Road Reality » EPA

Luxury, Sport … and Fuel Economy? The Lexus CT 200h

John Suit — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 14:00:53 +0000

At the 2010 Geneva Auto Show, Lexus introduced us to the CT 200h. Production has been announced, and the new sporty luxury hybrid should be available later this year or early next year, although a specific production date has yet to be announced. The CT 200h is an odd choice for a company known for smooth, comfortable rides and no-fuss driving experiences. Read on for more details and the usual high-resolution pictures.

Its new hybrid is supposed to combine parent company Toyota’s hybrid drivetrain with Lexus’s build quality, with a healthy dose of “sporty” mixed in. While the power is far below that of the IS 350 or IS F, special suspension parts have been designed to give drivers more of an ES 350 experience, in a smaller and far more fuel efficient package.

In true Lexus fashion, all the latest safety features are included or optional, from traction control to regenerative brakes (which recharge the on-board batteries when the car’s brakes are being used) to dynamic vehicle control and a plethora of airbags.

With a combined EPA estimated 42 mpg, expect Toyota Prius fuel consumption, but in a much nicer package. This new car, while seemingly pitted against the same-sized but much cheaper Honda CRZ, looks to me like it will cannibalize sales of the new-for-2010 HS 250h, as they look to be very similar, at least on paper. Size is the big difference here, as Lexus is listing the 200h as a “premium compact.”

Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but when Lexus releases a production date, prices should be included, so look for more updates as this car gets closer to coming to market.

by John Suit

Source: Lexus

2011 Lincoln MKX: EPA Certification

John Suit — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:00:08 +0000

This week, the EPA gave Ford the results from its fuel economy tests on the new 2011 Lincoln MKX, and the numbers are great for a crossover of its size: 19/26 city/highway, with a combined 21 mpg. That’s for the front-wheel drive (FWD) model, so expect the all-wheel drive (AWD) model to get 17/24 city/highway, and 20 mpg combined.

The new numbers are up from the 2010 model’s 17/24 in front-wheel drive and 15/22 for all-wheel drive. Along with increased fuel economy is more power. The reason for these upticks? The new version of Ford’s 3.7-liter V6, one of the highlights of the 2011 Ford Mustang V6. The new version uses the latest in engine technology to deliver more power without sacrificing fuel economy. The 2011 MKX gets the same horsepower and torque figures as the new Mustang, at 305 horsepower and 280 torque.

The new fuel-sipping technologies include fuel shutoff, which stops the delivery of fuel to the engine when it’s not needed. Typical scenarios where the fuel shutoff is used is when the vehicle is coasting or the brakes are being applied. All together, the 2011 MKX will best its competitors in both power and fuel economy.

I’ve reported on the 2011 MKX before, click here for more pictures.

by John Suit

Source: Ford

Pricing for 2011 Honda CR-Z Announced!

John Suit — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:03:15 +0000

Today, Honda has announced the pricing for its upcoming 2011 CR-Z. The new hybrid from Honda is supposed to bridge the gap between hybrid fuel economy and sportiness. From the performance figures I’ve seen, it’s leaning more towards fuel economy, but the inclusion of a manual transmission bodes well for the CR-Z. Standard features include automatic climate control and USB input for the stereo, with the upmarket EX trim level including things like a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a beefed-up stereo. GPS navigation will be an optional feature as well. Click past the jump for pricing, EPA mileages, and a gallery of high-resolution pictures of the CR-Z.

The fact that Honda is giving buyers things like automatic climate control, with the option of satellite navigation and BlueTooth audio, among other amenities, places this car in the new “inexpensive but well-equipped” class, where newcomers such as the Ford Fiesta are aiming. Looking closer, the price discrepancy between equally-optioned Fiesta and CR-Z is a few thousand dollars, meaning that perhaps those shopping for inexpensive might overlook the CR-Z.

Given all this, who is the likely buyer of the CR-Z? I’m guessing that it’ll be someone who is fuel economy-conscious, but also price-conscious, as the CR-Z comes in cheaper than a Toyota Prius, the current top-selling hybrid in the US. It’s also cheaper than its bigger, less sporty cousin, the Honda Insight.

The biggest problem I have with the CR-Z is that there a lot of cars getting as good or better gas mileage already, and at a lower price point. I, for instance, owned a 2008 Honda Civic sedan, equipped with the 5-speed manual transmission. I was getting close to 34mpg in the city, and around 38mpg on the highway, without concentrating on getting optimal fuel mileage.

See the below chart for Honda’s price structure and the EPA’s fuel mileage results:

			EPA³ MPG
Model	Transmission	MSRP¹	City/Hwy/Combined

CR-Z	6-Speed Manual	$19,200	31/37/34

CR-Z	CVT	$19,850	35/39/37

CR-Z EX	6-Speed Manual	$20,760	31/37/34

CR-Z EX	CVT	$21,410	35/39/37

CR-Z EX with Navi	6-Speed Manual	$22,560	31/37/34

CR-Z EX with Navi	CVT	$23,210	35/39/37

by John Suit

Source: Honda

Certified: 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid Gas Mileage

John Suit — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:31:36 +0000

I’ve written about the upcoming 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid before, and even speculated on its gas mileage. Now it’s official! The EPA has run the new luxury hybrid through its paces, and certified it at 41/36 mpg city/highway. Those numbers match the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, its Ford-branded sister car.

While all Fusions and MKZs share the same underpinnings, the MKZ has had a nicer interior and quieter ride from the start, not to mention a bigger engine and available all-wheel drive. It’s a smart move for Ford to hybrid-ize its entry-level luxury car, because now they have a rival to Lexus’ HS250h, and even beat it as far as fuel economy is concerned.

The MKZ Hybrid will use Ford’s SYNC and SmartGauge, which shows drivers how economical their driving is through intuitive graphic displays, as well as the Lincoln-standard Bridge of Weir leather and genuine wood trim.

Being bigger, more powerful, and having more standard features than the Lexus it competes with should be a big hit with consumers who are looking for a more luxurious Fusion hybrid, and even some of those who shop Lexus’ hybrid offerings.

by John Suit

Source: Ford

Ford Fiesta: 40MPG Highway, 29MPG City

John Suit — Mon, 17 May 2010 13:53:12 +0000

Well, I’ve said a few things about the upcoming Ford Fiesta before, but now the EPA has given it the official fuel economy workout, and the results are impressive: 29 MPG in the city, and 40 MPG on the highway. After getting their new 2011 Mustang V6 a rating of 19/31 city/highway, Ford is on a roll with its new small car. The fuel economy numbers for the Fiesta are well above the average car, bordering on diesel and hybrid levels of fuel thriftiness. Mind you, this is for Fiestas equipped with the optional automatic transmission. The Fiestas rivals, namely the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris, get 5 and 4 less mpg on the highway, respectively. The Fiesta will go on sale this summer, and looks to be a hot seller in the compact car arena.

by John Suit

Source: Ford

Update: 2011 Mustang V6 gets 31MPG, sets record

John Suit — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:00:05 +0000

Not in the history of automobiles has a manufacturer created a car that produces 300+ horsepower and gets 30+ MPG. Well, we can’t say that any more. The 2011 Mustang V6 was recently tested by the EPA and found to get 31 MPG highway when equipped with an automatic transmission, 29 MPG when equipped with the 6-speed manual transmission. The city MPG for both transmissions is 19.

The reasons Ford is able to squeeze so much horsepower out of the new V6 engine and still get 30+ MPG is three-fold. Aerodynamics, transmission setup, Electric Power Assist Steering.

The 2011 Mustang has a slightly redesigned front end and special bits designed to improve its ability to slice through the wind, which means less drag, which leads to less resistance when the car’s engine has to push it through the air. While this doesn’t make a huge difference when the car is going slow, as speed picks up, the car would have to work harder and harder to push through the air around it.

The automatic transmission’s gears are set up in such a way to maximize acceleration at lower speeds, followed by far superior fuel economy at highway speeds. That’s why the car gets only 19 MPG in the city, and such a high number on the highway. The manual transmission that can be fitted to the car has the same number of gears, but they are presumably set up for quicker acceleration, which could be the cause of the highway mileage number being lower.

Lastly, the Electric Power Assist Steering, or EPAS. This technology, which is becoming more mainstream each model year, replaces the old hydraulic power steering pumps with new electric motors. Hydraulic pumps are run from the car’s engine, meaning that as the engine turns, the power steering pump uses some of that energy to run itself. This leads to a parasitic loss because of the steering pump. With EPAS, the car’s electrical system runs the power steering pump, so a slight bump in use of the car’s alternator gives all the power steering boost you’d need to control the car’s direction. Since the car’s engine no longer has to run the power steering pump directly, more of its power can be used to motivate the car, which leads to better fuel efficiency.

Ford is currently taking orders for the new Mustang, and has received about 11,000 of them so far. About half of those orders are for the new V6. Traditionally, about 2/3 of new Mustangs sold each year are of the V6 variety, so it will be interesting to see what a 300+ horsepower V6 Mustang does to change that. Once Mustangs are hitting showroom floors, you can expect a review right here on Road Reality.

by John Suit

Source: Ford