http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/calcu...Civic%20Hybrid

40 city/ 45 highway

 

Sweet, brother Noflash, that would make me a Hypermiler (maintaining higher than EPA numbers for 3,000 miles). Of course, I could also claim that I drive 100% city like some folks do and at 49.001 mpg I would be a hypermiler but I find it almost impossible for anyone to drive 100% city or 100% highway in these cars (who has a house on a Freeway anyway?).

 

I managed 50+ on the highways and cities in Florida... Why the decrease in the 08??

 

It's not the car... it's the EPA. They're revising the test procedure (for all cars) so that the numbers on the sticker are more realistic. read an article in automotive news today which said the average reduction (vs. '07) is 8%.

 

The cars did not change.
The measurement changed.

It is now measured in a way that duplicates the way most people drive.

Now instead of getting 26% better than EPA, I get 53% better than EPA

 

You meant '07 in the thread title, right? I don't think the 2008 is out yet, and the page that is linked to says 2007 Civic Hybrid. Anyways, if you look up 2006 HCH, the numbers are the same.

 

It is my understanding that the new testing procedures go into effect for all 2008 MY cars.

I can't decide if this is good or bad for hybrids. I fear only the decreases for high-fe cars will bake headlines and not that a Silverado gets 14 instead of 16 now.

Oh well.

 

At the end of the day, it is actually a more realistic calculation for the average Joe that drives a hybrid the same way he drives any other car. This is pretty much how I drive...except with a bit more awareness about what I'm doing - using the guages etc..
By the same token, every other vehicle will be judged under the same standard, hybrid and non hybrid alike. So the bar has been "lowered" evenly across the board.

Nevertheless it doesn't really change the fact that hybrids are more efficient and less polluting than regular cars, a point about which I am very pleased to own a hybrid.

 

That's about exactly in line with what I've been getting..hence my sig... Like all of us though we can improve all the numbers if we use the right techniques. I haven't really imployed those, due to the fact of LA traffic. Still happy with the 40-45 driving "normally", like I do though.

 

Question I haven't seen answered anywhere yet, though... is the EPA also switching to "how much gas was actually consumed" in their testing, instead of deriving the consumption based on 20 year old formulas using what comes out the tailpipe?