Where's my MPG going?

[Loren]

Originally Posted by voodoo22

It could be, but I would think you'd have to be an extremely aggressive driver to get numbers like those and then you would know your driving style is causing that extremely bad MPG.

Nah, some people just assume that if they buy a new car that's supposed to get 32 mpg in the city that it will do that no matter how they drive. It's simply not true.

My wife and her MINI Cooper are a good example. The Cooper was rated at something like 26 in the city, and when she bought it, she found that she was getting 23 mpg regularly... exactly the same as she got in her old car (a Saturn SL1). This is because her trips were short and she had some bad habits that she didn't know about.

Fortunately, the Cooper has a built-in mileage computer with functions similar to the ScanGauge. I showed her how to monitor instantaneous MPG to learn where she's really wasting fuel and talked to her about coasting up to lights rather than staying in the throttle and then jamming the brakes to stop. This was before I even knew about hypermiling, so it was just basic stuff I was teaching her.

Now she averages between 27 and 28 with her city driving... mostly on the same 3-mile commute to work. (and the "new" EPA rating for her car is 23 in the city... go figure)

My point here is that most people don't realize how bad their habits are. They think they're driving "normally" because it's "normal" to them.

[drummerboy2004]

Originally Posted by Loren

Nah, some people just assume that if they buy a new car that's supposed to get 32 mpg in the city that it will do that no matter how they drive. It's simply not true.

My wife and her MINI Cooper are a good example. The Cooper was rated at something like 26 in the city, and when she bought it, she found that she was getting 23 mpg regularly... exactly the same as she got in her old car (a Saturn SL1). This is because her trips were short and she had some bad habits that she didn't know about.

Fortunately, the Cooper has a built-in mileage computer with functions similar to the ScanGauge. I showed her how to monitor instantaneous MPG to learn where she's really wasting fuel and talked to her about coasting up to lights rather than staying in the throttle and then jamming the brakes to stop. This was before I even knew about hypermiling, so it was just basic stuff I was teaching her.

Now she averages between 27 and 28 with her city driving... mostly on the same 3-mile commute to work. (and the "new" EPA rating for her car is 23 in the city... go figure)

My point here is that most people don't realize how bad their habits are. They think they're driving "normally" because it's "normal" to them.

Well stated... But, getting people to understand that they are doing wrong is another story. Some are set in their ways, and only 5-10 dollar gas will change that.

matt

[voodoo22]

Originally Posted by Loren

Nah, some people just assume that if they buy a new car that's supposed to get 32 mpg in the city that it will do that no matter how they drive. It's simply not true.

My wife and her MINI Cooper are a good example. The Cooper was rated at something like 26 in the city, and when she bought it, she found that she was getting 23 mpg regularly... exactly the same as she got in her old car (a Saturn SL1). This is because her trips were short and she had some bad habits that she didn't know about.

Fortunately, the Cooper has a built-in mileage computer with functions similar to the ScanGauge. I showed her how to monitor instantaneous MPG to learn where she's really wasting fuel and talked to her about coasting up to lights rather than staying in the throttle and then jamming the brakes to stop. This was before I even knew about hypermiling, so it was just basic stuff I was teaching her.

Now she averages between 27 and 28 with her city driving... mostly on the same 3-mile commute to work. (and the "new" EPA rating for her car is 23 in the city... go figure)

My point here is that most people don't realize how bad their habits are. They think they're driving "normally" because it's "normal" to them.

You're right. People all think they're good and all think they're doing what's normal, but I always find it inconceivable that someone can engage in certain actions which are obviously causing their issue and not even realize it. Like the saying, "You are your own worst enemy."

How you can get nearly 30% off of the EPA and not realize it's because of your driving style is beyond my capabilities of comprehension.

[briman]

That being said, and I agree, some vehichles are more sensitive to driving style than others. My Durango gets 12mpg in town no matter what I do. I can maybe move it up to 13mpg with a lot of babying but then it's mostly luck. The Yaris being such a tiny car and tiny engine the slightest change in driving habits greatly effects mileage. For me, I'd rather have more consistency but I continue to work on my habits. I want good mileage without coasting all over town.