In every industry each business that has a competitor tries hard to gain an advantage over the others in their industry. The automotive world is one of the most competitive industries in the world and the need to state the numbers that show how efficient a vehicle is has become one of the most significant items on the list for us as consumers. Imagine then if you purchased a vehicle because it’s supposed to be fuel efficient only to find out this vehicle isn’t nearly as efficient as you would have expected. This would be disheartening and frustrating for you.
Recently we learned that Mitsubishi has been falsifying their fuel mileage numbers for nearly 25 years. This long time scandal was uncovered when Nissan performed tests on a vehicle they partnered with Mitsubishi on to build. Because of this scandal and the decline of the Mitsubishi name Nissan was able to purchase a controlling interest in Mitsubishi Motors and will work to ensure all vehicles offer the correct numbers when it comes to fuel mileage in the future. This isn’t the only issue we’ve seen with fuel mileage recently.
GM had to recall the stickers and change them on a large number of SUVs that had false information on them. Thankfully in this case the number was only off by one or two mpg but it was enough to cause some news and create an air of distrust to consumers. Many consumers were offered some form of restitution from GM because of this error. Other brands that have had false information when it comes to fuel mileage have been Hyundai, Kia and Ford to join the mix of companies that have tried to gain an edge, even though it wasn’t in the right way for them to do business.
Because of the number of brands that have had this problem the EPA has changed its testing procedures and starting in 2017 vehicles will be tested a bit differently. These changes were outlined in a letter that went out to all manufacturers in February of 2015. The tests that are being changed have to do with the coastdown procedure. This is a procedure that allows the vehicle to decelerate in neutral and have the speed measured at different points in the testing time. This information allows a manufactures to measure the road-load force and translate that into the mechanical and aerodynamic drag forces that are acting upon the vehicle.
The purpose of the letter was to help ensure vehicles that are used in the road-load force testing are as similar to the vehicles on the road as possible. This letter specified items such as the tire wear that must be present which is set at a minimum of 4,000 miles worth of wear on them. This letter also indicated the warmup procedures that are to be adhered to before the testing is allowed to take place.
Another issue that was covered in the letter which makes a huge difference in the overall rating of the fuel mileage of vehicles is the aerodynamic drag. The rule is that if equipment that adds drag to the car is on more than 33 percent of the lineup it must be on the test car. On the other hand, if the aerodynamic equipment is meant to reduce drag that item must be present on more than 67 percent of the lineup before it will be allowed in the testing. This testing will cause some vehicles to be tested and result in a higher EPA fuel mileage number than before.
We’ve already seen evidence of these tests and the results they bring. For the 2017 model year the Acura ILX, Toyota Camry, and Kia Rio are all showing a reduction of one mpg worth of highway fuel efficiency. The Camry dropped one on the combined rating and the Mazda CX-3, Chevrolet Equinox AWD and Ram Promaster City all showed a reduction of one mpg on the highway. As you can see this testing isn’t reducing the numbers significantly, but it is making them more accurate, which is what we want and need when we purchase any new vehicle.
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