OT. GM fuel mileage overstated

for the 2016 Chevy Traverse, GMC Acadia, and the Buick Enclave. ABC News article here:

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Reply to
Dean Hoffman
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If you don't trust hidden urls, here's the original link:

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Reply to
Sarah

The auto makers do their own testing. From the article:

"All automakers do their own testing for mileage under EPA guidelines and submit figures to the agency, which does spot checks to verify the figures. In 2012, the agency found that Hyundai and Kia had overstated mileage on 13 models from 2011 through 2013 that totaled about 1.2 million vehicles. Mileage on one vehicle was overstated by six mpg."

Reply to
Dean Hoffman

Amusing in that AFAICT, most folks get BETTER mileage than the data published for their vehicles. E.g., our vehicle is ("up to") 20/29 yet we've consistently averaged better than the "20" in town -- despite the fact that the car claims our average speed to be about 19MPH (over the last 10 months).

My trip to the local library this morning clocked in at 29.7 (no "highway" driving involved)

Reply to
Don Y

According to the ScanGauge my Toyota does better than the EPA rating unless I'm running 80 mph or so.

Reply to
rbowman

We've not yet had the car "on the highway" so no idea what it will do with the chance to "cruise" (instead of the stop-n-go that we experience in town). Hard to come up with anyplace we'd want to *go* that would require any sort of serious driving! :< Might be fun to actually play with some of its toys while not having to watch for the stop sign at the next corner...

Reply to
Don Y

Where are you getting the numbers? Since you are talking a trip this morning are you using what the car is telling you? If so, it is probably wrong.

The last five cars (different brands) had the computer that gave you the mpg of a trip and since the last fill up. I've checked the old method of filling the tank and calculating. The car computer ranged from 2 to

6 mpg too high

In reality, it is very rare to really get what the official rating is. Verified over hndreds of tanks of gas on many cars.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Ours has been really close. We record the odometer reading and the gallons of fuel that the *pump* claims to have dispensed. We compare this to the total that the car reports for each tankful along with the running average. The car always reports *lower* MPG than we calculate.

E.g., car reports 190.3 miles on the last tank. (the car decides when it has been "filled"; we don't "tell it"). Car claims 20.5 MPG. Simple arithmetic suggests the actual efficiency was 21.29 MPG.

For a car that claims to get "up to" 20MPG in city driving.

Of course, if car was claiming 29 MPG for each "trip" -- then reporting an average of 20 for the tank, we would be suspicious. OTOH, when we see it report *5.8* MPG for a trip down the block (*a* block), we don't start sweating!

Perhaps you should buy a "smarter" car? :>

Our vehicle currently has ~4300 miles on it. As of the last fillup (at

4259), we'd pumped 214.402 gallons into it. That's 19.86 MPG over the life of the car.

If the manufacturer told me "up to 20 MPG" and I calculate 19.86 -- while the car claims 19 (doesn't display tenths) as its average -- I'm not going to gripe that "I'm not getting what the official rating is"!

Reply to
Don Y

In Montana it's hard to come up with anyplace to go that does not require serious driving :)

Reply to
rbowman

I go by a ScanGauge plugged into the ODB. When I fill up it is usually within a tenth of a gallon on how much will take to fill the tank and the tank mpg numbers jibe with the odometer.

Reply to
rbowman

Well, once "out of town", that's the way it would be, here (as you know).

Unfortunately, *getting* out of town is a major challenge from our location (I10 goes south and west of town; we're north and east). So, the better part of an hour to get *on* the interstate (if headed to feenigs)

OTOH, you can do 45 on many of the roads in town -- just not for very FAR (before encountering yet-another-traffic-signal). A bit over 4000 miles on the car -- at an average speed of 18 MPH (I think).

Reply to
Don Y

We have different lifestyles. Last week I took my wife out to dinner for our anniversary. I chose the restaurant. Three days, nearly two tanks of gas and 745 miles.

Next month we are joining friends for their anniversary. Three days, at least 450 miles.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Neither of us enjoy time traveling; nothing gets done beyond changing your position on the globe -- "We'll wait for it to come out on DVD..."

A "special dinner" is *me* spending the day to prepare one of her favorites -- along with suitable desserts. If she could buy it in a restaurant (or bakery), it wouldn't be special -- it would just be "yet another credit card charge".

The same is true when we are invited to friends' for a party, meal, etc. Walking in with something *purchased* is a cop-out -- a few extra minutes on the weekly shopping trip and a few extra dollars. OTOH, making something special *for* them (cheesecake, ice cream, coffee cake, biscotti, lasagna, electronic doorbell, etc.) represents an investment of *time*.

Unfortunately, a special dinner for *me* ALSO requires *me* to prepare it :<

Reply to
Don Y

We enjoy travel. Meeting people, seeing things, experiencing local customers, especially in foreign countries.

I often do the same, but again, it is the dining experience we enjoy. We went to the Culinary Institute for our 50th. This is just one of the restaurants they have

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others can be seen here
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Agree. Home made is the only way to go.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Strongly disagree!

If I was on your guest list, you'd want me to bring a professionally prepared dish. Trust me on this. ;-)

Reply to
fakeid

LOL. But then what would we talk about?

Reply to
Taxed and Spent

It looks like it's d "Fuel economy is measured under controlled conditions in a laboratory using a standardized test procedure specified by federal law. Manufacturers test their own vehicles=E2=80=94usually pre-production prototypes=E2=80=94and report the results to EPA. EPA reviews the results and confirms about 10%=E2=80=9315% of them through their own tests at the National Vehicles and Fuel Emissions Laboratory."

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Using Opera's mail client:

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Reply to
Dean Hoffman

I traveled A LOT when I was younger (work, leisure, etc.). Now, I would welcome a "transporter" (star trek). We engage lots of different people due to our "social" schedules, groups with which we are involved, etc. Not the sort of people that *I* would seek out (being far more "technical" by nature) but often interesting, nonetheless. Thankfully, I'm a "quick study" so I can usually dive into a discussion of some brand new topic/field in short order. IME, people much prefer having YOU ask them about stuff than the other way around...

If the 'experience' is waiting for someone to take your order, bring your drinks, bring you a clean piece of silverware, etc., I'm not keen on it! :> Growing up, "hospitality" was usually indicated by how willing you were to give folks access to your refrigerator. I.e., "Help yourself". (It was always forbidden to access someone *else's* refrigerator without their consent -- you waited for them to GET you what you wanted).

So, when we have folks over, everyone gravitates towards the kitchen almost magically. As if they lived here.

Many of the things that I make can't be found in stores. Or, are of much higher quality/intensity. E.g., I'll make cavatelli (a sort of "dense shell" macaroni) from scratch -- the *day* they will be served. Or, a batch of ice cream ripened just enough to be firm without being *frozen* -- in time for dessert. Or, a unique clock/timepiece. etc. So, it's not like a homemade version of something you could have bought at a local store.

(E.g., my butter pecan ice cream has 1/4 pound of butter in a 2 pint batch: "Wow! This is really buttery!")

At times, it is distressing if the host/hostess *hides* what I've brought (so THEY could have it for themselves -- after the guests have left!). But, I've learned not to fret over this as I *gave* it to them and have no right to decide how *they* "use" it.

OTOH, it can be embarassing when a guest makes a point of asking me what I brought -- knowing it would be something good. Then starts *looking* for it. Esp if they ask the host/hostess about it ("Oh, we didn't put it out; there's so much OTHER stuff here...")

Not my problem.

What's annoying is the stranger who will inevitably ask you to make some for them: "I'll pay you..." (do you really think I want to do this for a living??)

Reply to
Don Y

In my mother's circle the surest way to become a target of derision was to try to doll up a purchased item and pass it off as your own. Even a cake that originated from a box was pushing acceptability.

While my mother was a good cook, there were the inevitable failures. The family got to eat those while she tried again to produce something for public consumption.

Reply to
rbowman

I used to bake things for SWMBO to share with her fellow coworkers. One day, she tried to pass off my coffee cake as her own. And, of course, was asked for the Rx: "I'll have to bring it in to you, tomorrow".

Except, Don wasn't eager to share his secrets. Leaving her to explain why she 'forgot' to bring it in! :>

I leave notes to myself each time I make something to give me an idea of how it might improve. E.g., my biscotti Rx has changed A LOT over the years (making a batch every two weeks gives you a lot of opportunities to tweak it!). Ditto cheesecake and coffeecake, particularly.

[Ice cream is FUN to experiment with! "No such thing as a bad batch of ice cream!"]

I've noticed that, lately, far more effort is spent on perfecting the process/technique than the ingredients. E.g., my coffeecake is really difficult to determine when it's "done". It's about 4+" tall (ring) so hard to probe the interior for "doneness" (LOTS of sour cream makes it susceptible to being UNDER cooked; over cooking makes it dry -- defeating the whole purpose!).

So, my notes involve more detailed observations of times, temperatures and subjective measures ("how sticky a toothpick inserted into it comes out")

Cheesecake is 5 hours on your feet. So, the notes for that deal with ways of reducing that time. Or, breaking it up into two or more "sessions" (it's hard to set aside a 5 hour block of time for ONE task -- esp given that I don't like cheesecake! :< )

Reply to
Don Y

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