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Car Makers Routinely Exaggerate Fuel Economy Data guaranteed to peeve buyers; methodology needs to change Road test reports should take the time to monitor mpg Findon, Sussex - Car manufacturers are ripping off customers by claiming fuel economy figures for their products which bear little relation to reality and often exaggerate actual consumption by 25 per cent or more. The companies conduct their own fuel consumption tests under rules covered by a European Union directive. This rates “official urban” and “extra urban” driving and an average “official combined” figure. The good news is that this method brings consistency across the board. The bad news: testing for miles per gallon is conducted in laboratories which have little relevance to the real world. The “official combined” average number will be the figure which a buyer of a new car will focus on when filling up the car and calculating fuel economy. Disappointment is guaranteed. SHOCKING TOYOTA PRIUS The Toyota Prius, a leading-edge technology, petrol-electric hybrid which only exists because of its supposed incredible economy, failed to measure up to its claims of 57.6 miles to the gallon by a shocking 33.9 per cent. Other cars which failed to live up to manufacturers claims by more than 20 per cent included the BMW 330D, Audi A2, Honda Jazz, Mercedes A class, and the Ford Mondeo 1.8 LX. Failures by more than 25 per cent included the Peugeot 307, Nissan Primera, and Honda Civic CTD. The Renault Clio 1.5dCi and the Renault Espace 2.2 dsl failed by more than 30 per cent. Challenged to explain the shortfall, Toyota asked “Did you drive it on many motorways?” “Er, yes.” “Well it’s not designed for cruising at motorway speeds,” said Toyota. Fair enough. But you can bet your boots that this is never pointed out to a potential Prius buyer by a Toyota dealer. How the figures compare –
(Source – WintonsWorld road tests-at least 600 miles combining motorway and country lanes, with minimum urban driving) BBC TV’s Top Gear magazine has also been testing manufacturers claims in a recently published report –
(Source: Top Gear road test results) Most road tests that you read in newspapers and magazines never give a real world figure for fuel consumption. The reports almost always quote the manufacturer’s figures. This is because most road tests are often too limited in time to produce meaningful fuel consumption returns. Buyers of new cars soon find out the awful truth, but by then it is too late. TEST THE FUEL CONSUMPTION Maybe journalists should hang on to cars a bit longer to verify fuel consumption, as well as the more obvious qualities of the car. In a recent Daily Mail article the buyer of a Renault Espace complained that he only spent more money on a diesel version because of the economy claims by Renault. The Espace failed to live up to its economy claims. The buyer complained to the Advertising Standards authority, which said it could do nothing because Renault had used official methods to determine fuel consumption. My own BMW 330d (3 litre diesel) has never got close to matching the economy figures which appear in the brochure – official combined 42.2 mpg/real world 32.5 mpg. The economy is barely better than the petrol-powered 323 I – (2.5 litre petrol). A reporter in What Car recently described the BMW 330d as having a fantastic amount of what he called get-up-and-go, but this induced the fuel economy to do likewise. My BMW dealer, saying that there was nothing wrong with the car after it had notched up about 5,000 miles, said, don’t worry, it will probably improve after about 15,000 miles. CHANGE THE METHODOLOGY The manufacturers should nip this problem in the bud before it gets out of control. The last thing they need is for politicians and regulators in Brussels to find another stick to beat them with. They are going to have to change the system to a method which will mean a little more honesty and modesty and will remove another way of getting up their customers’ noses. Neil Winton, November 14, 2002 home page / more articles / car reviews / top of page see also Honda hybrid and Toyota Prius |
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