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Old 05-06-2012, 11:37 PM   #8 (permalink)
Thymeclock
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: NY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BHarvey View Post
My Sonata took around 20k to start giving good mileage.
I've heard this said by some, but I don't see how the FE is magically going to improve any as the car gets older. There is no logic to it, and I've never experienced it on the many cars I've owned over the years. All have stayed consistent in MPG since new, whether at 1000 miles or 100,000 miles.

As for EPA ratings, my newest car (an automatic '09 Aveo with currently about 12K miles on it) cannot reach the EPA city rating of a supposed 25 MPG City because of the way the TC transmission lockup is programmed. The best we get is 23-24 no matter how it is driven. (Yes, by now I've tried every driving strategy imaginable.) As far as I'm concerned the EPA ratings may be skewed a bit to make cars more attractive to buyers, as virtually everyone buying a new car desires better FE.
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