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beta11 Rookie Author Illinois Posts:3 Points:642,210 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 7:20:39 AM Ignore beta11 Report Abuse Car buyers are being misled by fuel consumption claims, according to research revealing some vehicles, including top makes such as Mercedes, Range Rover and Lexus, get as little as 71% of the advertised mileage per gallon. Manufacturers increasingly claim in adverts that their cars will manage over 70mpg. However, a major survey of what cars are achieving on the road, by motoring website HonestJohn.co.uk, found that many drivers are getting less than three-quarters of the mpg they had expected. It estimates that overstated official fuel figures are collectively costing UK drivers up to £4.4bn a year in extra costs. Visit The Guardian for full article

beta11

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Illinois

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Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 7:20:39 AM

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Car buyers are being misled by fuel consumption claims, according to research revealing some vehicles, including top makes such as Mercedes, Range Rover and Lexus, get as little as 71% of the advertised mileage per gallon.

Manufacturers increasingly claim in adverts that their cars will manage over 70mpg. However, a major survey of what cars are achieving on the road, by motoring website HonestJohn.co.uk, found that many drivers are getting less than three-quarters of the mpg they had expected. It estimates that overstated official fuel figures are collectively costing UK drivers up to £4.4bn a year in extra costs.
Visit The Guardian for full article

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DanMtz Champion Author Oakland Posts:3,340 Points:1,240,400 Joined:Oct 2009	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 9:42:27 AM Ignore DanMtz Report Abuse I guess no one reads car magazines anymore.
blupupher Champion Author Houston Posts:3,534 Points:745,120 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 8:34:17 AM Ignore blupupher Report Abuse do research before buying
Amplion Champion Author Oregon Posts:6,751 Points:1,861,385 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 1:09:31 AM Ignore Amplion Report Abuse MY BMW STRAIGHT SIX RWD IS SUPPOSED TO GET 24 MPG. WHEN USING SINCLAIR PREMIUM IT ACTUALLY GETS 30 MPG or 27 MPG WITH CHEVRON !!!
bwatchingu Champion Author Arkansas Posts:1,735 Points:598,795 Joined:Jan 2009	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 2:44:29 PM Ignore bwatchingu Report Abuse interesting
PDQBlues Champion Author San Diego Posts:7,054 Points:1,444,325 Joined:Jan 2009	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 2:37:17 PM Ignore PDQBlues Report Abuse This is news? 30 years ago it was commonly accepted that the mpg you got would be about 5 less than advertized.
mkohly Veteran Author Chicago Posts:261 Points:23,980 Joined:Sep 2009	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 2:16:56 PM Ignore mkohly Report Abuse I'll bet the automaker MPG numbers are for pure gas; not the E10 I'm forced to buy.
alterman156 Champion Author New York Posts:7,470 Points:1,553,750 Joined:Dec 2008	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 2:01:57 PM Ignore alterman156 Report Abuse Your mileage may vary.
schatzila Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:4,929 Points:1,012,620 Joined:Jun 2010	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 1:14:29 PM Ignore schatzila Report Abuse oh really?
sciotosix Champion Author Dayton Posts:2,734 Points:663,200 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 12:00:54 PM Ignore sciotosix Report Abuse Not a surprise.
highdesertman Champion Author Albuquerque Posts:2,469 Points:1,714,605 Joined:Mar 2005	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 11:59:38 AM Ignore highdesertman Report Abuse Assume that the 70MPG claims are based on Imperial Gallons, so would be about 58MPG in U.S. measures. Still, a lot higher than we see for most mileage claims, but we also don't know how the British testing methods compare with ours.
YaBassa Champion Author Michigan Posts:2,415 Points:513,425 Joined:Nov 2011	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 11:52:53 AM Ignore YaBassa Report Abuse Consumers in the UK really have a valid complaint considering the price of petrol there.
K9LO Champion Author North Dakota Posts:2,664 Points:539,980 Joined:Nov 2010	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 11:18:25 AM Ignore K9LO Report Abuse Minot, ND has some of the highest gas prices in ND. Lets get the prices down.
werich44 Champion Author California Posts:1,838 Points:465,200 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 11:02:30 AM Ignore werich44 Report Abuse Surprise!
playtimeCLE Champion Author Cleveland Posts:8,545 Points:1,541,450 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 10:59:51 AM Ignore playtimeCLE Report Abuse How many people here even think about, or care about what Mercedes does? I will never buy one.
07skydriver Champion Author Ohio Posts:3,245 Points:980,180 Joined:Feb 2009	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 10:55:19 AM Ignore 07skydriver Report Abuse Just stay home.
cdrrod Champion Author Wisconsin Posts:4,139 Points:780,850 Joined:Feb 2006	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 10:44:09 AM Ignore cdrrod Report Abuse Old news! Just look at your own car...
crep1291 Champion Author Ottawa Posts:2,576 Points:480,635 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 10:39:58 AM Ignore crep1291 Report Abuse "The defined test do not represent the way people drive as fuel economy figures ranging from 71% to 105% of demonstrated fuel economy. Could we be seeing that certain classes of vehicles are being driven differently from other classes of vehicles?" I'm pretty sure sport cars (and pick-up trucks) aren't (always) driven according to government standardized tests.
Buckeyee Champion Author Maine Posts:4,590 Points:895,980 Joined:May 2010	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 10:39:30 AM Ignore Buckeyee Report Abuse Never read liberal propaganda like the Guardian !! what a rag.
hrtdi All-Star Author Vermont Posts:747 Points:148,340 Joined:Dec 2012	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 10:15:01 AM Ignore hrtdi Report Abuse no surprises.
greatartiste All-Star Author New Jersey Posts:540 Points:105,810 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 10:08:03 AM Ignore greatartiste Report Abuse No, really?
SUNOIL Champion Author Toledo Posts:5,225 Points:1,922,005 Joined:Jul 2007	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 9:48:30 AM Ignore SUNOIL Report Abuse Yes but they are covered by the one liner, " your milage could vary"
Jeff4U Champion Author Atlanta Posts:8,733 Points:1,849,445 Joined:Nov 2004	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 9:46:40 AM Ignore Jeff4U Report Abuse Citizens misled by Obama too. Just look at your most recent paycheck. What else is new?
OTISFL Champion Author Pensacola Posts:4,595 Points:862,890 Joined:Apr 2009	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 9:27:42 AM Ignore OTISFL Report Abuse Mislead is an understatement.
car253 Champion Author Ohio Posts:6,283 Points:1,466,670 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 9:03:09 AM Ignore car253 Report Abuse Driving habits are the cause of much of the difference between EPA estimates and the real world numbers.
humblepie Champion Author Toledo Posts:34,089 Points:2,368,445 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 8:54:38 AM Ignore humblepie Report Abuse everyone knows they are seldom right the first clue is where it says epa estimate a dead give away
drpepperTX Champion Author Texas Posts:8,929 Points:749,935 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 8:51:12 AM Ignore drpepperTX Report Abuse People are easily misled nowadays.
amoshins Champion Author Trenton Posts:2,185 Points:638,095 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 8:46:04 AM Ignore amoshins Report Abuse I smell more government regulaton coming...
LilRedWagonIN Champion Author Indiana Posts:7,761 Points:1,552,210 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 8:35:25 AM Ignore LilRedWagonIN Report Abuse Not only in the U.S. All numbers are subjective when comparing standardized tests and individual driving patterns. Letting a car sit idling to warm it before going on a cold day, racing/speeding, mountainous driving v. great plains, driving up to a traffic light and braking hard to stop; there are many variables affecting gas mileage.
orphancarguyPE Champion Author PEI Posts:3,832 Points:731,965 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 8:32:17 AM Ignore orphancarguyPE Report Abuse There is a certain inevitability about some of the vehicles what do NOT do well in real life--among them are noted Mercedes, Range Rover, and Lexus. In 'British' terms, these three makes are a cliche for powerful vehicles for (most of) the rich. It varies by country, but those are the top three in peoples' minds in the UK, more or less. In fact, 4x4 V8 Range Rovers are mockingly called "Chelsea tractors" (ie, SUVs for the monies classes who pretend they need a 4 wheel drive for their 'farms' in the country, but who never get off finely paved roads or put a bale of hay in back for their purebred horses) Standard tests are standard tests, and a Fiesta or a Prius is just that much more likely to be driven conscientiously and carefully than a rich person's big bloated vehicle. If you can afford it, you flaunt it. When you are constrained by fuel economy=taxation rate on vehicles as in Britain, a little bit of 'Ford hybrids in North America' fudging goes on, even on the top end of the income scale because no-one like paying more taxes than they actually have to. In the official standard test, they might do well enough, but they are likely to be driven just a bit harder and faster, and the mileage goes all to hell much more so than in a Fiesta or a Prius when you do so.
SycamoreISU Champion Author Indiana Posts:1,040 Points:258,185 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 8:18:32 AM Ignore SycamoreISU Report Abuse I propose that any MPG claim is accompanied by the exact methodology for determining their numbers--in plain English. [Edited by: SycamoreISU at 1/11/2013 8:18:59 AM EST]
Buck_on_Bass Champion Author Tennessee Posts:7,564 Points:1,452,610 Joined:Jul 2007	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 8:10:39 AM Ignore Buck_on_Bass Report Abuse The defined test do not represent the way people drive as fuel economy figures ranging from 71% to 105% of demonstrated fuel economy. Could we be seeing that certain classes of vehicles are being driven differently from other classes of vehicles?
GingoutMD Champion Author Maryland Posts:3,495 Points:713,305 Joined:Jan 2010	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 8:10:11 AM Ignore GingoutMD Report Abuse I would love to know what Mercedes, RR and Lexus is supposed to get OVER 70MPG! Maybe if the car is only driven downhill, with a tail wind while the vehicle is in neutral...
CivicMA Champion Author Boston Posts:1,882 Points:532,270 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 8:00:24 AM Ignore CivicMA Report Abuse So they have the same problem on the other side of the Pond as us! Claims that are not based on reality as to how people drive?
Hawg1408 Veteran Author Alberta Posts:442 Points:638,340 Joined:May 2010	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 8:00:04 AM Ignore Hawg1408 Report Abuse What happens in reality never matches the supplier claims.
Evilmaddog Champion Author British Columbia Posts:3,307 Points:954,625 Joined:Aug 2010	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 7:57:52 AM Ignore Evilmaddog Report Abuse lead foot= poor mpg
badbonita Champion Author Syracuse Posts:6,204 Points:1,349,710 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 7:57:38 AM Ignore badbonita Report Abuse What else is new?
BurntOrange Champion Author Austin Posts:8,707 Points:1,579,180 Joined:Nov 2007	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 7:54:02 AM Ignore BurntOrange Report Abuse The UK is upset too.
coughlin Champion Author San Jose Posts:5,170 Points:1,114,940 Joined:Sep 2009	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 7:48:34 AM Ignore coughlin Report Abuse Consumer Reports will give accurate MPG figures.
molebaby96 Champion Author Tallahassee Posts:2,120 Points:502,820 Joined:Nov 2011	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 7:42:51 AM Ignore molebaby96 Report Abuse My car needs a higher 5th gear.
mastermariner Champion Author Texas Posts:4,236 Points:492,035 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Jan 11, 2013 7:30:40 AM Ignore mastermariner Report Abuse A lot depend on how you drive.