EPA finalizes new methods for 2008 vehicles

Shoppers will be in for a bit of sticker shock when auto dealerships get the new models in later this year. For those who have not heard, prices are not necessarily going up, but fuel-economy will be coming down.

The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized the new methods it will use for estimating how far a vehicle will go on a gallon of gas around town and on the highway. It seems methods for the last 20 years have failed to factor in cold temperatures, use of air conditioners or those who drive like it’s the Indy 500.

Drivers who track their mileage have no doubt noticed a discrepancy between the EPA/manufacturer estimates and their own records for some time. Results from the new test methods will more closely resemble what drivers have been tracking themselves – about two or three miles per gallon less than the EPA estimates tested under perfect conditions.

What kind of reduced estimates will new vehicles have? Differences will obviously vary by vehicle model, but I put together a chart based on the list of 2006 best-selling vehicles compiled by Forbes and fuel-economy estimates found at www.fueleconomy.gov. Because they did not make Forbes’ top ten, I added the Toyota Prius – one of the more fuel efficient vehicles on the road, the Hummer H3 – one of the more efficient apparatuses for burning fuel on four wheels, and the Subaru Outback – as every other vehicle in Colorado seems to be.

Please remember that the vehicles’ efficiencies are not changing, but that the new estimates simply reflect fuel-economy under typical driving conditions.

* Numbers used for automatic transmissions
** City and highway miles combined

Something else I have noticed that I think relates to this topic is packaging that over-presents the amount of food inside. Visit the snack aisle in any supermarket and you will no doubt notice the bags with four ounces of corn chips and 27 cubic feet of air sealed inside. I recently purchased a box of graham crackers that had the capacity to comfortably hold 10 more crackers (the box had 27 crackers in it). Is it too much to ask that packaging (truly) reflect the amount of food contained?

Though, let’s be glad that vehicles are not sized to represent their efficiency. Otherwise, Hummers would be the size of Tonka trucks.

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