Since the federal government began estimating the fuel economy of new vehicles 33 years ago, it's been careful to note that actual mileage may vary.
And how, say motorists who don't get the mileage that appears on the window sticker.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hopes to curb such complaints in early December when it announces new rules for calculating its estimates. They'll be rolled out beginning on 2008 model year cars.
Though the new procedures are expected to reduce the estimates from 5 percent to 25 percent, the agency's boilerplate warning will still apply: Your mileage will vary.
"We are very confident these new values will be more reflective of the real world, but how you drive is still the more important factor," said Margo Oge, director of the EPA's transportation and air quality division. "They should always be viewed as estimates. We don't want consumers to view them as absolute values."
Dave Warnke of West Bend, Wis., can attest to that. He averages 52 miles per gallon from his Toyota Prius, while his wife gets 42 from a Prius.
Warnke, however, is not complaining.
"It all depends on how you drive it, and whether you get the engine up to full operating temperature," said Warnke, an electrical engineer who was attracted by the Prius' technology more than the mileage.
His 85-mile round-trip commute to the south side of Milwaukee is mostly on freeways, where he zips along at 55 to 65 m.p.h.
His wife drives less than six miles to and from work, and Warnke thinks that's not far enough for the gas engine to get fully warm, when it operates more efficiently. His wife's Prius tops 50 m.p.g. on the freeway.
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