Quote:
Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian
Here's my input:
Just give us the information. List any that apply: Miles per gallon city/hwy. Electric - either battery capacity and kwh / mile electric city/hwy, or range city/hwy and kwh to recharge.
Don't try to interpret it for us, or tell us what's better for us. We can figure that out. Whether we as individuals will make wise decisions is a separate matter that does not need to be brought into this discussion. No letter grades, thank you.
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I couldn't agree more. But you are a bit naive in your request or expectation. We must realize that both the government and the auto manufacturers have a vested interest in putting some 'spin' on the numbers on the sticker, to influence your choice in what you buy. (And a rating of "A" to "D" is even worse, because it is purely subjective, imparting no useful information or standard of measurement.)
Case in point: I've bought various cars since city/highway EPA ratings began, and I've always found the estimates to be very accurate, to within 1 MPG of what was stated on the sticker. Not so with my newest car: a 2009 Chevy Aveo automatic, MPG listed as 37 highway/ 25 city. GM hyped the car as having excellent highway MPG and, to their credit, that figure is accurate - the car DOES get 37 MPG highway. However, in city driving it gets only 22 MPG, not the 25 that is stated on the sticker. My ScanGauge doesn't lie. And no, it's not how it is driven - even if Jesus Christ or Barack Obama were to drive it, there is no way this car can ever get more than 22 MPG in city driving. (The reason it can't is because of the way the A/T was programmed by GM. It is a slushbox with the converter lockup occurring only after it reaches speeds of higher than 45 MPH.) Unfortunately ALL our driving is done at under speeds of 45 MPH, which is what city driving IS.
The US government in effect now owns and controls General Motors. When the government controls both the regulatory agency and the car manufacturer there is a compelling motive to influence what we buy, even it it means fudging the numbers. But we can't hold the government accountable for anything it does. And there is no way the consumer can be certain whether the EPA estimate is realistic until he actually buys the car. As the convenient, slippery disclaimer says, "your mileage may vary".
