While out today, I saw the latest (?) issue of Consumer Reports, which had the Ford Escape Hybrid on the cover (Most Fuel Efficient SUV), and an in depth review of all the SUVs currently on the market, and a brief article about hybrids, mostly about SUV hybrids.

The Hybrid article was what you'd expect, it'll take 6-8 years to make up that extra hybrid cost, and in some cases, the FE increase isn't that great compared to the premium.

There was another article about beware the EPA sticker, essentially telling you not to trust it, as it can be from 5% to 75% off from what you'll get. In their testing, FEH FWD gets 26 MPGs, for example.

Another article was tips about how to get better FE, inflated tires, streamline, AC management, etc. Nothing new there.

The SUV article seemed to be pretty good, not that I agree or disagree with much that they state, but it does seem to be a fair and unbiased review. For each vehicle they rate reliablility, performance, price, etc. Very Comprehensive. They rate the Lexus 400H as the best for comfort and features, BTW.

 

What was the FE of the HH and 400H in their patented "moron at the wheel" realistic typical driver tests?

 

Good question. I didn't actually buy the Magazine, I just paged through it when I was on my way out at Borders. (The FEH caught my eye)

As I recall, it was HiHy 23, 400H 22, though I could be easily wrong. All of the FE ratings were quite low, for every vehicle, so it's likely that it was a "Moron at the wheel" test.

 

The HH and the RX400 got 16mpg in CR's city loop.Seems terrible,but 16mpg is what the Honda Accord 4 cyl gets in their city loop.The high loop RX400 29MPG-HH 28MPG;the 4 cyl Accord get 38 mpg in the high loop.Charlie

 

re: "Moron at the wheel" test

Actually, that's one reason I like the Consumer Reports tests. Their use of "moron at the wheel" driving techniques, by my experience, simulates the way that at least 3/4 of the people on the road drive today. As such, it is a valid representation of what most people can expect in terms of MPG.

And that turns out to be consistent with what other trade rags and automotive editors end up with, at least concerning my hybrid, the HCH.

And the thing that pleases me is that the HCH gets 20 to 25 percent greater MPG than it's non-hybrid sibling in these tests. I think the Consumer Reports numbers for the civics are something like 29 MPG overall (non-hybrid), versus 36 MPG overall (hybrid). So it confirms that I don't have to "drive it like a hybrid" in order to be doing a good thing, mileage-wise.

So, while some may disparage the Consumer Reports' driving techniques and subsequent MPG numbers, I appreciate them for being fair and realistic and consistent for all cars.

 

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Wayne, their test route is this. Drive out the driveway. Stop the car at the corner and let it idle while they get out of the car and get a paper from one of those newspaper vending machines. Then get back into the car. Drive to the stop sign. Wait at stop sign to take a left onto a busy street. Drive 1/2 block. Sit in a turning left lane waiting for an opportunity to cross the street. Turn into the MacDonalds. Get into the drive through lane. After picking up their order they are doing the correct thing by pulling over to park and eat there food (all while idling listening to the radio). They then back out. They turn right out of the MacDonalds. Go to the stop sign. Make a U-turn and drive up one block to another stop sign. They then proceed to go about 2 more blocks and hit a stop light which is always red. They then hit the accelerator to climb up a hill and then wait at the top of the hill to take a left turn on to a freeway on ramp. They then floor the gas to try to get up to 65mph by the time they hit the merging highway traffic. They drive on the highway at 75mph or so for about 5 miles. They then get off the highway and take a left on to a street and drive for a few blocks hitting a stop sign or two. Then turn left on to the street paralleling the higway for some more city tests. They proceed to drive about 5 miles racing from stop light/sign to stop light/sign making sure they win every race. About a block away from the office they stop in at a car wash (Need to clean the car up for pictures and whatever). They leave the car idleling for the 10 minute car wash and wax. They then pull back out onto the street taking a right and heading back to the office. They turn right back into the office parking lot and drive around for 5 minutes trying to find an open spot to park in the parking garage.

If I ever get bored I will draw a picture of this.

 

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My feelings exactly. For instance, here on GH the Prius averages 48 mpg and the HCH-2 averages 46. But I averaged 46 when I drove a Prius and 40 with my HCH-2. Well CR got 44 for the Prius and 37 for the HCH-2, which is obviously more consistent with my results. And if I kept my tires at 32 PSI then my results may have been exactly like CR's.

 

If you receive better mileage in the city than on the highway with the Accord, then you do with any car, yet obviously nearly everyone gets worse city mileage than highway mileage. CR is hardly unusual in that regard. And their city test is a high-traffic, stop-and-go worst-case-scenario test, just as their upper highway figure is often at or near the EPA estimate because it's best-case. Yes, the HCH can get 26 mpg in bad traffic, but no one would ever get an entire tank that's 26 mpg. However there are people here averaging 32 mpg.