Gas Mileage

[Niko_Fx]

My dad just called me and we were chatting and mentioned that he had a conversation with a few friends today about cars and gas mileage and that they all claimed that the Prius was the best car in the world as far as gas mileage goes... (Imagine 4 guys in their 50s and none of them know about cars yet having a conversation about cars).

My dad said that he was pretty sure that in Europe a bunch of diesel models were available and that they could match or beat the Prius' gas mileage.

So he asked me to find out and get back to him... I don't honestly know much, so if you guys could post actual stats of cars (preferably in miles / gallon format so that I can just copy / paste it for him ) it would be great.

The Prius is rated at 51mpg city, 48mpg highway in the US.

Thanks guys.

[clutch-monkey]

diesel hatchbacks like that vw polo bluetec thingy or whatever it is called can get retardedly huge MPG numbers, like 60-70mpg or something. citroen C2's do well too i think?

edit: it's bluemotion, bluetec is the mercedes thing
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carrevi...agen_polo.html

70mpg

[johnnynumfiv]

My mom's 01 Beetle tdi got above 55mpg(mostly highway miles), and her '06 Beetle tdi gets about 50(again, mostly highway miles).

[wwgkd]

They did a tour of the US in a Jetta TDI and got 58mpg.

[culver]

In addition to a number of small Euro cars, the Prius also trails the first gen Honda Insight. Using the adjusted EPA numbers the Insight was rated at 59-48 (hw-city). Prior to the re-rating the car was 61-75 hw-city.

[acfsambo]

Mini Diesel, Tesla (Infinite miles to the gallon).

[wwgkd]

Mini Diesel, Tesla (Infinite miles to the gallon).

Unless you count what it takes to generate the electricity in the first place, then it falls far short of the other cars we're discussing here.

[acfsambo]

Unless you count what it takes to generate the electricity in the first place, then it falls far short of the other cars we're discussing here.

Doesn't the Prius get better mileage because of its electric motor that is charged from a power point?

[wwgkd]

Doesn't the Prius get better mileage because of its electric motor that is charged from a power point?

Nope. That's pretty much because it's an incredibly boring hybrid. There's a plug in version coming, but the current one isn't.

[henk4]

it actually greatly depends on how and where you drive the car. The Prius probably will beat any diesel in city traffic, but will loose out on long motorway trips against them.
Th EPA/ECE figures are to be taken with the proverbial grain of salt, as manufacturers are very keen on setting up a car just for that purpose. (European tests reveal to what level normal fuel consumption exceeds the ECE values and it gos up to 30%.)
So far I get about 5% over the ECE value during the summer period and 13% during the winter. (37.9 mpg ECE, 36.2 summer, 33.6 winter). I have managed to avoid city traffic and rush hours for over 95% of my driving.
Facit: So when discussing any mileage figures between four grumpy old men, first ask them how they plan to drive their cars.

[wwgkd]

it actually greatly depends on how and where you drive the car. The Prius probably will beat any diesel in city traffic, but will loose out on long motorway trips against them.
Th EPA/ECE figures are to be taken with the proverbial grain of salt, as manufacturers are very keen on setting up a car just for that purpose. (European tests reveal to what level normal fuel consumption exceeds the ECE values and it gos up to 30%.)
So far I get about 5% over the ECE value during the summer period and 13% during the winter. (37.9 mpg ECE, 36.2 summer, 33.6 winter). I have managed to avoid city traffic and rush hours for over 95% of my driving.
Facit: So when discussing any mileage figures between four grumpy old men, first ask them how they plan to drive their cars.

Well said. Also, what tradeoffs are you willing to make for mileage? Most increases in mileage will have a tradeoff somewhere and it depends on what you want from a car if they're worthwhile. Just adjusting your drivign style can make a huge difference. If you're trying to buy a fuel effecient car but you have a lead foot, then it may be self defeating.

[syko]

The Fiesta econetic gets 76.3 MPG which is a fair bet better than a hybrid.

[henk4]

The Fiesta econetic gets 76.3 MPG which is a fair bet better than a hybrid.

is that Imperial?

[pimento]

is that Imperial?

Yea, remember to double check whether it's US or EU MPG when researching these things. There's quite a difference between US gallons and original gallons.

[henk4]

Yea, remember to double check whether it's US or EU MPG when researching these things. There's quite a difference between US gallons and original gallons.

may I suggest the metric system? (probably not)