EPA estimates seem off

[Debonair]

i've looked at numerous vehicles on that link provided in the garage and it seems wayy low.

it says my camaro should be getting 15 city, and 23 highway.
reading reviews after reviews and looking at specifications, they all say 18 city, 27 highway. Since i got the car, unless i had a lead foot or a part go bad, i've seen 18-19, even 20.

for the manuals it says 25 city, and on a Camaro/firebird forum i've seen people getting close to 30.

for my S10 it shows 15 city, which i've been told 17/18 by numerous people.

i'm aware that they changed the system,
for my Camaro
New: 15 city, 23 highway 18 combined
old: 17 city, 25 highway, 20 combined

[Frank Lee]

EPA dumbed down their mpg estimates in order to appease today's ignorant drivers. I found the "Last Gen" EPA ratings to be quite accurate and easily attainable with prudent but not hypermiling driving.

[Kodak]

Hmm. Well, the EPA changed some data in 2008. So we have old tests and new tests. The new tests are supposed to account for increased congestion and more typical driving habits. If you've been driving with FE in mind - even just casually - you are probably going to be closer to the old estimates, which give slightly higher mpg. I suspect this is the source of the discrepancy.

Keep in mind also that the EPA estimates are based on a very specific and repeatable set of conditions (acceleration, speed, braking, etc.) that won't correlate perfectly with the real world.

Now, if you're going by driver estimates you hear in forums, make sure there is some real data there. I mean, make sure the person actually calculates their mpg at the pump. I have heard that some of today's real time FE readouts (this probably doesn't apply to the Camaro, but generally speaking) are known to be a bit generous in the figures they give.

Some drivers just straight up estimate, which is fine if that's their preference, but it's not terribly useful when hard numbers are required for comparisons and when drivers have different perceptions of what qualifies as 'city' driving. It's all relative.

Hope I got some good points in all that rambling.

[Debonair]

yes you did, it all makes sense and i am definitely closer to the old estimates, thanks a lot

[Mustang Dave]

Yeah, according to the 2008 EPA estimates, I should be getting between 17 and 25 MPG with my 2007 Mustang. I did, once, @24.98MPG. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

[gone-ot]

...all EPA tests are done on a chassis dynamometer...how many people you know drive on dynamometers?