Is low. Those of us privileged enough to live above the Snowbelt (tear...) must face harsh winter driving conditions which reek havoc on fuel consumption. As we were discussing the topic at the office, we noticed that three of us, with very different vehicles, were consuming roughly the same amounts per 100 km. I decided to dig a little deeper.
The comparo fleet consists in a 2004 Volvo XC70, 2007 Mazda5 GS and a 2008 Honda Civic Si sedan. I wasn't kidding; these vehicles have next to nothing in common, not even four regular doors or the number of drive wheels.
Here are basic details on each car:
The CrossCountry straddles a force-fed 208 hp 2.5L 5-cylinder, 5-speed automatic transmission and AWD. The car is driven 5 to 6 days a week in a 55/45 mix of city and highway driving and has an indicated mileage of 115,000 km. The XC is fed premium fuel.
The Mazda5 is powered by a 153 hp 2.3L 4-cylinder with the 4-speed autobox. There are 69,000 km on the odometer. The 5 does family duty every day in a 70/30 mix of city and highway driving. This one runs on regular.
The Civic sports the high-strung 197 hp 2.0L 4-cylinder and 6-speed manual gearbox and has travelled 59,000 km. The car is driven daily in a 70/30 mix of city and highway driving. Like the Volvo, the Honda slurps on 91 octane juice.
As an auto critic, one of the things I'm called upon evaluating is fuel consumption. Over the years, it has become crystal clear that Natural Resources numbers are to be used strictly as a “guides” (the booklet is rightfully called “guide”) and no one should ever expect to attain the indicated numbers. The following is proof.
Here's what the Guide has to say about these three cars and their combined average fuel numbers (amounts obtained by factoring in our driving mix (as opposed to the Guide's 55/45) and the Guide's city and highway numbers then dividing the amount in two):
2004 Volvo: 10.89L/100 km. 2007 Mazda: 10.33L/100 km. 2008 Honda: 9.18L/100 km.
According to this data, the XC70 should chug 20% more black gold than the Civic and about 5% more than the Mazda. Here's what our mixed driving personal experiences have divulged:
2004 Volvo: 13.5L/100 km. 2007 Mazda: 12.75L/100 km. 2008 Honda: 12.25L/100 km.
Quite the divergence!
First realization is that the Volvo consumes only 6% more than the Mazda5 and 10% more than the Civic. This essentially all comes down to highway driving which is a God-send on average fuel numbers.
The other actualization is that these cars are a whole Hell of a lot thirstier than the guide says. Precisely, the Volvo gulps 24% more, the Mazda, 23% more and the Honda, a whopping 33% more!
As a final thought, when preparing your monthly budget when buying a new car, you should factor in an extra 25% for gas over what you'll find indicated on the window sticker...
Discuss.
The comparo fleet consists in a 2004 Volvo XC70, 2007 Mazda5 GS and a 2008 Honda Civic Si sedan. I wasn't kidding; these vehicles have next to nothing in common, not even four regular doors or the number of drive wheels.
Here are basic details on each car:
The CrossCountry straddles a force-fed 208 hp 2.5L 5-cylinder, 5-speed automatic transmission and AWD. The car is driven 5 to 6 days a week in a 55/45 mix of city and highway driving and has an indicated mileage of 115,000 km. The XC is fed premium fuel.
The Mazda5 is powered by a 153 hp 2.3L 4-cylinder with the 4-speed autobox. There are 69,000 km on the odometer. The 5 does family duty every day in a 70/30 mix of city and highway driving. This one runs on regular.
The Civic sports the high-strung 197 hp 2.0L 4-cylinder and 6-speed manual gearbox and has travelled 59,000 km. The car is driven daily in a 70/30 mix of city and highway driving. Like the Volvo, the Honda slurps on 91 octane juice.
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As an auto critic, one of the things I'm called upon evaluating is fuel consumption. Over the years, it has become crystal clear that Natural Resources numbers are to be used strictly as a “guides” (the booklet is rightfully called “guide”) and no one should ever expect to attain the indicated numbers. The following is proof.
Here's what the Guide has to say about these three cars and their combined average fuel numbers (amounts obtained by factoring in our driving mix (as opposed to the Guide's 55/45) and the Guide's city and highway numbers then dividing the amount in two):
2004 Volvo: 10.89L/100 km. 2007 Mazda: 10.33L/100 km. 2008 Honda: 9.18L/100 km.
According to this data, the XC70 should chug 20% more black gold than the Civic and about 5% more than the Mazda. Here's what our mixed driving personal experiences have divulged:
2004 Volvo: 13.5L/100 km. 2007 Mazda: 12.75L/100 km. 2008 Honda: 12.25L/100 km.
Quite the divergence!
First realization is that the Volvo consumes only 6% more than the Mazda5 and 10% more than the Civic. This essentially all comes down to highway driving which is a God-send on average fuel numbers.
The other actualization is that these cars are a whole Hell of a lot thirstier than the guide says. Precisely, the Volvo gulps 24% more, the Mazda, 23% more and the Honda, a whopping 33% more!
As a final thought, when preparing your monthly budget when buying a new car, you should factor in an extra 25% for gas over what you'll find indicated on the window sticker...
Discuss.