some honda autos get better mileage than manuals?

[tjts1]

Ford Fiesta
auto
29/40mpg

manual
28/37mpg
Officially Official: 2011 Ford Fiesta rated at 40 mpg highway — Autoblog

[dcb]

"Lets play games with the gearing so we sell more of the expensive model"?

To me that is beyond despicable. Why can't consumers have a choice of ratios? So the would be sport "in a fiesta?!?" crowd can waste gas but the rest of us can save gas.

[tjts1]

So now that we've proven that automatics can be more efficient than manuals, the argument of last resort is 'OMG its a conspiracy!!!!'

lol

[PaleMelanesian]

I'm liking Hyundai more and more. 35 highway (stick shift) in a full-size 2.4L Sonata. I can't wait for the next Elantra to come out.

Manual: 24/35 mpg
Auto: 22/35 mpg

Like I've been saying, a good auto can, at best, match a good manual. Not exceed it.

Originally Posted by tjts1

Ford Fiesta
auto
29/40mpg

manual
28/37mpg

Not quite apples and oranges, but maybe red delicious vs granny smith.

That's a 6-speed auto and a 5-speed manual. A 6-speed manual could easily match or beat that 40 mpg mark.

[SentraSE-R]

Fortunately, any heads-up driver who puts an effort into hypermiling, can handily beat the EPA estimates. They'll beat EPA by 40% in an automatic, and by 70% in a manual, making the manual the better choice by far.

[shovel]

regardless of the manual gearbox chest beating that goes on here, i like that the transmissions which the majority of the population will be buying and driving however they feel like driving, are now not an unfortunate compromise as much as they were in the past. very cool.

As a side note: it's been my observation, sitting in the passenger seat over the years that >50% of guys who drive manual transmissions by choice are awful at driving them and make really bizarre shifting choices. Just sayin' .

[dcb]

lol "Proof" 6 speed comupter shifted manual "auto" vs 30 year old 5 speed is "proof".

Lol "Chest beating", funny because an ape could probably drive an auto with very little training.

[PaleMelanesian]

It only takes a single counter-example to break a "proof". I'll give a two.

2011 Hyundai Sonata
Manual: 24/35 mpg
Auto: 22/35 mpg

2010 Chevy Cobalt
Auto 24/33
Manual 25/35
XFE Manual 25/37

[tjts1]

Originally Posted by tjts1

So now that we've proven that automatics CAN be more efficient than manuals, the argument of last resort is 'OMG its a conspiracy!!!!'

lol

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

It only takes a single counter-example to break a "proof". I'll give a two.

2011 Hyundai Sonata
Manual: 24/35 mpg
Auto: 22/35 mpg

2010 Chevy Cobalt
Auto 24/33
Manual 25/35
XFE Manual 25/37

LOL
So how exactly does this prove that the automatic Ford Fiesta is less efficient than the manual Ford Fiesta?

[PaleMelanesian]

The automatic only wins because it has better gear ratios AND an extra 6th gear. A manual with matching gears and ratios could match or likely beat that 40 mpg rating.

Back to the original question re: Honda. It's again a manual with ridiculous gear ratios vs an automatic with reasonable ones.

I gave two examples above of cars with good gears on the manual, that match or beat the automatic. When some other outcome is displayed, I look for something fishy to explain. Poor manual gear ratios are nearly always to blame. It is possible, as you showed, for an automatic to have better mileage ratings. It's not because the auto is good, it's because the manual is poorly designed.