Real World MPG - smart beats Honda Hybrid!

[helidrvr]

Originally Posted by saskdiesel

My brother in law bought an 08 Civic Hybrid.
He is getting 58-60mpg Imperial on his highway/city commute.
You should take you Civic in. Somethings wrong there.

Keep in mind though that 60 mpg Imperial converts to exactly 49.96 mpg US.

[SmartCard]

Originally Posted by helidrvr

Keep in mind though that 60 mpg Imperial converts to exactly 49.96 mpg US.

that's exactly what I was going to say...back into the 40's, which is close enough to the other Honda to be covered by the "your mileage will vary" statement.

Good work smarties!

[saronian]

Originally Posted by Iceberg

Well my wife’s little blue smart has been consistently beating my new '08 Honda Civic Hybrid (HCH) in fuel economy. Our little smart has been averaging close to 45 mpg while our HCH has never bettered 43 mpg.

There are 33 Civic Hybrid driver reports on fueleconomy.gov which range between 35 - 54 MPG so your right in the middle.

[saskdiesel]

Originally Posted by helidrvr

Keep in mind though that 60 mpg Imperial converts to exactly 49.96 mpg US.

Yeah, high 40's in U.S gallons.

[Iceberg]

I've switched to Chevron or Union 76 from el cheapo Safeway gas and I'll see if that helps. I also read the article on GreenHybrid and will try some of their driving styles. It is a little bit strange to find myself constantly looking at my fuel economy bar gage and working hard to keep it above 50 mpg. You really do end up making a game out of driving to see how much better it will do. Hypermiling...no, but it can be entertaining. The only problem I have is during my morning commute I just want to get in, drive, and get to work as easily as possible. The advantage of the smart is you just get in and drive the little bugger. My wife drives the Honda the same darn way, however there are far too many video readouts in my HCH to allow me to do that....lol. Yea, I love the technology.

[SloPok]

Originally Posted by Iceberg

I've switched to Chevron or Union 76 from el cheapo Safeway gas and I'll see if that helps. .

All of the gas in our area comes from the same pipeline and the same terminal across the river from you. The only difference between Safeway and Chevron (besides price) is after the truck driver fills up with the generic gas, he then dumps in the additives that Chevron's (Techron) or Union 76's (what ever they use) or what ever brand he is hauling uses.

You might have noticed that you don't see very many tanker trucks that have Shell or Union 76 or other's logos on the trucks, just the trucking company name. This way they can haul for any station be it Safeway, Shell, Union, etc. etc. and haul gas and diesel.

When they haul diesel, all diesel is green in color out of the pipeline. If the diesel is going to be used for off road use the driver dumps in a red dye into his truck's tanks. The company that buys this diesel doesn't pay road tax on the fuel. Dump some of this into your pickup and get cought without farm plates on your truck and you're going to pay a heavy fine. It's all the same juice, all out of the same pipe. I work on Pill Hill and fuel ordering is part of my job along with DEQ and EPA rules, checks, reports and inspections.

[stevenvillatoro]

Originally Posted by Iceberg

I also read the article on GreenHybrid and will try some of their driving styles. It is a little bit strange to find myself constantly looking at my fuel economy bar gage and working hard to keep it above 50 mpg. You really do end up making a game out of driving to see how much better it will do.

Driving for fuel economiy using the HCH's instant mileage readout can become as entertaining as video gaming. You'll find that it quickly teaches you a new driving style, in such a way that you won't have to rely on the gauge to boost your mileage significantly. Use it as a great learning tool, and immerse yourself in hybrid driving technique posts to discover some very counter-intuitive and surprising techniques! You'll never drive the same way again, no matter what car you're in.

[Agent99]

Originally Posted by Broken Kid

That's interesting to hear! I'll have to tell that to my friend who keeps telling me I should have bought a hybrid. Most people (not you folks of course) forget that hybrids get worse mileage highway than city, so a smart vs. a hybrid on the highway probably will often result in the smart winning!

I have to dispute that claim. That has not been my experience. My Prius (currently 105K miles on it) has been giving me 51-53 MPG combined (mostly highway 42 mile commute one way). I do get a bit of a bump if I'm driving in the 45-50 MPH range and not a lot of starting or stopping, but stopping every other block in the city does not get better mileage than the highway. On the other hand, when there is bumper to bumper traffic, such as when it rains and everyone forgets how to drive, as others' MPG is dropping, mine is climbing, because the engine never starts.

Can't wait to get our Smart and see if my wife gets better mileage in town.