Hope you don't mind me pasting this here...
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Originally from Peakster:
Here's the little test in a nutshell:
Temperature: -4*C
Winds: south @ 11km/h (I was driving west)
Cruise control was used to maintain speeds
Each mpg reading was taken after 2 miles of travel
Route:
Hatch closed:
73.6 mpg @ 35 mph
62.9 mpg @ 45 mph
49.2 mpg @ 55 mph
Hatch open:
62.4 mpg @ 35 mph (15.22% mileage loss)
48.2 mpg @ 45 mph (23.37% mileage loss)
34.4 mpg @ 55 mph (30.08% mileage loss)
Those are
huge numbers for something as simple as opening up the rear hatch. What do you think my Cd was when it was open? 0.44? I'm now beginning to believe that small aero mods to these little cars (such as mirror removal, wheel skirts, etc) would help FE in more than just highway travel.