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50 - 54 mpg in a non diesel/non hybrid.

While running around today on a flat road I was getting 72mpg in a Tahoe... yes a Tahoe.

I get 35-42mpg in it on the highway (assuming idiots keep on driving and not break for air).

It has active fuel management and cuts down to 4 cylinders when there isn't constant acceleration.

Pretty cool.
 
Gav2k said:
Use a smart car they can do that easy without trying.
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The Smart is rated for 33/40 city/hwy. In mixed driving I hear mid-upper 30s. Hardly impressive for such a small vehicle. On the other hand, as a car enthusiast I sincerely hope they stop selling this glorified golf cart. It's insulting to cars everywhere.
 
Wheaty said:
Hmmm. Maybe I'm miss understanding...

I think of engine off as Engine Switched off... No Ignition, No Fuel, No Otto Cycle, No Suck, Bang Squeese, Blow. etc
... In Gear this would lead to fairly brisk de-acceleration depending on engine specs.. Not exactly costing, although you wouldnt be using fuel either, unless engine driven fuel pumped car etc etc....

So by Engine off Do you think he means "Off the Gass"?
So everything is on, hes just not puting any more energy in than the car is using under its own in gear momentum and fuel mixture etc at that rev range/ speed etc..

Not trying to be too pedantic, (Not that fussed realy) But Its all a bit wooly..

Or My heads just feeling wooly today. One or the other...:)

Wheaty
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He means engine off. Out of gear and turned off one click and then back (so steering doesn't lock). Yes you lose assisted brakes and steering but all you need to do it slip it into gear again and the engine will start again.
 
SpookTheHamster said:
He means engine off. Out of gear and turned off one click and then back (so steering doesn't lock). Yes you lose assisted brakes and steering but all you need to do it slip it into gear again and the engine will start again.
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Ahh so I did understand corectly...

That does not sound like a good idea. Unless your driving a Pre-Power Stearing and Servo Braked vehicle.... eg my 38yr Landy..

I'm all for saving a bit of fuel, but that is going a bit to far I think.

Wheaty
 
It's not too bad, I do it on a few very long hills. It's just like driving a car without power steering, and there's enough pressure left in the brakes for a stop or two. Riding the brakes will quickly make them lose the pressure though, so slipping it back into gear starts the engine again to get the pressure back.
 
hate you guys, my 3yr old truck gets less than 10mpg around town (diesel and stock) and the SUV gets no more than 19-20 on the highway.
 
mmomega said:
hate you guys, my 3yr old truck gets less than 10mpg around town (diesel and stock) and the SUV gets no more than 19-20 on the highway.
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My previous vehicle got around 6 to 8 MPG city and 10 highway. It was a 3/4 Ton 1986 GMC Suburban with a 454. The only reason I got rid of it was the transmission blew out on me in Arkansas while I was moving from California to Georgia. I couldn't afford to stay in a motel for a week or two and spend several thousand on a new transmission.

I feel that with my 97 4.6L F150 getting 13 to 14 MPG city that I am getting outstanding mileage.
 
Of some relatively small cars I have seen, not quite mini, I would think the Honda Civic, certain smaller Mercedes model sedans, some smaller Suzukis, and the Mazda 3 should do pretty well.

Of course I expect a Mini Cooper or something super small to do well but that car is a little small for my taste.

The only sedan maker I have seen out there who doesn't have a Civic or Corolla sized car (and engine) are BMW and Infinity. A 45 mpg gas driven BMW, just slightly bigger than the Mini Cooper would sell very well.

I saw an extremely small Audi, maybe a few inches bigger than the Cooper which looked amazing. I don't know the model name.
 
SactoGuy18 said:
If you know how to do hypermiling, you can squeeze some amazing fuel economy figures out of almost any car.
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You can also get to your destination late, and have your car crushed to a pulp by the frustrated people rear-ending you.

I was not a fan of the Prius until I started visiting the US regularly. I thought it was a waste of time when a small diesel would get 50% better mileage (and they still do).

HOWEVER - they're basically the most efficient car available in the US. In suburban US driving there is SO MUCH stop start that the hybridisation makes an enormous ammount of sense.

I'm about to fly home (LAX-LHR) and the rental I've had since Wednesday is a Nissan Senta. I don't know what's under the bonnet, but I've NOT be driving it aggressively and got only 22mpg out of it. The Prius I had for a couple of days in January - driving the same way - I got >40mpg out of it.

To a CERTAIN EXTENT - how you drive makes a difference ( a BMW M3 will get better mileage than a Prius whilst keeping up with the Prius going flat out around a track) - but to keep yourself sane, to get to places in a reasonable amount of time, you have to start throwing some technology at the problem, and the Prius is - for better or worse - currently - about the best around for doing that in the US. They take some of the principles of hypermile (instead of coasting, the take that energy, save it, and use it to get you going again with, of course, a significant efficiency loss in the mean time) and apply them so you can think about not hitting the car infront rather than your MPG.

Incidentally, most modern engines when coasting will use NO FUEL. They'll just use the momentum of the engine to keep themselves going. By turning the engine off and coasting, you're then spending more fuel than necessary to get the thing started again. There are some hypermile techniques that are just myths.

And the guy in that article? I'd happily spend a few bucks more on fuel and keep my sanity...and my appointments.
 
Not all engines will completely cut the fuel when coasting in gear. For older engines they will constantly be putting the idle amount of fuel in.

Besides, it takes no fuel to restart the engine when in motion as all you do is slip it back into gear, which starts the engine spinning.
 
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