Busting the 40-MPG Myth: Only Hybrids Really Reach 40
In recent months, a handful of small gas cars like the Chevy Cruze Eco, Ford Fiesta, and Hyundai Elantra have hit the market as affordable alternatives for drivers seeking hybrid-like fuel economy without the hybrid price premium. Advertisements from Ford, Chevy, and Hyundai have proudly attached the “40 MPG” badge-of-honor to these models in campaigns that are often geared especially to reach a younger, more urban driving demographic. In truth though, there are currently absolutely zero gasoline-only vehicles available in the United States offering EPA-rated combined fuel economy reaching 40 mpg.
So are the carmakers lying? Not really, but the discrepancy between the numbers seen in the ads and the real-world efficiency of those small gas-powered cars reveals that some auto companies are only telling a half-truth.
If you look closely, the 40-mpg claims made in commercials for cars like the Cruze Eco and Ford Fiesta, refer only to highway driving—which is far less taxing on gas cars than the city. The full truth is that the Chevy Cruze Eco for instance, gets 42 mpg on the highway but just 28 mpg in the city, for a combined rating of 33 mpg.
For a number of reasons—such as the use of electric power for low-speed driving and the use of regenerative braking to recapture energy lost while coming to a stop—most hybrids achieve better efficiency in the city than they do on the open road. The Toyota Prius for example, gets a 51 mpg / 48 mpg split, for a combined rating of 50 mpg. Another example: The Honda Civic Hybrid, without waving a banner of some kind of breakthrough, gets 43 mpg on the highway, and 40 in the city.
With more than 80 percent of the U.S. population residing in cities or suburbs, most drivers find that the real-world efficiency of their car more closely resembles its city and/or its combined ratings than its highway number. And as gas prices rise, that difference is becoming significantly more valuable.
Exclusive Interview: Honda Plots Its Green Car Roadmap
A hybrid badge will be applied to an expanding portfolio of Honda cars.
Despite its investment in hybrids, electric cars, fuel cell vehicles and the compressed natural gas Civic GX, Honda has earned a reputation for a string of green car missteps. The Accord Hybrid flopped; the redesigned Honda Insight didn’t go mainstream; and the Honda CR-Z coupe’s sporty-efficient combination was panned by auto critics.
Yet, the company is tenacious—taking a hard study of each shortcoming, and applying those lessons to new and improved green strategies. We spoke with William Walton, manager of product planning for Honda’s lineup of cars from Fit to Accord, to see if Honda might have finally set out on the right course.
1Mild Hybrids for Small Cars—at Right Price
Honda’s hybrid system has been criticized because it’s a mild form of gas-electric technology that uses electricity to assist the gas engine, rather than to power the wheels on its own. According to Walton, the ability of that same system—known as Integrated Motor Assist (IMA)—to significantly boost MPG at a relatively low cost makes it perfectly matched to small cars. “A lot of people are accepting of hybrids,” said Walton. “But do they put the money down when it’s time to purchase? That’s a whole another subject.”
Finding the right combination of cost and hybrid benefit is about applying the right kind of hybrid technology to the right vehicles and to a specific type of customer, according to Walton. He likes the three models in Honda’s current small hybrid portfolio: the Insight for the environmentalist; the Civic Hybrid for the more mainstream buyer; and the CR-Z for buyers looking for a sportier ride. “We’re not one size fits all. We have different characters for different types of consumers.” The Insight and CR-Z both start under $20,000.