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Originally posted by Tuttle
Eh I actualy drive a bluemotion diesel passat and the claimed MPG is slightly misleading.
Originally posted by JimTSpock
Hmm I know a bit about cars. Fuel is cheaper in the US than the UK. Consumers buy what they want.
You can easily google and look up fuel consumption for vehicles.
If fuel in the US was as expensive as the UK I'm sure you'd see a dramatic shift in what consumers would buy.
If I was in the UK I'd probably end up with a tiny 4 cylinder crap heap as well. If I was in the US I'd get a Corvette.
Originally posted by winterkill
All measuring devices aside, the difference between 40 mpg and 80 mpg cannot be a testing variance.
First, VW used to sell the same (or similar?) Passat as is sold in Europe here in the US. But it didn't sell very well. It was too expensive and too small in the mid-size sedan segment. So they came up with a larger version with a better price point; and of course the size effects the mileage. [Americans are not nearly so concerned with mileage as Europeans are.]
Second, the way the US' EPA calculates mileage is different than the way the European equivalent does it. "The cycle is different," he said. The driving course and rigor set in the dynamometer is different. The fuel types used are different. The EPA estimates for diesel mileage tend to be lower than reality. For example, while the EPA says the Passat is 44 mpg, the Consumer Reports number comes in at 51 mpg. "The number for the combined US cycle for the US Passat is 35 mpg, whereas the same powertrain in a European Passat gets 61.2 mpg on the Euro cycle."
Third, a US gallon (3.79 L) is less than an Imperial gallon (4.546 L).
Fourth, the US government doesn't stipulate to an automobile company what vehicles they can and cannot sell, other than setting the regulations for things like emissions, with which the manufacturers are required to comply.
Originally posted by winterkill
So You don't think big business controls what's happening in the U.S. Go to the U.K and you can buy cars running 70 mpg plus. Over here...40 mpg. Why? The U.S. government won't allow it.
Here's a quick vid from a guy who tried to buy one and what he found out.
video.staged.com...
Taxes aimed at commercial trucks mean diesel costs anywhere from 40 cents to $1 more per gallon than gasoline. Add to this the success of the Toyota Prius, and you can see why only 3% of cars in the U.S. use diesel.