MotorWeek TV and Cars.com Feature Fuel Economy Face-Off

I'll confess I'm shocked by the initial report. When I read "ut we wanted to know which cars deliver fuel efficiency without compromising power and performance," I was certain that MotorWeek was looking for zip, not sip. And I really wasn't expecting a balanced approach.

Perhaps I'm a bit jaded?

 

I'm with you ... totally shocked. I've seen their past reports. They deserve a good 'talking too:'

Dear Motorweek,

We the undersigned 2010 Prius owners are shocked, shocked to see you report what we are getting everyday with our cars. Other automotive press writers have constantly amazed us with their ability to get horrible hybrid performance so in defense, we've begun to 'reverse engineer' their testing protocols.

We are used to seeing abysmal highway numbers that can only be achieved by exceeding 75 mph, a common posted speed limit. These high-speed tests often exploit a 70-75 mph knee in the performance curve of some hybrids to the detriment of the same cars that can run 70 mph with excellent mileage. Then there are the coincidental weather reports of high winds and exceptionally cold temperatures that seem to happen just when our hybrid rides are to be tested.

As for city driving, there is the Connecticut 'ridge runner' route that starts half-way up, going up over the ridge top and then stops half-way down the next valley ... and turns left or right for a block and then back up and over the ridge. That is the only way we can replicate City mileage that makes walking look attractive (can a Honda Insight actually get 29 MPG????)

Then there are the notorious, single car tests that appear to always work best for the cars the writers like but in the absence of a standard or reference vehicle. To read a single Prius or other hybrid report without equivalent class vehicles ensures whatever is written won't be worth the effort taken to read. But who hasn't seen "Top Gear" and the 17 MPG Prius?

So here you come and offer a fleet report, multiple cars doing the same thing on the same day. Your results amazingly match what we Prius owners have been seeing for years and years. In fact, some of us have mapped our car performance, warts and all, and used this to avoid 'the bad places' that automotive reviewers seem like blue flies to revelle in.

If Motorweek and cars.com keep this up, fair automotive journalism, we'll have to stop pounding our keys in outrage and experimenting with our hybrids. We may actually become fans of your publications and shows ... and all of our fun at the outrage motivated investigations will subside.

Yours,
The Prius Posse
​

Over the top? Too obvious? Need to include a CNW Marketing reference?

Bob Wilson

 

I just checked my local listing and that episode of Motorweek will be on this Saturday. Gotta check it out.

Michael

 

Shouldn't the Camry hybrid be in the mix (been a few years since major revision so not fair) ?

 

the Fusion's dismal numbers are surprising. the Diesels numbers are to be expected because they do excel as long as they stay out of town. without reading the article i can predict the course run was mostly highway with little or no stop and go driving.

well actually, if the link had worked, i might have read the article

 

I don't know how they got 32.x MPG in a Fusion hybrid unless they used the dashboard MPG estimate without resetting it first ...

 

The Insight result pains me.

 

Likewise - the link did not work for me either. They may have pulled the full report until after the show airs, so we may have to wait for a couple of weeks to actually see the report.

 

If you type in yahoo search "motorweek tv", you can read their results from the same trip. Prius was first with Fusion last.

 

oic. the Prius got the best mileage (as if we had to know) but still ranked 4th. the OP states nothing other than the Pri got the best mileage. but if looking at better expectation then the diesels which outdid EPA would win on another level.

but like i said, unless you are never going to drive in town, the diesel numbers on this test are waaay over inflated.

 

There is no "clean diesel", there is only a "cleaner diesel". "Clean diesel" is a marketing term only! Who will pay when they don't meet EPA requirements in a few years, because they just squeak by when new? The owner? The maker? (good luck!)

Motorweek -usually- do a pretty good job.

But of course it's a Liberal conspiracy.

 

Never mind fuel economy. There are other issues--like carbon emissions and reduced foreign oil dependence. The Government should declare these as national security issues. That means LEADERSHIP and getting away from ICE cars, period. The Chinese know that better than our government. They are committed to it.

The American media still still wrapped up in the commercial status quo.

 

Agree completely here.

 

As a Prius owner, I'd have to say I'm very impressed with the new Audi A3 2.0 TDI. For a car that supposedly has an EPA highway figure of 42 MPG, it is one helluva sporty driver. And considering what comes standard with the $29,950 base model, it seems like a better deal than, say, the Lexus HS 250h to me.



DIESEL POCKET ROCKET


Wouldn't it be great if you can combine your need for speed with the need for green? Sure, those new V8 musclecars look great and go fast, but there's the fuel factor - not to mention a prevailing concern to do our part in the name of environmental responsibility and lessen our dependance on fossil fuels. Actually, it is possible to combine sport with fuel frugality - ergo the Volkswagen GTI. But what if I were to tell you that you can get the sport of the GTI combined with the powerplant from the Green Car of the Year?

That's exactly what Audi provided to LA Car in the form of the A3 TDI. Since this model is not slated to appear in the USA until November of 2010, Audi provided a European-spec A3 TDI to tool around in. Aside from seats a tad too narrow for overweight Americans, our Euro spec sample comes very close to what we can expect from this car when it finally makes it onto these shores.

As you may already know, Audi's A3 shares its platform with the GTI, and the A3 2.0T has the performance, handling, and fun factor to match the GTI - albeit with a more upscale bent (check out those LED lights front and rear of the new A3). What the TDI powerplant provides to the package is even more low-end torque than the GTI motor, and, of course, fuel economy in the 40 miles per gallon range. Audi contends that this engine represents 30 percent better fuel economy and a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas than gasoline engines of comparable size.

Audi knows a thing or two about diesels. It was the first German car manufacturer to combine direct-injection turbocharging with diesel engine technology in 1989 (TDI stands for turbocharged direct injection), and has continued to evolve its technology ever since. Audi Sport has helped prepare the way for TDI clean diesel in the United States by racing the R10 TDI sports car from 2006-2008 in the American Le Mans Series and sweeping the major endurance races at the 12 Hours of Sebring (Sebring, Fla.) and the 10-hour Petit Le Mans (Atlanta, Ga.). In addition, the R10 TDI won all three 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance races in which it competed from 2006-2008. The R15 TDI continued the TDI clean diesel performance tradition by winning the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race in March 2009.

Standard amenities on the A3 TDI include lighted vanity mirrors for drivers and front passengers within the sun visors, leather seating surfaces, cargo nets behind front seats, split folding 40/60 rear seats, rear seat arm rest with dual cup holders. Distinctive options include Audi Navigation plus with RDS traffic, Bluetooth® hands-free phone preparation, Audi music interface (integration for iPod® and related technology), BOSE® premium sound, the Titanium package with dark grey wheels and black grille, leather/alcantara seating, wood trim, rain/light sensors, auto-dimming exterior and interior rear-view mirror with integrated compass, and LED daytime running lights. All this, and an MSRP of $29,950.

While this new technology diesel in the A3 TDI is commendably quiet, you can still hear that distinct diesel sound - particularly if you get out of the car and stand next to the engine. There's just enough of it to let you know you're not driving an ordinary car. As one who has had great experience with modern day diesels, it's music to these ears.

When the clean diesel is combined with the A3's ultra-rigid platform, front McPherson strut and multi-link rear suspension, speed-sensitive electromechanical power steering, and wheels and rubber combination, the driver is left with one of the sportiest green machines this side of the Atlantic. If your image of a green car is devoid of sport and fun, prepare to have that image shattered - the A3 TDI delivers a level of performance and handling unlike any compact hybrid sedan or hatchback on the market. This model is equipped with Audi's verson of the DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission with sequential manual capability - i.e., Audi's S-tronic transmission. As with most other dual-clutch automatic transmissions, this one is quicker and gets better fuel economy than a manual transmission.

In Europe, Volkswagen introduced a car very similar to this one, called the GTD. It's essentially the new GTI with the Green Car of the Year motor. Sporting dieselheads have gone wild over the GTD, but it's still not known if VW will import it into this country. In reality, you will be able to purchase such a vehicle as of November of 2009 - only it will be called the Audi A3 TDI.

Sporting dieselheads, your car has arrived.

LA Car.com - The Cars and Culture of Southern California Magazine & Directory - DIESEL POCKET ROCKET

 

I didn't know the Yaris came with leather seats