The Truth About Cars » Fuel Economy

BMW Four Cylinder Diesels Coming

Edward Niedermeyer — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:08:59 +0000

“You’re going to see it of course in the 3 Series,” BMW’s Tom Baloga tells Inside Line, “and the 5 Series is a good possibility. If the performance [of such an engine] is sufficient in the X3, U.S. customers would likely accept it in the X5 as well.” The “it” he’s referring to is BMW’s [...]

Forbes Lists “America’s Dirtiest Cars”

Cammy Corrigan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:25:44 +0000

There’s all kinds of controversy over what makes a car “green” and what doesn’t. Some point to size and efficiency, crucifying Hummers and full-size trucks as criminals against the planet. Others point to lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, battery-component mining pollution and other less-obvious measures to excoriate hybrids. In any case, TTAC’s scientific department isn’t well-funded [...]

Positive Post Of The Day: Mazda To Add Lightness

Edward Niedermeyer — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:05:52 +0000

Brace yourself ladies and gentlemen, because an automaker is taking on one of the American market’s greatest bugbears: size and weight bloat. Mazda’s vehicles have gained 80 pounds on average with each recent redesign, according to Robert Davis, senior vice president of product development and quality for Mazda North American Operations. Davis tells Automotive News [...]

Chrysler: The Powertrain Plans

Edward Niedermeyer — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:02:23 +0000

One of Chrysler’s major problems in the powertrain department is a mass of V6 engines of varying ages and displacements. The lack of interchangeability between engines contributes to Chrysler’s unprofitability, and the advanced age of some hurts overall fuel efficiency considerably. The debut of a brand-new Pentastar V6, arriving with next year’s Grand Cherokee, will [...]

Save Diesel ’till You’re Blue(Motion) In The Face

Cammy Corrigan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:21:03 +0000

Say what you want about the Prius (and no doubt you will) but it is a car that ushered in a new era of automotive history. It made saving fuel and being “green” trendy. When automotive history is written, the Toyota Prius will be along side cars like the Ford Model-T, The Citroen DS, the [...]

Former GM Economist: Detroit Ignored Demands For Efficiency

Edward Niedermeyer — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:07:19 +0000

Walter McManus, former GM economist and current head of the Automotive Analysis division of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, wants you to know GM’s SUV strategy of ignoring efficiency as a marketing input was his fault. In an interview with Energy and Environment News [via Edmunds Green Car Advisor], McManus explains how surveys [...]

Ask The Best And Brightest: Hypermiling A Variable-Displacement V8?

Edward Niedermeyer — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:30:32 +0000

Everett writes in: I know that each motor, transmission, and car combination has optimums areas of performance for mileage. All the Jetta drivers that swear by idling in 5th gear are a testament to that. With some of the newer V-8 motors, however, finding the sweet spot is a little more problematic. Take for example a [...]

Automotive X Prize Narrows The Field

Edward Niedermeyer — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:57:39 +0000

But which one is The Future?

The Evolution Of Internal Combustion: Thermal Energy Management

Edward Niedermeyer — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:06:44 +0000

With so much attention focused on next-next-gen, alt-energy auto technology, we enjoy highlighting the incremental changes that are making good old internal combustion engines more efficient. The latest evolution to show up on our radar screen is BMW’s development of a host of measures [via Green Car Congress] which it hopes will someday reduce the [...]

Quote Of The Day II: 230 MPG “May Be Overly Optimistic?” Edition

Edward Niedermeyer — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:58:24 +0000

Official fuel economy testing for all vehicles is conducted on chassis dynamometers, which are basically treadmills for cars and trucks. One subtlety of chassis dynamometer testing is that vehicle fuel economy measurements using decades-old standard speed profiles may be overly optimistic compared to today’s average on-road fuel use. Official methods exist to adjust the test [...]

Better Place: Buy Electric, Save Money

Edward Niedermeyer — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:28:43 +0000

Project Better Place founder Shai Agassi tells Auto Motor und Sport that his firm’s EV versions of the Renault Fluence will cost €3,000- €5,000 less than the gas-powered Renault versions. The only downside is that you have to live in Israel or Denmark to qualify. Oh yeah, and then there’s the “batteries not included” issue. [...]

New Hyundai Sonata: No V6?

Edward Niedermeyer — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:08:54 +0000

Wards Auto World reports that Hyundai won’t be offering a V6 in its much-hyped, next-generation Sonata sedan. A direct-injection version of its Theta four-cylinder is expected to be the only engine option, making Sonata the first DI four-pot midsized sedan on the market. The V6 option will also be yanked from the Tucson cute-ute. Though [...]

Audi Dropping V10s

Edward Niedermeyer — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:40:43 +0000

AutoBild reports that Audi will be dropping Lamborghini-sourced V10s from its R8, RS6 and S8 models. AB blames the V10’s weight, thirst and complexity for the move, although one might guess brand strategy played a role in the decision as well. With over twice as many brands as GM, the Volkswagen Group has to work [...]

Quote of the Day: Got to Find a Love that Lasts Edition

Edward Niedermeyer — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:26:53 +0000

We will only do a hybrid if that is what is required to maintain the vehicle. I think we have a pretty good plan right now that probably will not require a hybrid in the near term . . . I don’t believe that we need to do a six-cylinder engine in a Corvette at [...]

Positive Post of the Day: New EPA Standards Save You $3,000 Edition

Edward Niedermeyer — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:23:28 +0000

Just don’t ask what the newly-released rules will do to the upfront cost of your new car. Though the EPA claims that 35.5 mpg by 2016 is “within reach” of the industry, OEMs will certainly pass some of the $2 billion in costs to meet the standard onto consumers. Let’s also not forget the billions [...]

The Reality Behind EPA Testing

Edward Niedermeyer — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:56:54 +0000

Yes, well, Car And Driver’s Dave Vanderwerp kind of stole our headline for his takedown of EPA testing practices. Still, he earns it by stripping away any illusions you may have harbored about the rigor of the EPA testing process. Did you know that the EPA only tests 15 percent of all new vehicle models, [...]

Subaru Eyes Continuously-Variable Brand Destruction

Edward Niedermeyer — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:55:47 +0000

Subaru’s first US-market continuously-variable transmission (CVT) was a major factor in the 2010 Outback’s recent two-star TTAC review. Not in the “one niggling fault” way either. Think more along the lines of the “metaphor for myriad brand betrayals” kind of dislike. Subaru’s vehicles are getting heavier, their interiors are becoming more plasticky-gimmicky and much of [...]

Positive Post of the Day: Fisker Brings Sanity to EREV Efficiency Ratings Edition

Edward Niedermeyer — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:43:39 +0000

Who Says You Can’t Have It All? Not the Europeans . . .

Cammy Corrigan — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:00:50 +0000

Mick Jagger once sang that “you can’t always get what you want,” and, to a degree, he was right. As a petrol head and committed environmentalist, I’ve found I’ve had to make compromises. After going crazy in my friend’s Porsche Boxster, I develop a painful pang of guilt of all the resources I wasted in [...]

Ford Hearts Fours

Edward Niedermeyer — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:29:20 +0000

Ford will be offering four-cylinder Ecoboost engines in a vast array of its forthcoming models, reports Motor Trend. The 2.0 EcoBoost will likely see base-model duty in vehicles ranging from the Edge and Mustang to the unibody 2011 Explorer, while replacing the V6 option in the Fusion and Escape. And though the EcoBoost two-liter looks [...]

The (Relative) Truth About Efficiency

Paul Niedermeyer — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:26:53 +0000

Nothing like a well-run long-distance fuel economy comparison to cut through the hype and exaggerations. Edmunds took the 2010 Prius, 2010 Insight, 2009 Jetta TDI, 2010 Fusion Hybrid, and a 2009 Mini Cooper on a carefully-controlled outing from L.A. to Las Vegas and back, including back roads with steep grades through Death Valley one way; [...]

Even More Clunker Confusion: Gray Market Madness

Edward Niedermeyer — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:14:27 +0000

EPA Update Causes More Clunker Confusion

Edward Niedermeyer — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:08:32 +0000

Think your clunker gets 18 mpg combined? Plan on cashing in on the CARS clunker rebate program? You might want to double check those EPA numbers over at fueleconomy.gov. As part of the buildup to the Cash For Clunker program, the EPA undertook “quality assurance and quality control effort regarding fuel economy calculations on more [...]

Priorities

Edward Niedermeyer — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:57:07 +0000

UK Goes Eco-Driving Mad! Or Not.

Robert Farago — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:41:21 +0000