Autoblog

When the C-Class predecessor launched, it was known as the 190 and carried a four-cylinder powerplant underhood. Mercedes is now considering a return to four-pots in the U.S. market as the price of fuel continues to soar. MBZ is reportedly already testing a 1.4-liter carrying a supercharger, which is strange when you consider there's already a 1.8-liter blown four-cylinder on sale in Europe. The C180 Kompressor seems like it'd be the easy way to get fours back into the U.S. lineup, but Mercedes must have some other ideas driving the decision to develop the smaller 1.4.

Even stranger, while the talk is all about forced induction, the end result will supposedly be underwhelming in the power department, so Mercedes is planning on ramping up the glitter without delivering the gold. Perceived performance is the euphemism for a car that comes with a loud exhaust and twitchy throttle, and that's what Mercedes engineers think it will take to make the car palatable to U.S. buyers. Gee, leave the sound insulation out so that 25 mph feels like 100 and we're sold! Seriously, is this a late April Fool's joke? "Perceived performance?" A car that's not in denial about being thrifty might be more successful than a poseur.

[Source: Inside Line]

With gasoline prices sometimes spiking above $3, it's good to know just how much of the stuff you're burning. And as a good car owner, you know the best way to do that is to habitually keep track of how many miles you've driven, how many gallons you've pumped and how often you change your car's oil.

The easiest way, of course, is to just keep a small notebook and pen in your glovebox. But if you've abandoned such ancient technology for more modern record-keeping, maybe you should give My Milemarker a try. It's a new website that helps you keep track of things like how much fuel you're burning, how much money you're spending on that fuel and how often you're changing your oil.

It's simple, ad-free interface even lets you text message your information from your mobile phone. Or, if you have a laptop (or an iPhone), you can input the info directly. It will even keep track of multiple cars.

It's a sweet melding of geek and automotive. Oh, and it's free.

[Source: Lifehacker]

U.S. Representative Ed Markey, D-Mass., is introducing a bill today that will require automakers to raise their fuel economy standards by 4% a year starting in late 2009 for cars and late 2011 for trucks. The key word here is "require," as President Bush proposed a similar plan that was more of a really strong suggestion with a few loopholes than an actual law with penalties for not being followed.

On the brightside, Markey's plan is reportedly less severe than previous ones he's proposed, though it is estimated that raising fuel economy standards 4% a year will cost the auto industry a grand total of $114 billion between 2010 and 2017. U.S. automakers would likely shoulder about $85 billion of that expense. Markey's plan would even require that fuel economy standards continue to rise 4% a year in 2018 and beyond, that is, if it's technologically feasible. Talk about a big if.

The ultimate goal of Markey's plan would get fuel economy standards for automaker fleets to 35 mpg by 2018. In truth, that's a decade of time to add an additional 10 mpg to the current standard. It doesn't sound impossible, especially if vehicles like the GM Volt reach production and prove that hyper mileage cars can be sold alongside relative gas guzzlers to even out the MPG balance sheets. Unfortunately, that doesn't really account for gas guzzlers outselling high-mileage vehicles many times over.

[Source: The Detroit News]

For the first time in more than 20 years, the US Government is changing the way they calculate the estimated fuel mileage on window stickers. The changes will be seen starting with 2008 model year cars in the form of a newly styled window sticker and a new test procedure to better reflect the actual mileage customers can hope to achieve.

The test procedure is being changed for a lot of reasons, but mainly it's because the government has realized that people don't drive much like the computer model used in today's testing.

They are going to adjust the procedure to reflect our higher freeway speeds, the fact that people tend to accelerate much harder than the computer, our constant use of air conditioning and the effects of adverse-weather driving. We can only guess that most estimates will go down somewhat in this new formula. And we are not alone.

Scared at the possible backlash when their vehicles appear to be getting poorer mileage, major carmakers have banded together to create a website, www.mileagewillvary.com, to help educate consumers about the apparent drop in fuel economy.

Consumers tend to be pretty savvy and at times ignore the estimates altogether, so we expect most people will adapt pretty quickly. One area that may be a concern, however, is the CAFE requirements, which may or may not be altered to reflect the new measuring procedures.

[Source: Automotive News, sub req]

The U.S. congress gave automakers a break Thursday, as the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted down a proposal to require 33 mpg fuel economy standards (averaged over cars and trucks) by 2015.

The same committee voted in favor of a bill to give the administration more authority to change CAFE rules going forward, as part of its attempt to get in front of voters' growing concerns about the rising cost of fuel.

The next stop for the Bush administration's bill is the full House of Representatives - expect a host of amendments as lawmakers try to respond to their constituents' growing concerns about the nation's energy policy.

[Source: Automotive News]

Guess what happens to fit perfectly between the front wheels of a Honda Fit... the Honda Insight's hybrid powertrain. The distance between the front wheel hubs of both vehicles is identical, and a Honda insider confirmed to Bradley Berman of HybridCars.com that the Fit will arrive in 2007 with the Insight's hybrid drivetrain and the ability to achieve fuel economy in the low to mid-50 mpg range.

This is huge news as the Insight, which sells less than 100 units every month, has always been hampered for being an impractical two-seater. It soldiers on soley for the fact it allows Honda to maintain bragging rights for selling the most fuel-efficient vehicle in the U.S.

With 90 cubic feet of passenger volume and 21.3 cubic feet of cargo capacity, the Fit Hybrid will be as practical and fuel-efficient as a Toyota Prius, but will likely cost between $15,000 and $17,000, substantially less than the Prius and even Honda's own Civic Hybrid.

[Source: HybridCars.com via TreeHugger.com]

The picture at right nicely captures the sales message at many service centers. But will you get better gas mileage if you inflate your car's tires with nitrogen instead of compressed air? That's one of the claims of advocates of nitrogen inflation systems, like N2Revolution, and auto service centers that offer nitrogen inflation services (often for a fee).

The idea stems from the fact that underinflated tires increase rolling resistance, adversely affecting fuel economy (among other things). Any gas mileage improvement through using nitrogen in tires would come from nitrogen's reported ability to maintain tire pressure at the correct level for longer, because nitrogen is supposed to leak through the walls of the tire more slowly than oxygen. Well, perhaps, but air is already about 78 percent nitrogen, so devotees won't really realize a huge benefit from switching to pure nitrogen. Not only that, but leakage is likely to be more significant at the tire bead or around the valve than through the body of the tire.

Other nitrogen benefits are sort of "inherited" from its use in aircraft tires, truck tires and race car tires. (If it's good for the pros it should be good for us, right?) The use of nitrogen is required in the braked wheels of aircraft over a certain weight, because the inert gas reduces explosion risk under combinations of extreme loads and high temperatures that far exceed the conditions experienced by car tires. As an inert gas, nitrogen may also extend the life of the tire carcass - important if tires are retreaded, as is common for trucks and aircraft, but insignificant for car and light vehicle tires, where tread wear determines longevity. Racers know that the most important benefit of using nitrogen is that it is "dry" - the water vapor in compressed air causes too great a pressure change as the tire heats up, a big deal when a half-pound of air pressure change can affect the handling of a racecar at the outer limits of performance.

The bottom line? Nitrogen is no substitute for checking your tire's inflation regularly. If it's free, go ahead and use it. If you have to pay for it, save your money.

[N2Revolution via CNET]

OnStar will begin a service in June that can locate ethanol refueling stations for customers with E85-compatible flex-fuel vehicles. OnStar subscribers will first get an email detailing where E85 pumps are in their area and if they venture outside the comfort zone a quick push of OnStar’s blue button will dial up a representative who can help with directions. Inside Line is also reporting that OnStar is planning another new service that would let vehicle owners know when their tires are underinflated, a minor maintenance issue that can have a large negative impact on fuel economy.

In a short-but-sweet press release Nissan announced that it is revising downward the estimated EPA combined city/highway gas mileage for its Xtronic CVT-equipped Versa sub-compact. The original estimate was 38 mpg, which has now fallen to 33 mpg. Nissan offered no explanation for the adjustment. All Versa models are powered by a 122-hp, 1.8L four-cylinder engine.

 [Source: Nissan]

Your Prius may be rated at 60 mpg in the city and 51 mpg while cruising the countryside, but chances are you’re not realizing those numbers the EPA obtained by strapping Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive to a dynamometer. In Europe, where fuel economy is calculated by actually operating an engine on the road while it’s under the hood of a vehicle, the Prius returns a more realistic 47 mpg in the city and 56 mpg on the highway, or 5.0L/100km city and 4.2L/100km highway in the continent’s native metric.

This more realistic fuel economy rating lowers the bar enough for a handful of European small cars to beat the Prius in a game at which many Americans believe it’s indomitable. And guess what, these cars from the old world all use highly fuel-efficient diesel engines.

(All mileage numbers represent official European rating converted into miles/gallon via this conversion site)

Audi  A2 1.2 TDI
city: 65.33
highway: 87.11
average: 78.4







Smart fortwo CDI
city: 60.31
highway: 75.87
average: 69.18






Peugeot 107 Urban 1.4 HDi 54 / Citroën  C1 HDi 55 SX
city: 44.38
highway: 69.18
average: 57.37)





Citroën  C2 HDi 70 SensoDrive VTR
city: 48
highway: 61.9
average: 56



KIA  Picanto 1.1 CRDi EX
city: 48
highway: 31.9
average: 56







If many in this country are so concerned about eking the most amount of miles from a gallon of fuel, why hasn’t the modern diesel enjoyed the same success here as the hybrid? The easy answer would be the ghost of diesel’s past, particularly a bad batch of oil burners designed by Oldsmobile in the 1980’s.

The more complicated response is that Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuel hasn’t been readily available in the U.S. like it is in Europe. This special blend of diesel contains less sulfur, which reduces emissions, but also allows for better emissions control systems to be used on a diesel engine. Fortunately ULSD will be the new standard in the U.S. come this fall. Some companies, like DaimlerChrysler, are waiting in the wings with 50-state approved diesels that are powerful, clean and get grand gas mileage. Will diesels finally become the eco-peer of hybrids? Who will be the first to marry the two in an ultra-efficient diesel hybrid production car? Time will tell, but we can all breathe easier knowing more green options are sprouting up every year.