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Featured Consumer Reports: The Most Fuel-Efficient Cars

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by bwilson4web, Mar 10, 2017.

  1. William Redoubt

    William Redoubt Senior Member

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    You have a mistaken impression, I am afraid. Those people are there to protect you and your access to freedom. They are the brave in the land of the free.
     
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  2. William Redoubt

    William Redoubt Senior Member

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    I remember giving a couple a ride to a night spot in my Gen 4 and apologizing for the low mileage the car was getting as we were going up hill at 75 mph. The male part of the couple just laughed. 47 mpg was way beyond his wildest dream in their Mazda (maybe a 3).
     
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  3. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Source: Harsh Prison Terms for Couple Who Crashed Child’s B-Day Party with Confederate Flags, Racial Slurs | Heat Street

    Earlier this week, an nice person decided to open carry his pistol to a bar. When asked to leave, he refused so I did. Mixing alcohol and ammunition never ends well.

    Bob Wilson
     
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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i think (hope) bill was being sarcastic.:cool:

    i also noticed a 'uge' confederate flag flying over rt95 in south carolina? new found brazenness? sorry to subvert your thread.
     
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  5. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Alcohol mixes with gunpowder the same way it mixes with gasoline -- very poorly.

    But that is a different subject than gun racks. Which, in turn, is a different subject than flags.

    (Is this thread locked yet?)
     
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    no, but the movers will be arriving shortly.
     
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  7. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    The averages on Fuelly line up closely to the EPA combined.
     
  8. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    maple syrup anyone?

    .
     
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  9. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    maple syrup anyone?

    .
     
  10. William Redoubt

    William Redoubt Senior Member

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    Is that why the French, known for their love of wine, were so easily overtaken by the Nazis? It's generally a known fact that generalizations are not always accurate.

    I'll show my self out ...
     
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  11. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    The French were prepared to fight the last war as was the US Navy in Perl Harbor and Gen. MacArthur and Clark Field.
    Nor is ignoring the facts and data . . . direct observation.

    Bob Wilson
     
  12. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

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    Let's not forget ww2 started in 1939.
     
  13. thunderstruck

    thunderstruck Active Member

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    I think the CU reporters need to go for a ride with me to see how it's done. It's not what you drive, it's all about how you drive. They just aren't motivated to try to achieve greatness. Those of us on this site are.
    [​IMG]
     
  14. Moving Right Along

    Moving Right Along Senior Member

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    I like the way Consumer Reports tests. Their achieved fuel economy is generally worse than advertised, so you get a much better idea of what it's like in less than ideal conditions. Since I tend to drive in a lot of less than ideal conditions, their results are very useful.

    If fuel economy was derived from users here, it would probably be way higher than most average people could achieve, and thus a useless statistic except to show best-case scenario.
     
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  15. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    For the longest time, only the EPA test methods were well documented and then Consumer Reports dumped on them because EPA did not match the CR results for their undocumented protocol. More recently, Consumer Reports has shared enough that we might be able to 'reverse-engineer' their city test driving protocol. My analysis suggests it is heavily weighted to cold-start, maximum accelerations. Happily, their highway numbers agree with the EPA so no problem there.

    I'm also bothered that the CR "score" does not appear to include an MPG coefficient. But like their "urban driving protocol," their score is not well documented. I did an analysis several years ago and it appears the CR score is heavily weighted to driver comfort.

    One thing I noticed was CR appears to have a non-linear "urban" mileage metric that bends down for high efficiency cars. Our high efficiency cars are especially susceptible to warm-up costs so they don't get the credit for what happens after 2-3 miles. They still do better than the ordinary cars but does not match the EPA tests that are more representative of longer work commutes.

    So how to resolve the conflict?

    I post my mileage on the EPA web site under "My MPG." Over time, this means owner reports accumulate independent of CR which seems incapable to doing something similar.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #35 bwilson4web, Apr 4, 2017
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2017
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  16. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I'd like it if CR did both. Keep doing the solenoid operated two position throttle operation they and most drivers do. And also drive with some intelligence like we do. Then compare the annual cost difference and blood pressure readings. ;)
     
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  17. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    my 1st prius DIY job was adding the OEM Toyota electric block heater (ebh, not a stock item in the US) for the very purpose of diminishing short trip cold starts. Even helps on 70° f mornings.
    .
     
  18. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Seems like a natural for the Prius Prime too but it may already be there.

    I wonder if 'preconditioning' MAY warm the engine coolant above ambient (I doubt it but it would be neat hack!) Something we need to check as we've got some near freezing temperatures coming up in 3-4 days.

    Perhaps we can leave the car in READY and plugged in with the cabin temperatures set to 70. I wonder if that might also warm the engine coolant?

    Bob Wilson
     
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  19. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    In a similar vein, using Tesla's prewarming function, the car simultaneously heats up its own traction pack.
    Makes no difference - ICE, Electric, even people .... all function better if they're not freezing. I grabbed this screenshot - web page that lets you input varying speeds & temperatures to show how much difference a little extra warmth & slower speed can make on battery propulsion ;

    .
     
    #39 hill, Apr 4, 2017
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2017
  20. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    No, best case would be Waynes Gerdes; xcel at Cleanmpg.com.

    I suspect most people here would be on the above average side at Fuelly.com. The average result for the car models I've checked, including the Prius, are really close to EPA combined. The testing rules revisions that happened in 2016MY might lead to the average going above the combined rating.

    CR would be among the low results of the Fuelly spectrum. Which itself isn't bad. What is bad is that their test results for a car aren't going to be comparable to another model, because they don't control for temperatures, wind, nor fuel blend, and the entire point of going to them is too get a fair comparison of different products.