Testing reveals fewer expected miles per gallon for 2008 cars and trucks

As the new 2008 cars and trucks roll into showrooms, there’s a new sticker shock. Federal fuel-mileage ratings dropped an average of 15 percent for the new vehicles compared with 2007 models. The familiar economy figures on the window stickers now show fewer expected miles per gallon for even the most gas-stingy cars.

The Mini Cooper, which used to be promoted with 32 miles per gallon in the city, now is listed at 27.
But that doesn’t mean the new cars and trucks get worse fuel mileage. The numbers actually reflect a newly revised system for how the Environmental Protection Agency tests vehicles for mileage, a change welcomed by consumers and automakers alike because they more accurately predict real-world driving.

“It could be confusing to people,” said John O’Dell, publisher of the Green Car Guide for Edmunds.com. “The cars get the same mileage, just the ratings have changed.”

Ever since the EPA mileage ratings first became part of window-sticker information in 1985, vehicle owners and service people have found the numbers to be inflated, with most drivers never getting nearly the miles per gallon presented on the stickers.

Arizona Republic