Steady State Speed vs Fuel Economy results

Discussion in 'General' started by seftonm, Mar 22, 2014.

  1. xcel

    xcel PZEV, there's nothing like it :) Staff Member

    Hi All:

    2016 Honda Civic Coupe First Drive

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    Initial top off at the Torrance Shell.​

    This weeks ride is the 2016 Honda Civic ‪Coupe in my favorite Honda color. ‪The ‎Energy ‪Green Pearl is just so lively and youthful!

    For $26,125 retail, it is the fully loaded Touring trim with the 174 HP and 162 lb-ft if torque 1.5L ‎turbo. This motor not only drives the angular art work to 60 in just 7 seconds, it provides owners with a 31/41/35 mpg rating.

    The previous journalist had over 275 mile's at 37.5 mpg in Southern ‪#‎California which is pretty darn good compared to most I find w/out their aFCDs reset showing city efficiency or worse no matter the vehicle.

    Besides the muscular angles no matter the direction and cool as hell color, the ‪LED headlamps, taillamps and DRLs are standouts.

    I will have more later but I had better put some 90+ miles of the 110/405/5 gauntlet in the rear view as I make my way from Torrance, Calif. to Del Mar, Calif. down near San Diego.

    2016 Honda Civic Coupe - Touring Trim

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    Capless refueling system is topped off and the displays are reset.​

    The Drive

    Did I mention in the last update that Green Energy Pearl 2016 Civic Coupes rock? Yup.

    2016 Honda Civic Coupe

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    Del Mar Shell​

    I had to pull out the emergency fill funnel to get a solid top off fill on both ends for the calibration drive.

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    95.0 actual miles on 1.309 gallons = 72.6 mpg vs 72.0 mpg over 93.7 miles indicated.​

    It has been a while since we have driven a 70+ mpg capable vehicle. I think the last one was the 2016 ‎Toyota ‪Prius Two Eco in fact.

    The Civic ‪‎Coupe is playing in the thin air with some of the most fuel efficient cars in the world as you can tell. I am laying the blame on this hot green color.

    ‎2016 Honda Civic - ‪Reasonably affordable, ‎efficient and ‎sustainable ‎transport is only a ‪Honda dealership away.

    2016 Honda Civic Coupe

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    Just prior to the steady state data collection last night.​

    Almost midnight on a Sunday night in Southern California which means it is time for the steady states.

    The 2016 Honda Civic Coupe Touring has to go back to LAX on Tuesday and it is one of those cars you hate to give up.

    Efficiency with great ride, handling and straight-line performance is just a start. Great sounding and performing high end audio, modern displays and a "to die for" exterior with all of the all-new 10th gen Civics modern edgy look intact. Inside it is one if the best as well.

    I also like the Green Energy Pearl and could see this in a number of Millennials drives because of the color and form factor exclusively.

    On the negative side, the Coupes doors are long and heavy, reach back for the belts are a stretch, lack of headroom with the power roof, no audio control knobs, USB ports in the wrong place, noisy at speed, and hard to get into and out of rear seats. Most are expected for a coupe.

    I had better hit it.

    2016 Honda Civic Coupe Touring Trim Speed vs FE Results

    Temps from 54 to 58 degrees F with just a touch of wind out of the East during my NB/SB runs.

    The RPM at 60 is variable given the CVT but on the flattest pavement is spinning at just 1,625 RPM.

    The CC matches actual speed as measured per the Garmin whereas the Civic Coupes Speed is showing .5 to 1 mph lower than actual at 60, 65 and 70 mph.

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    If you compare to the higher rated (31/42 mpg city/highway) 2016 Honda Civic Sedan in Touring trim, the $375 less expensive and 35 lb. lighter weight (31/41 mpg city/highway) 16 Coupe in the same trim is showing almost 1.5 mpg over the sedan on the top and bottom of the speed chart. Very interesting indeed.

    The EPA highway crossover occurred at an excellent 74.83 mph meaning the Coupe should actually be rated at 42 to 43 mpg highway, not the 41 it is rated at. I was really impressed with this result!

    Wayne
     
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  2. xcel

    xcel PZEV, there's nothing like it :) Staff Member

    Hi All:

    I am a bit behind on these as I have the 39/43 mpg city/highway rated Hyundai Sonata Hybrid data to create the graph and here is just the graph for the 30/40 mpg city/highway rated 2016 Chevrolet Cruze Premier without the full detail I normally supply. I will have more later...

    2016 Chevrolet Cruze Premier

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    Initial Top off at the LAX Shell on Aviation and Century Blvd.​

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    EPA Highway crossover occurred at just 63.9 mph so the 18" alloys/tires of the RS package really put some hurt on this one. So much so that I would say 40 mpg highway is a real stretch. 39 mpg with the 18s, sure.

    These results were accumulated in 64 to 65 degree temps and no wind.

    At every speed, the speedo was indicating 1 mph less than the actual (Garmin GPS). Meaning if you see 65 mph on the speedo, you are actually going 66 mph.

    RPM at 60 mph was an unfortunately to high 1,875 RPM.

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    The Bowtie brand is getting more competitive all the time.​

    ‪#‎efficient‬ ‪#‎long‬ ‪#‎distance‬ ‪#‎traveler‬ ‪#‎CleanMPG‬

    Wayne
     
  3. xcel

    xcel PZEV, there's nothing like it :) Staff Member

    Hi All:

    And finally what I am really interested in. After over 3,000 miles of loaded and unloaded efficiency testing, the most efficient 3/4-Ton Pickup available today is the 2016 RAM 2500 with the Cummins Turbo Diesel.

    2016 RAM 2500 with the Cummins Turbo Diesel

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    Unloaded.

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    Towing 5,650 lbs of car and trailer with 500 lbs in the bed.​

    The mixed towing and unloaded calibration drive ended up with 386.6 miles at 26.1 mpg indicated. The actual result was 388.8 miles on 15.235 gallons for a 25.52 mpgUS actual result. The offset was negative with the actual efficiency = 0.98*aFCD.

    For the loaded and unloaded steady states, temps ranged from 65 - 67 and 69 - 70 degrees F respectively with calm winds.

    Indicated speeds at 50 through 70 mph matched with the GPS.

    RPM@60 mph = 1,225 RPM

    2016 RAM 2500 4X4 Laramie Longhorn w/ the Cummins - Speed vs Fuel Economy Loaded and Unloaded

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    The 2016 RAM 2500 Laramie Longhorn 4X4 with the Cummins when unloaded should be rated at approximately 23 mpgUS highway given the 23.35 mpg at 67.5 mph crossover.

    Compared to less capable 1/2-Ton 4X4 Pickups, only the 27 mpg highway rated RAM 1500 with the 3.0L EcoDiesel bests the 3/4-Ton RAM 2500. The Ford F-150 with the 2.7L EcoBoost is rated at 23 mpg highway although in our experience, it falls far short of that rating. The RAM 1500 with the 3.6L Pentastar is also rated at 23 mpg highway which is close to its actual from our drive of one a few years back. Chevrolet 1500, Toyota Tundra, and the Nissan Titan 1/2-Tons cannot meet the efficiency of the RAM 2500 with the Cummins.

    Comparing the Titan XD with the 5.0L Cummins and its std. 3.92 rear end of the 2016 Chevrolet 2500 HD with the 6.6L Duramax and 3.73 rear end, they fall short. We have not yet driven the upcoming 2017 Ford F-250 with the 6.7L V8 Power Stroke with a 3.31 rear end. That is the only 3/4 or 1-Ton that has a chance at matching the incredible efficiency of the 2016 RAM 2500 4X4 with the 6.7L I6 Cummins.

    Wayne
     
  4. xcel

    xcel PZEV, there's nothing like it :) Staff Member

    Hi All:

    2017 Hyundai Elantra Eco - Speed vs FE Results

    The aFCD offset was calculated from the Elantra’s 207.7 actual mile drive. This included 20 miles over an hour and fifteen minute stop and crawl on the infamous 405, 35 miles of city driving in and around Carlsbad and Oceanside, Calif., and 152 miles of reasonably moving I5 Interstate yielding a nice 67.44 mpgUS actual result - 207.7 miles on 3.080 gallons - vs. 68.2 mpg over 206.4 miles indicated. The offset reveals the actual FE to be 0.989 * the indicated aFCD.

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    Besides providing the best non-hybrid/non-diesel efficiency of any car available in North America, I love seeing the tight fuel consumption display to actual offsets.

    Steady States

    2017 Hyundai Elantra Eco

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    Just moments prior to the steady state data collection early this morning.​

    Temps ranged from 60 to 62 degrees F with calm winds during the NB/SB runs.

    The RPM at 60 mph was 1,980 RPM vs the calculated 1,820 RPM.

    With CC set at 50, 55, 60, 65, 70 and 75 mph, the Speedometer read the same matching the actual speed as measured per the Garmin.

    While completing the steady states between midnight and 03:00am, the 65 mph and 70 mph results were so high I had to complete a 75 mph run - I never complete those - in an attempt to come up with a more accurate EPA highway crossover as the raw aFCD pull was blowing out all past results.

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    The EPA highway crossover occurred at a new record for a gasoline fueled vehicle.

    And what was the calculated EPA highway (40 mpg) crossover speed? An unheard of 78.1 mph! Per the graph, with 67.5 mph crossover occurring at approximately 49 mpg, this 40 mpg highway rated Eco trim should be rated at at least 49 mpg highway. Also an absolutely unheard of result.

    Let me pass along a huge congratulations to the Hyundai Elantra Project Engineer, Product Managers, and Engineers in Korea for not only building such an affordable and efficient vehicle but providing new owners with an unexpected benefit by underrating their cars efficiency by such a huge margin.

    Who would have thought just 10 years ago that the best conventional drivetrain efficiency engineers in the world would be located in Korea vs. Japan, Europe or the U.S.? Than again we have not yet driven the 10th gen Civic contingent with a stick yet either. ;)

    Wayne
     
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  5. ALS

    ALS Super Moderator Staff Member

    Hi Wayne,

    That Elantra Eco is getting Third Gen Prius fuel mileage? :eek:

    Someone is going to have to change their underwear at Toyota when they see your steady speed chart.The fourth gen Prius is only pulling 6.1 mpg at 60 mph, 3.7 mpg at 65 mph, and 3.9 mpg at 70 mph, better on the highway. If you were looking at car mostly being used on the highway the Elantra is a much better choice when you're figuring in the hybrid premium.

    Al
     
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  6. fishnrib

    fishnrib Christian

    Hi Wayne,
    Now maybe you can post the Steady State results of the 2016 Sonata Hybrid back in June.
     
  7. xcel

    xcel PZEV, there's nothing like it :) Staff Member

    Hi Tom:

    I will have to hold off on that one as the Battery levels between each start and finish were fluctuating to wildly - 3 and 4 bars up to 6 - causing to large of a swing in accuracy.

    Wayne
     
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  8. Jay

    Jay Well-Known Member

    Nice Wayne, thanks for this! This Elantra Eco beat the Honda Civic Turbo which is phenomenal.
    Honda Civic Coupe with 1.5L turbo here:

    50mph 60.2mpg
    55mph 56.7mpg
    60mph 52.1mpg
    65mph 46.9mpg
    70mph 42.9mpg

    It's interesting that at higher speeds the cars are more nearly equal but at lower speeds the Elantra is way out ahead in FE.
     
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  9. xcel

    xcel PZEV, there's nothing like it :) Staff Member

    Hi Jay:

    It sure is. Remember that the 2017 Hyundai Elantra ECO graph you are looking at above also includes a 75 mph speed that the rest do not.

    At 50 and 70 mph, the Elantra ECO was 6.1 and 3.4 mpg higher than the Civic respectively. Makes sense since the less powerful 1.4L is working harder as speeds climb.

    Wayne
     
    Jay likes this.
  10. Babsey

    Babsey Member

    Hi Wayne,
    Is the only difference between these cars that one is a sedan and one is a hatch/wagon?
    It seems like a large gap between there fuel economies, VW website states the hatch is more efficient.
     
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  11. xcel

    xcel PZEV, there's nothing like it :) Staff Member

    Hi Babsey:

    Pretty much. The gap between the Golf Sportwagen TDI and the std. Golf TDI was significant. More than the small differential between their EPA ratings.

    Unfortunately there are no new TDIs to be found here in the U.S. and Canada until the emissions non-conformity is cleared up.

    IHTHs.

    Wayne
     
  12. Babsey

    Babsey Member

    which achieved higher mpg the std golf or Sportwagen (my guess std golf)?
    on the spec sheet (Australian) it says the sportwagen has higher mpg
    Does the jetta achieve better mpg than any other VW?
     
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  13. seftonm

    seftonm Veteran Staff Member

    It depends which units you use. I would say that the Elantra's advantage grows as speeds increase. Adding 1 mpg at 40 mpg is a bigger difference than adding 1 mpg at 60 mpg. In terms of gallons per 1000 miles, the Elantra widens the gap as speed increases. I find that to be a more useful unit of measure, because it measures how much fuel it takes to drive a certain distance.

    Gallons / 1000 miles at 50 mph:
    Civic: 16.6
    Elantra 15.1
    Difference: 1.5 gallons

    Gallons / 1000 miles at 70 mph:
    Civic: 23.3
    Elantra: 21.6
    Difference: 1.7 gallons
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2016
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  14. BillLin

    BillLin PV solar, geothermal HVAC, hybrids and electrics

    I don't quite see the difference in the two views.

    Think of this another way. It's like spin masters saying the rate of increase of our national debt is going down (not saying that it is, but just for example) but the debt is still increasing. Likewise, the advantage of one car over the other may decrease with speed, but the advantage is still there nonetheless.
     
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  15. xcel

    xcel PZEV, there's nothing like it :) Staff Member

    Hi Mike:

    Interesting deduction. Bill, I see it both ways too.

    And do not forget that the Civic with a stick is still out there. The steady states will not show it but the maximums would probably separate the Civic from the field.

    Wayne
     
  16. seftonm

    seftonm Veteran Staff Member

    Yes Civic 1.5T manual is still my preference.
     
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  17. Jay

    Jay Well-Known Member

    Excellent point. Thanks.
     
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  18. e90diesel

    e90diesel Well-Known Member

    Any plans on testing the 2017 F-250 or SRW F-350 with the 6.7?
     
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  19. xcel

    xcel PZEV, there's nothing like it :) Staff Member

    Hi e90diesel:

    Yes but I was sidetracked for the past few weeks with the Niro GWR drive.

    I am probably headed back to IL for the NAIAS and CAS and when I get back to Calif. in mid February, the 2017 F-250 should be free and clear. The local Ford PR rep said it would be available by Thanksgiving but I am buried with other items through the New Year and heading back to IL/MI after that.

    Ping me again in mid February and we will see if I can get one for a full review.

    Wayne
     
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  20. xcel

    xcel PZEV, there's nothing like it :) Staff Member

    Hi All:

    Here is Carcus' 2017 Honda Civic Sedan with the 1.5T and 6-speed MT Speed vs FE. We have been wanting to see this one for a while. :)

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    He provided the following details: Temps from 60 to 67 deg F, winds out of the NW at 5 to 10 mph aFCD offset from 1200 miles and 3 fills Odometer offset from Google maps and Garmin GPS aFCD and odometer offset = .9915.

    The calculated RPM@60 mph is 2,227 RPM. Actual is... Carcus will supply that soon.

    Wayne
     
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