http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/02/pf/autos/epa/index.htm

I get close... most times under... but its winter... I'm hoping it gets better in the summer

Good find! Very interesting article. :)

So far, I've averaged 31.3 mpg. All city, no interstate. I just installed an Injen intake, so we'll see if/how the milage changes.

Thanks again for the article!

i've always been wondering why i havent been getting the correct mpg that they std i should be getting....very interest find.

Great Find! Based on that, the mileage I am getting is dead on.

good info

With a HP/weight ratio almost identical to the Xb, I find it interesting that the Mini Cooper is getting a lot of the same complaints regarding EPA mileage.

http://www.motoringfile.com/2004/10/15/mini_named_most_efficient_in_class


Tends to confirm the article you mentioned.

I get 25 mpg, on average. But, I drive 80mph on my daily commute. :lalala:

So far so good.

1st tank: 34.5 mpg in mostly highway condition, 55-70 mph.


knock on wood.

Man somepeople get the good mpg cars i got the higher hp car. oh well.

i was reading here that ppl were averaging about 31+, then i was like what the hell I'm only gettin 23 in my tC, then I realized i was in the xB forums... :eyebrow:

To everyone complaining about the morale and attidue on the site going downhill, i must say a big thank you to Chimy3 for posting the link. It was very informative and a help. More people need to follow in his example and make this site better for all users. Once again, thanks Chimmy3, now i know why i get about 25-30mpg and i dont feel bad about it now.

35*.85=~30MPG Well, there you have it.

So then this begs another question to be asked. Why has fuel efficiency gone down so much over the last 10-15 years?

I had a '87 nova with a 1.6L that got 42MPG (well over EPA). A '95 Contour 2.0L that got 36MPG (again, well over EPA, heavier car and more HP). 1997 Safari, I got exactly EPA on that.

I personally think they are trying to get too much out of too little displacement wise and it's adversely effecting mileage. A little bigger engine that can more easily achieve higher HP and esp Torque numbers would move the box with less strain/revs. I dunno. I'm willing to have them shoehorn a big engine in mine if they'd like to test my theory ;-)

I just did my second fill up at the 444 mile mark and I calculated that I'm getting 25.8 mpg (100% city driving, stop and go). I see posts on here that this increases during the first couple of thousand miles for the "break in period". We'll see. :nails:

35*.85=~30MPG Well, there you have it.

So then this begs another question to be asked. Why has fuel efficiency gone down so much over the last 10-15 years?


Because Americans are obsessed with horsepower and big SUVs. Every time a little advancement is made in fuel economy, they use it to make more powerful engines. They eliminate the 4 cylinder optional engines, or make them so hard to get or unappealing that nearly everyone opts for the 6.

Meanwhile in Europe they have high performance diesels that rival gas cars for performance, outclass them in torque and longevity and get 30-50 mpg.

Instead we get a handful of hybrids, none of which can come close to living up to their claimed MPG (my Jetta TDI regularly exceeded the EPA estimate of 49 mpg)

It's a function of our culture. Bigger, better, faster, more.

Until the government gets serious about fuel economy and the environment (chance of that under a Republican administration = ZERO) nothing will change.

Very few Americans care about driving a vehicle that is socially responsible, only way you are going to compel the SUV driving idiots into fuel thrifty wagons is by raising the price of gasoline $1+ a gallon. I'm all for that if it means less a$$holes in SUVs on the roads.

35*.85=~30MPG Well, there you have it.

So then this begs another question to be asked. Why has fuel efficiency gone down so much over the last 10-15 years?


Because Americans are obsessed with horsepower and big SUVs. Every time a little advancement is made in fuel economy, they use it to make more powerful engines. They eliminate the 4 cylinder optional engines, or make them so hard to get or unappealing that nearly everyone opts for the 6.

Meanwhile in Europe they have high performance diesels that rival gas cars for performance, outclass them in torque and longevity and get 30-50 mpg.

Instead we get a handful of hybrids, none of which can come close to living up to their claimed MPG (my Jetta TDI regularly exceeded the EPA estimate of 49 mpg)

It's a function of our culture. Bigger, better, faster, more.

Until the government gets serious about fuel economy and the environment (chance of that under a Republican administration = ZERO) nothing will change.

Very few Americans care about driving a vehicle that is socially responsible, only way you are going to compel the SUV driving idiots into fuel thrifty wagons is by raising the price of gasoline $1+ a gallon. I'm all for that if it means less a$$holes in SUVs on the roads.

Rion, you seem to have some insight. I agree with your post. Don't worry, you may get your wish soon. I'm seeing articles that the fuel price might hit $3.00 this summer. Then our boxxes will look alot nicer to people!!

With all the men and women dying in Iraq, the only socially responsible thing to do would be to drive a fuel efficient car. But as you say, under a Republican administration, it won't change. As long as we drive a economy car (the xB), we are better Americans than someone who drives a Hummer.

has anyone tried putting that tornado thing into their intake i have heard great things about it in other cars! I geuss it works wonders and only costs roughly 75 bucks

I have the tornado thingy in my car. My brother wanted me to try it. I didn't notice anything change when it was put in, but I left it in anyways.

ohhh. so that's why i keep on getting around 26 MPG.

really??? no change what so ever? thats odd so far everyone has seen results with other cars! Anybody else have this?

hey ya'll,

there have been stories ALL week on the local news here in Chicago stating that the testing for fuel mileage is out of date and the numbers are usually false in real life driving.

I get 27-29 now, but with it being winter I let my baby warm up, plus i likes a warm car too, so I know i'm wasting gas. And, my driving style is a little quick so I burn gas that way too.

But, seeing that I was used to 22 - 25 with previous vehicles this is right on the money and I know it'll get better in the summer as it doesn't get so hot you really need the a/c on much of the time.

has anyone tried putting that tornado thing into their intake i have heard great things about it in other cars! I geuss it works wonders and only costs roughly 75 bucks

umm I can't really speak to it personally, but i've heard before it really does nothing. In fact it might even restrict air flow. I think they were sued a while back for making false claims.. I"ll try to see if I can find the article again

here you go... there's one...

http://autorepair.about.com/cs/productreviews/fr/aafpr052002.htm

"The mileage test was done with the mileage from three tank full's of gas and averaging them out. The same tests were done after the Tornados were installed. Fuel mileage on the Chevy Pick up increased by .2 mpg and the Lincoln Town Car increased by .1 mpg. The mileage on the S-10 decreased by .4 mpg. So much for the fuel mileage increase.

All three drivers said they felt an increase in power after installing the Tornados. I put them back on the Dynamometer to see how much the power increased. We got the same horsepower readings on all three cars, no increase in horsepower. I asked the drivers why they said their cars had more power and they all said, "Well, it felt like it had more power."

As with the other two tests, there was no reduction in the exhaust emissions of any of the test vehicles."

here some other user reviews from Urateit.com:

"I found absolutely NO increase in mileage - city or highway. I even installed, reinstalled (thinking perhaps it was seated in the air intake hose wrong) and tested for months...NO difference or increase. Waste of $"

"I purchased a tornado fuel saving device over the Internet from Hot Spot Enterprises of Tujunga, California. It had a 30-day money-back guarantee. I installed it in my car soon after receiving it in the mail. I drove my car for three weeks after it was installed and filled the gas tank three times during that trail period. My gas mileage actually went down. I got two miles per gallon less with the tornado installed. I checked it to see if it was installed correctly but it was. I then removed it from my car. I checked the gas mileage at the next fill up and my mileage was back to normal. I quickly packaged the device and returned it in the same box to the return address on the box within 30 days from the time I received it. I than contacted “Hot Spot Enterprises” by E-Mail and informed them that I had returned the tornado and that I wanted my money back. I also called the company to report my experience with the tornado. I got an answering machine, but someone did call me back five days later. He told me to send the tornado back for a refund. I explained that I did sent it back to which the caller told me my money would be refunded. It has been over six weeks now since I returned the device. I have written several E-Mails to the company, but I have had no money returned. I received two replies to my inquiries claiming that they have not seen the returned tornado yet. I believe that the company just does not want to return my money. They are stalling, hoping I will give up. I think they have not intention of returning my money. They probably already resold the returned tornado to some other unsuspecting person."

"I bought one of the Tornadoes two years ago. The posotive results were a smoother running engine and slightly better acceleration. Gas mileage has stayed the same or even slightly reduced.

Calling all things even, I would say that I like the smoother idle at stops. Was it worth $70.? That is up to the buyer. I was disappointed that I did not show any increase in gas mileage. No money saved here."

that last one was the most positive of ANY review i've ever read. Don't trust people who just installed and butt dyno'ed it.. as the about.com review showed. And lately I've been translating "smoother idle" into "I'm trying to feel better about my purchase"...

Also I don't believe the tornado thing is compatible with aftermarket intakes anyway.. so you are better off just saving up to get a REAL intake system. Or going low and spend 30-40 bucks on a high flow filter... (though how well they work is another question)... but I'm more inclined to trust K&N and TRD than Tornado...