Consumer Reports Prius Prime Review (Aug 3 2017)

Exactamundo! The entire purpose of VWs turning off their pollution controls was to show better mpg. Consumer Reports got their mpg numbers right every year, but the EPA got fooled.

 

No.

The cheat was to pass Nox requirements.
Low CR MPG is due to their drive cycle with lots of brake use.

I apologize for interrupting your soliloquy with facts.

 

LOL! If higher pollution, then higher mpg. This not complicated math!

HOW VW’S CHEAT MODE HURTS PERFORMANCE AND FUEL ECONOMY
Ever since Volkswagen admitted it rigged more than 10 million diesel cars to cheat on emissions tests by temporarily adjusting their performance, owners have wondered what will happen when the automaker’s forced to recall their vehicles and “fix” the problem.

VW has said most of the affected cars will just need a software update, presumably so the engine always runs the way it does during EPA testing, and always meets emission standards. That’s bad for drivers, because to meet NOx emissions standards, the cars in test mode sacrificed some fuel economy and performance.

To figure out precisely how “cheat mode” changed those numbers, Consumer Reports hacked its way into a 2015 Jetta TDI and 2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDI, tricking them into thinking they were being tested by the EPA, then put them on the track.

According to CR, both cars added less than a second in the 0 to 60 mph time. The Jetta saw fuel economy drop from 53 to 50 mpg, and the Sportwagen went from 50 to 46 mpg."

 

Correct, CR does not test emissions. If they did, they might have caught VW years before WVU did.

Of course they were fooled by it. They reported the better performance the hack allowed in the real world, didn't they? It was over a year between the WVU team making their findings public and the EPA issuing the statement of non-compliance. Did CR have any reports on the issue during that time? They just spread the lie around like everybody else did.

Consumer Reports' mission is to protect the consumer. They didn't protect consumers from being defrauded by VW. They failed.

The only emission directly tied to fuel consumption is carbon dioxide.

The Jetta uses a NOx trap to reduce the NOx emissions. Like the DPF, the car needs to burn extra fuel to regenerate the trap. Drop in fuel economy once in compliance is not surprising. Of course, CR reported higher numbers when they tested the Jettas because they were fooled by VW too. A SCR equipped car may not see any reduction in fuel economy and performance though. "Fixed" VWs are available for sale now. Info on their fuel economy and performance should be available for those interested.

 

Trollbait is clearly trolling here. To summarize:
Volkswagen specifically programmed thier cars to cheat during the unique events that occur during published methods of the EPA test. During the test, the pollution appeared to down. After the test, the pollution went way up by 10-40x. There is no question about this. Again, because Consumer Reports methods are NOT entirely public and done using different tools, outside, and with wind resistance, CR got their numbers right. CRs methods and tests were not fooled by VW as they do not check emissions (but it would be nice if they added this test, too).

"Volkswagen Emissions Scandal -- LA Times
Volkswagen has admitted equipping half a million diesel cars in the U.S. with software to cheat on emissions tests — and then, in normal driving, to spew between 10 and 40 times the allowable levels of nitrogen oxides."

 

In what way did CR get their numbers right? Without testing emissions there was no way they could see that VW was cheating. So their numbers are numbers for the car while it is breaking the law by exceeding the emission limits.

CR got better fuel economy while the Jetta's were exceeding emissions than when they were running in test compliant mode.
"To figure out precisely how “cheat mode” changed those numbers, Consumer Reports hacked its way into a 2015 Jetta TDI and 2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDI, tricking them into thinking they were being tested by the EPA, then put them on the track.

According to CR, both cars added less than a second in the 0 to 60 mph time. The Jetta saw fuel economy drop from 53 to 50 mpg, and the Sportwagen went from 50 to 46 mpg."

The only way for CR to get it right on the VW cheating diesels would be if they caught VW or were voicing concerns over the emissions. Instead they were duped like everybody else. In fact, by reporting the better performance and fuel economy numbers that the VW cheat allowed, they were helping VW spread the lie.

The EPA test being published is how VW got caught. The WVU team was running on road emission testing. When the results were showing such high emission levels, they got permission to use a CARB facility. There, they ran the cars they tested on the road through the EPA cycles. The cars passed. Without being able to test those cars on the official, standardized test, VW could have claimed the cars were malfunctioning, and brushed the on road test results off.

 

Right you are trollbait, but Kenarto is not about to be confused by facts.

 

I guess the Chevy dealer in our neck of the woods are more on the ball then in other areas, as their Volt/Bolt department is impressive. The sales team also will direct those that are interested in the EV's to the guys that know these vehicles in and out! It was a close call between the Volt, the Prime and the Fusion Energi. I went with the Prime based on the luck we had with our Gen2 Prii's. Our 2004 had over 220,000 miles logged when it was given to my nephew when we bought the new Prime, who's been driving it all over for work. He loves it and said he will be looking for another when this one finally stops running or the repair is too pricy.
But, that said, I'm not sold on this Prime yet. It's not yet to the dependable stage imho. Too many tiny but weird electrical issues.... even before before the bumper separated and peeled back due to a virtually impossible mishap with the flagpole, with only 700 miles logged. I forgot to mention, the 2nd Gen 2 Prius we own (2005) has not yet hit 94,000 miles, but hoping it lasts another 10 and reaches the 200K mark as well! One other thing that I was disappointed in was that the safety things, like sensing if you're about to hit something come only on the Advanced model, not the Premium or the basic Prime. Really disappointed in that, as the hype was misleading imho as it sounded like it was standard on all of them, but I found out the hard way, it's not. Yet might have avoided a costly $8,000+ repair bill, from a team of yahoos at the dealer collision center. Not a good experience from start to finish!
For instance, you'd think they would have cleaned up the car and charged it up prior to the return exchange. But, nope... none of the above.... Live & learn. I thought it would be best to bring it to the dealer collision shop, since it was an EV and thought they would be more aware and experienced, but I don't think any of them knew anything about the prime and god only knows what damage was done by their lack of knowledge on that model!

 

This doesn't match my experience with a Prius Prime Plus. I have seen more than once the word "BRAKE" when other traffic cut in front.

Bob Wilson