EPA’s own internal matrices for the new 08 EPA modeling before the 5-tests were decided upon.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

The Devil is always in the details.

My big grie about the new standard is that it lets guzzler-hulks off the hook if they use ethanol (which the corn-bsed variety uses more eergy to make than it generates.) Moreover, even if the E85 was of a better blend of enthanol (sugar cane or switch grass) there just aren't that many E85 refuellling stations.