gandalf
06-16-2008, 03:12 AM
Just returned from a work trip to Colorado and California. Was itching to rent a Prius but decided against it at DIA since it would be $20/day extra over the standard. At SFO, they were sold out :-(.
So I got to plug in my Scangauge II into a Chrysler Sebring and a Nissan Altima. The highway run from Ft Collins to DIA in the Sebring netted 34.5mpg. The shorter run in the Altima from Cupertino to SFO saw 43.7mpg on the trip meter. Assuming that Scangauge was telling the truth, it seems like the combination of the Altima (I4-2.5L+CVT) and somewhat slower average speed (55~65mph .vs 60~70mph) got me an ~10mpg gain over the Sebring (I4-2.4L+4-AT). Not quite an apples-to-apples comparison, but I found it interesting. For some reason, I never managed a smooth rev-match when re-engaging D in the Sebring (it would always decide to down-shift and then shift-up again) but it was effortless and seamless in the Nissan.
So I got to plug in my Scangauge II into a Chrysler Sebring and a Nissan Altima. The highway run from Ft Collins to DIA in the Sebring netted 34.5mpg. The shorter run in the Altima from Cupertino to SFO saw 43.7mpg on the trip meter. Assuming that Scangauge was telling the truth, it seems like the combination of the Altima (I4-2.5L+CVT) and somewhat slower average speed (55~65mph .vs 60~70mph) got me an ~10mpg gain over the Sebring (I4-2.4L+4-AT). Not quite an apples-to-apples comparison, but I found it interesting. For some reason, I never managed a smooth rev-match when re-engaging D in the Sebring (it would always decide to down-shift and then shift-up again) but it was effortless and seamless in the Nissan.