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Old 11-01-2012, 05:19 PM   #30 (permalink)
MetroMPG
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,530

Blackfly - '98 Geo Metro
Team Metro
Last 3: 70.09 mpg (US)

MPGiata - '90 Mazda Miata
90 day: 54.46 mpg (US)

Even Fancier Metro - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage top spec
90 day: 70.75 mpg (US)

Appliance car Mirage - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage ES (base)
90 day: 62.14 mpg (US)
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Session #2 - in a Honda Fit 5-speed

Well this was interesting:



Again, an above average driver to begin with - a farmer with a solid understanding of the basics. On his "baseline" lap, he handily beat both the EPA city rating AND the much tougher NRCan (Canadian) city rating.

He even checked & adjusted the tire pressure yesterday, depriving me of a "teachable moment"!

But here's the funny thing: on his last ("coaching") lap, he ended up with the same MPG as his baseline lap! Doh. It happened there was more traffic & he hit more red lights on that lap, yet despite these obstacles he came in with the same MPG. That meant he definitely drove more efficiently... and he understood that point.

But the session lacked the satisfying punch of pointing to higher MPG at the end and saying "ta-daaaa!"

Fortunately, my demo lap went well and showed him what was possible. Again, nothing fancy: Engine stayed on. Just plenty of anticipation, planning & minimizing brake use.

---

That was my first time in a Fit. Neat car! Too bad about the terrible gearing (too low). If it had a proper highway/cruising gear, this would be a killer MPG machine... which would of course cannibalize Insight sales. Which is why we'll never see it. Yay for marketing strategies.
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Project MPGiata! Mods for getting 50+ MPG from a 1990 Miata
Honda mods: Ecomodding my $800 Honda Fit 5-speed beater
Mitsu mods: 70 MPG in my ecomodded, dirt cheap, 3-cylinder Mirage.
Ecodriving test: Manual vs. automatic transmission MPG showdown



EcoModder
has launched a forum for the efficient new Mitsubishi Mirage
www.MetroMPG.com - fuel efficiency info for Geo Metro owners
www.ForkenSwift.com - electric car conversion on a beer budget
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