Very efficient little sherpa!

So I just got back from a 1200-mile trip, going from Portland (OR) to Sacramento (CA) then over to Lake Tahoe, Reno (NV), and back. What an awesome trip! Lake Tahoe's so gorgeous.

Anyways, near the end of the trip, in Oregon, there was a section of road we realized was closed off from 8pm to 6am for maintenance. This section was up over the other side of a mountain pass. It was around 7:15pm when we realized this, and calculated it was around 55 miles away. That was all the motivation I needed as I jammed the peddle to the floor, and sped along the deserted 2-lane road at speeds of 85 mph. It was exhilarating!

We ended up making it to the gate just a few minutes prior to it closing, and suffice to say, were quite relieved. It's at that point, I relaxed and took a peak at my MPG. I was shocked to see it read 53! Even the 5-minute history showed nothing lower than mid 40s.

Keep in mind this frantic, 55-mile stretch, was UPHILL, with an altitude gain from 3500ft to 5000ft, and we did it going along at a fairly constant 85 mph all with 3 passengers and a fully-loaded trunk.

I was thrilled, of course, but shocked at how efficient it was considering the circumstances. But it wasn't just this jaunt where I've noticed how good the car performs on hills; I've taken it on many other elevation-undulating excursions, and by myself, in no particular hurry, I can usually easily get in the 60s.

So is it just this car that's so darn efficient on hills, or is it, in fact, actually common behavior among most other cars too? I always thought MPG in cars nosedives when hill-climbing (and descending). Judging from how hard I work myself on my bicycle climbing hills, I figured cars' fuel efficiency reflect the same. Maybe I was wrong!

 

Yeah I'm now leery of that number, and perhaps wonder if I didn't read something right. I mean, I still get great MPGs on hills, but 53 for a fully loaded car going at speeds of 80mph+ for 50 miles uphill seems too good to be true. However, I am positive that when I looked at the 5-minute history, it never dipped below 40mpg for the past 30 minutes.

This post was meant more for commenting on the general awesome efficiency of hill climbing from this car (and maybe all cars?) vs that of bicyling. I work like a sonofabitch to go up the smallest of hills on my bicycle..I'm so jealous of my car, I hate you! (and lov eyou!)