2008 MPG estimator

[Sledge]

Starting with the 2008 model year, the EPA's methods for calculating FE will change. The link will let you estimate what a car will be rated for. I'll do the three obvious ones for you:

Toyota Prius
2007 - 60 city 51 highway
2008 - 51 city 46 highway

Honda Civic Hybrid
2007 - 49 city 51 highway
2008 - 42 city 46 highway

Ford Escape Hybrid 4WD
2007 - 32 city 29 highway
2008 - 27 city 26 highway

http://kiplinger.com/tools/gas_mileage/

[locutus]

Originally Posted by Sledge

Toyota Prius
2008 - 51 city 46 highway

Wheee! Instant hypermiler!!

Actually, if these new ratings hold true that's less of a drop than I'd been expecting given the negative press (BS like "estimated hybrid MPG is expected to drop by 25%, that's 15MPG!!, [never mind that something like 19 dropping to 14 is actually a larger % change]"). I'll be really interested to see the final ratings and how they line up with "normal" real-world data (national average on the Prius I think is around 45-48?).

[tbaleno]

We are going to redefine hypermiler in the database for people in 08 and above. Not sure what the formula will be, but we are going to do something so people still have to do the same amount of work to get a little tag by there name. Driving normal and getting EPA just won't cut it. We want people to push themselves.

[efusco]

Just for comparison, some non-hybrids...
Toyota Corolla
2007-- 30 City 38 Hwy
2008-- 26 City 35 Hwy

Toyota Camry 4-cylinder
2007-- 24 City 33 Hwy
2008-- 21 City 30 Hwy

Toyota Highlander (non-Hybrid) 4WD 6-Cyl
2007-- 18 City 24 Hwy
2008-- 16 City 22 Hwy

Toyota Highlander (Hybrid) 4WD 6-Cyl
2007-- 31 City 27 Hwy
2008-- 26 City 24 Hwy

Interestingly, I find these numbers for the HiHy to sound way too conservative....I'd struggle to get 24mpg hwy in our HiHy....Loaded down w/ 5 people, with a hitch rack and skis strapped to the roof rack in sub-20 degree cold weather at 75mph interstate speeds we got 21mpg. Normal highway mileage with my non-hyper-miler technique gets 28-30mpg without even trying.

While it may make the hybrids a bit less desireable at the front end when deciding to purchase, once folks get them home I'm sure their satisfaction with the better than expected MPG will be quite high.

[laurieaw]

well, that will make those of us who can really beat that rating look great, since we ignored what they said we could do in the first place.

[brick]

Ooooh! This means I kinda get to be a hypermiler already. Sorta.

[diamondlarry]

My car goes from 27 city/38 highway/31 combined to 23 city/34 highway/ 27 combined. Should we change our numbers in the garage yet?

[sno779]

The new EPA combined for a 2000 Insight is 53 MPG. I think if I could only get 53 out of it I would be compelled to pay the gas guzzeler tax. My worst ever tank was 58.9.....Louis

[xcel]

Hi All:

___There is a lot of numbers being floated right now and from the EPA’s final tech report on the new test cycles, some of these numbers from the calculators do not come close to matching the EPA’s own by a long shot. I did read a new item (thanks Ian) wrt another DOE sponsored study which did not match the EPA tech paper’s results for a number of hybrids either. The DOE has access to the ANL’s own testing results as run through the new cycles so you would thing they would match the EPA’s. Not! The only numbers I have that appear to be rock solid are the 08 FEH and its non-hybrid siblings. Other then that, these things are at best WAG’s

___Good Luck

___Wayne

[diamondlarry]

Would this one from the EPA be more accurate? http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/calculatorSelectYear.jsp