"Real World" Fuel Economy vs. EPA Estimates

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"Real World" Fuel Economy vs. EPA Estimates

We drove this 2004 Nissan Titan SE 23,000 miles for one year and recorded an average of 13.7 miles per gallon. The EPA estimated the truck would get between 18 mpg highway and 14 mpg city. | March 18, 2010 | Scott Jacobs for Edmunds

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dscordry

I bought my 04 HCH new. It now has nearly 127k miles. Many of them are highway miles. Real world mileage? Trip meter 2 was reset at about 5k. Since then, it has only bee reset once, accidentally past this summer, about 3k ago. At that point, it was reading 40.2 mpg.
I don't jack rabbit, but I drive typically other than that, including passing and at limit highway speeds. Granted, I can get better mileage at 55 rather than 65, but prefer the shorter drove times.
It is noteworthy that my mileage is "much" worse in h winter cold weather months, seldom off I'd 38 or 39 mpg on a tank. Spring returns it to my normal. It is not uncommon to get 450-500 miles on a highway trip in the summer.
Don't get that kind yourself? Maybe it is not the car that is the problem, but the Ferrari mentality behind he wheel. It is not hard to change the way one drives, but it can be done. I loved the feel of my Mustang. But the HCH is not a Mustang.

aerotus

Other significant discrepancies in gas milage are due to outside temperature, road surface conditions, and driving style/acceleration to speed. Many cars deliver good mileage when driven smoothly or at a constant speed or give very poor mileage in the cold. When the same vehicles are driven more aggressively and on cold days etc. gas mileage figures change drastically when other vehicles ...not so much.

Unfortunately the only way to get reliable information such as this is from a trusted source who owns a particular vehicle. EPA ratings in their quest to be scientific in measurement are missing the point which is to give consumers a real idea of how much gas a vehicle will require in real world driving. I believe at least two figures should be given, one for conservative driving and one for more aggressive driving or perhaps a third reflecting how a vehicle performs when temps are below zero.