Vehicle owners, industry experts and environmentalists have long complained that the tests to determine fuel economy are flawed and that the numbers that appear on window stickers are mildly—and wildly—inaccurate. Haven’t you always been suspicious of your Uncle Frank’s bragging that his Crown Victoria gets 20 miles per gallon? Especially when you know he’s got a lead foot and drives around with 100 pounds of sand bags in the trunk for “traction.” As auto journalists here at Autobytel, we’re often left scratching our heads when our testing reveals a five to 10 mile per gallon difference between a vehicle’s official mpg figures and what we actually got on the road. Ironically, our information comes from the car’s trip computer.
