Fuel Economy

[why?]

Originally Posted by roxy1

I understand all of this. I would say that since they revised the testing criteria in 2008 the numbers are closer to reality.

the 2nd gen yaris that had been rated at 34/40 got changed to 29/36 under the new criteria. personally, I had always beaten the old highway numbers without that much effort in all my Toyotas. the post 2008 highway numbers are very easy top beat now, imo.

there are definitely some cars out where hitting the epa numbers is harder, but even in my 2012 veloster and accent I could beat the numbers without too much hassle. it is much easier to do so in the yaris, as was the case with my fiat 500.

I suppose the epa tests could be better designed to reflect drivers who keep their foot on the gas until they are 50 feet from stop signs/lights, accelerate hard out of every stop, exceed the speed limit by 10+ mph all day, don't maintain their vehicles, etc, etc...However, i don't think the current numbers are too unrealistic for drivers who don't do those things.

Have you missed all the lawsuits? Hyundai had to change the rating on almost every single one of its cars after it was sued, Honda and Ford overrated their hybrids by as much as 10 mpg, and it seems like almost every manufacturer besides Toyota has been sued.

If the tests were done in the real world and not a lab they might actually mean something. The fact the numbers are beatable doesn't mean they are accurate.