Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel estimates are out for BMW‘s new line of 3-Series cars and it looks like they’ve caught the competition with their pants down.

The 2012 328i scores an impressive 24 mpg city and 36 mpg highway, that’s a 28 percent improvement in fuel consumption over last year’s model. What’s even better is that the 328i actually gets more power than the model it replaced for a total of 240 horsepower compared to last year’s 230. The 300-horsepower 335i doesn’t get a boost in oomph but as you may expect, is less thirsty in 2012. In fact, the automatic-equipped version is downright efficient, bragging 23 mpg city and 33 highway.

Though it might seem like it, these jumps don’t happen overnight, or by some magic gasoline fairy waving a wand. BMW achieved such impressive improvements in the 328i through cleverly engineered turbocharging and by lobbing a whole liter off of last year’s engine. That’s right, there’s a 2.0-liter inline four where there used to be a 3.0-liter six cylinder.

So what of the competition? The Mercedes-Benz C 250 has 39 fewer ponies than the 328i and only gets 21 and 31 mpg in the city and highway despite having a 1.8-liter engine. Audi‘s A4 uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged powerplant and also only gets 22 mpg city and 30 on the highway when equipped with their gas-saving continuously variable transmission, not to mention falling 29 horsepower short.

The jig is up for this model year, but it should be interesting to watch Audi and Mercedes-Benz respond to their Bavarian neighbor’s conservative consumption. Perhaps this is why BMW remains the top dog in the bratwurst pile.

Just when we thought absolutely nothing negative about Hyundai could hit the press, this happens. A group called Consumer Watchdog has requested that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) investigate Hyundai’s MPG claim on their popular Elantra model.

Hyundai states that the Elantra can get 29-mpg city, 40-mpg highway with a 33-mpg average, but Consumer Watchdog is claiming that the vehicle’s real-world MPG average is more in the mid-20s. Reports are coming in from Elantra owners all over that they’re having a very difficult time achieving any MPG-average in the 30s, with even USA Today tech writer Jefferson Graham reporting that he only average a disappointing 22-mpg.

Hit the jump to read the press release

Continue Reading…

Behold, the new bar for fuel economy: 126 highway miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe). Which car is championing these figures? The Mitsubishi i electric vehicle.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Fuel Economy Guide ranked the Mitsubishi i electric vehicle at the top for fuel consumption. The competing Nissan Leaf stacks up 13 MPGe lower at a still impressive 99  MPGe. The Mitsubishi i beats the Leaf in city and highway fuel economy, making it the most efficient car on the road.

Yoichi Yokozawa, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) said the company was pleased to be rated at the top of the EPA’s Fuel Economy guide.

“With 17,000 i-MiEV-based units produced for various international markets, we look forward to providing North American consumers with an exceptionally well-engineered electric vehicle that has proven itself to be reliable, safe, efficient and very affordable in overall price and cost of operation,” he said.

The Annual Fuel Guide, published in cooperation by the EPA and  Department of Energy, offers consumers information far beyond what appears on a car’s window sticker. They also offer advice on how to improve fuel efficiency.

The Mitsubishi i isn’t available at the moment, but MMNA expects to start releasing them in North America late this month.

An updated U.S fuel economy label was unveiled today aimed at reducing gasoline consumption and exhaust emissions. These new stickers will be required on all 2013 models, allowing consumers to quickly glance at fuel consumption.

The sticker will also display estimates of fuel or electricity required to drive 100 miles as well as time needed to charge a plug-in vehicle such as the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf.

Lisa Jackson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), says the reason for the redesigned labels is to give consumers, “the best possible information about which cars on the lot offer the greatest fuel economy and the best environmental performance.” The EPA developed the updated labels with assistance from the Department of Transportation.

Check out the video after the jump!

Continue Reading…

Mercedes has a new, technologically-advanced series of gasoline engines, capable of running on a “lean-burn” mode that both reduces emissions and increases fuel efficiency—but they’re not coming to America because the gasoline here isn’t clean enough for the Silver Arrow’s refined tastes.

The problem is that American gasoline contains too much sulfur—as much as 80-95 parts per million across the country. Mercedes needs a sulfur content of less than 50ppm to function correctly, due to the leaner fuel-to-air ratios that allow them to run more efficiently than conventional gasoline engines. The extra quantities of sulfur would overwhelm the trap that captures oxides of nitrogen from the exhaust stream. With the lean-burn combustion cycle, fuel efficiency increases 10%.

Mercedes has fared better with their low-sulfur diesel engines, as U.S. regulations have limited sulfur content in diesel to 15ppm. But in Europe, gasoline sulfur content has been regulated to “almost zero,” according to Mercedes engineers. The EPA is currently evaluating the impact of lower-sulfur gasoline. Sulfur by itself does not actively impact fuel economy.

Mercedes will still sell the four- and six-cylinder engines in America, but simply without the lean-burn capabilities. One of these engines, called BlueDirect in the U.S., is the direct-injection 3.5-liter V6 which will make it across the 2012 C-Class, E-Class, M-Class, and SLK. It still gets a commendable 21-mpg with 302 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque. The C-Class also gets a new 1.8-liter four-cylinder that also has direct injection but features turbocharged fury: at 201 horsepower and 229 lb-ft of torque, and 24-mpg.

Lastly, Mercedes is equipping the CL-Class with yet another direct-injection powerhouse, this time a V8: with an MPG rating of 15/23, the twin-turbo 4.6-liter eliminates the gas guzzler tax for the CL550, while producing 429 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque.

But take heart, Americans: our gasoline may be filthy compared to the fine, floral bouquets of the Continent, but it’s not just an American issue: Mercedes won’t be able to sell these engines with lean-burning cycles in markets in Asia and Africa. Ideally, the engineers at Mercedes would like to see a global standard for sulfur, so we won’t feel like we’re not worthy of Mercedes’ gasoline snobbery.

[Source: Ward's Auto]

Those of you buying or selling a used car now have another weapon at your disposal during your hunt for the perfect clunker. The EPA is offering window stickers for a all kinds of used cars that give estimates of a vehicle’s fuel economy, so buyers and sellers can advertise (or obfuscate) how much gasoline their car consumes.

The figures are based on revised EPA ratings, which came into effect in 2008. The window stickers also come with a QR code (that strange looking bit of black and white squares) so you can scan it with a smartphone and get details digitally. The new figures are supposed to accurately reflect a vehicle’s true fuel economy, and we experimented with a 1997 Mazda Miata, which was at one point rated at 18/25mpg for city and highway driving. The new figures show 20/26 mpg, a slight bump in both areas, but still relatively poor for such a small 4-cylinder vehicle. For comparison, a 2011 model gets 21/28 mpg on the highway. You can satiate your own curiosity here, and find out what kind of rating your own vehicle will get. Be sure to let us known in the comments.

[Source: Fueleconomy.gov]

A House of Representatives committee introduced a bill that would stop the EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles from the year 2015 onwards, a key part of a national fuel economy program that is actually favored by many automakers.

While the bill was supposedly passed in the interest of keeping vehicle prices low for consumers, automakers have previously backed a single unified fuel economy system, rather than various state-by-state regulations. The automakers have not commented on the bill, introduced by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), but reiterated their support for a national program. Upton’s bill would leave NHTSA as the sole federal agency that was responsible for the program.

[Source: Automotive News]

In what might be the most perverse story of the day, the New York Times is reporting that the Environmental Protection Agency is classifying the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe as a compact car, due to their standards for classifying vehicles, which measure interior volume.

The same regulation has the Aston Martin DBS classified as a “minicompact” alongside the MINI Cooper, while the Nissan Versa, Hyundai Elantra and Toyota Prius are technically “midsize” cars. Considering that the Phantom Coupe is the size of an 18-wheeler, and drinks fuel like Lindsay Lohan after arguing with her parents, we’re a little mystified that the EPA maintains such cockamamie regulations.

[Source: New York Times]

With automakers currently struggling to meet the 35-mpg Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards set in place for 2016, the thought of a 62-mpg CAFE number for 2025 is unimaginable by many. That 62-mpg number, the result of a proposed 3 to 6 percent increase in fleet fuel economy starting in 2017, has just been delayed.

Yesterday the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said any further decisions about the 2017 to 2025 goals would be put on hold until September of 2011, citing the need for further study.

One major consideration is that in the fight to increase fuel economy, one of the best ways is to reduce vehicle weight. While advantageous in certain respects, it may also have a negative effect on vehicle safety.

Part of a larger plan by the Obama Administration, the added cost to each vehicle required to achieve these numbers could range from $770 to $3,500 – a number that has been contested by opponents. Proponents of the plan say the up-front cost added to cars would result in cost savings for consumers who would save between $5,700 to $7,400 in fuel costs over a four year period.

Automakers, which had previously been open to increasingly strict fuel economy rules, have now changed their tune, believing they have a more sympathetic ear with Republicans, who are beginning to take over power in the House.

Of note, it’s important to point out that CAFE and EPA fuel economy ratings are not the same and that a 62-mpg CAFE number, is more like 43-mpg in the real world. While more realistic, the only cars on the market that currently achieve such high fuel economy numbers are the Chevy Volt and Toyota Prius.

[Source: The Detroit News]