I would like to take a survey:

Which is more disappointing?

Expecting 40 MPG and getting 32.7 MPG
Or
Expecting 20 MPG and getting 18 MPG


I would expect most people to say expecting 40 and getting 32.7 is more disappointing.


Now, which is more disappointing?
Expecting to use 5.88 liters/100kilometers but using 7.18 liters/100km
Or
Expecting to use 11.76 liters/100km but using 13.06 liters/100km


For those who do the math, in both cases it is a difference of 1.3 liters used per 100km, so neither is more disappointing... Right?


Now consider that both of these comparisons are referencing the same fuel economy:
5.88 liters/100km is the same as 40 MPG
7.18 liters/ 100km is the same as 32.7 MPG
11.76 liters/100km is the same as 20 MPG
13.06 liters/100km is the same as 18 MPG

The point is, when people start talking about 35 MPG or more, each MPG gained or lost is a very small amount of fuel, but the bragging rights are big.

I have heard people complain that their economy car doesn't get 40MPG and ONLY gets 33 MPG, yet think of 20 MPG as basically the same fuel economy as 18 MPG, when these are both just about the same differences in fuel used.

 

I guess it depends on what makes you disappointed. Often, for whatever reason, disappointment (at least for me) is more proportional than absolute.

If you expected 40 mpg and you only get 32.7 mpg, your fuel budget just jumped by 22%. If you expected 20 mpg and you only get 18, your fuel budget jumped by 11%.

Similarly, I might be more upset if a $50 electric bill doubled than if a $750 rent went up by 10%. (These are highly theoretical values, by the way; I would be ecstatic if my electric bill were only $50, and I would be very confused if I had to pay rent on the house I've bought!)

 

OP, no offense but, why do we need two threads on the same subject ? We know you are upset about this, but its not going away, and to argue this for days, on two threads is going way overboard. You don't like the MPG, go else where like the Prius or something else. Again sorry, but enough is enough.

 

18 and 20 are just slightly different flavors of crap.

The difference between 33 and 40 is the difference between good and really good.

 

Of course 32-40.

If i'm knowingly getting a car that gets 20mpg I don't give a crap about fuel economy in the first place.

 

You have completely missed the point here. I personally am overjoyed with the fuel economy provided by my fit and thrilled with the expectation of more in my next fit. But this thread has nothing to do with the fit's fuel economy. It has to do with someone being disappointed about a difference that is insignificant.

The difference between 18 and 20 MPG is the exact same difference as between 32.7 and 40. It is the exact same additional fuel burned.

So your point is that a $22/month savings to a person who drives a car that is expected to get 20MPG is less significant than $22/month is to someone who drives a car that is expected to get 40 MPG. For me, $22 is $22.

For example:
A car driven 1,000miles/month at 40 mpg uses $100/month in fuel (at $4.00/gal)
The same car driving the same 1,000 miles but only getting 32.7 MPG uses $122 in fuel

A $22 increase in cost as a result of 7.3 fewer MPG

A car driven 1,000 miles/month at 20 MPG uses $200/month in fuel
The same car driven the same 1,000 miles at 18 MPG uses $222 in fuel

A $22 increase in cost as a result of 2 fewer MPG

So why is one a disappointment and the other is just fine, no big deal?

THEY ARE THE SAME DIFFERENCES. Therefore all that seems to matter to some people is bragging rights. Not actual fuel burned or actual costs.

It is all about perception, not about the actual impacts.

 

Good analysis... Now go out, smell the roses and enjoy the sunshine. Being stuck in Neutral wastes more fuel.

 

Subie out of left field

No, my point is, if i'm driving a car that gets 20mpg i'm not even going to bother calculating that, so would not know the difference or care.

I would also not drive a car that gets 20mpg 1000 miles a month and would rather shoot myself, but that's besides the point.

I was answering the survey as myself, so there's explanation lol

 

Actually mid-court nosebleed section bird's-eye-view. I was too... That was meant for the OP and I guess now you too bud! Just my take. You can't smell the roses if you shoot yourself!

 

You ever hear the saying that figures don't lie, but liars figure? An SUV That drops from 20 to 18 mpg gets a $22 jump in fuel costs each month.
That's an 11% increase in gas burned and money spent.

A Fit that goes from 40 to 32.7 mpg gets a $22 jump in fuel costs a month.
That's a 22% increase in gas burned an money spent.

That's double the actual impact, even if you perceive it as being exactly the same.

 

^Damnit I knew something didn't add up right but couldn't put my finger on it, that's correct.

 

Diminishing returns comes in when you're trying to add mpg. Going from 20 to 22 mpg is a 10% jump in FE, which is very impressive. Going from 40 to 42 mpg is only a 5% jump, which is not so impressive.

When you're getting good fuel economy, you have to try extra hard to get the same percentage gains that a gas pig can get just by driving a tad more sanely.

But gains at either end are worth trying for.

 

You got the gist, but you got the quote at the end backwards. It is exactly the same impact, $22 is $22 and that is the impact. You perceive it as more, because $22 is a greater percentage of $100 than it is of $200 but it is exactly the same impact $22=$22, one is not more than the other.

My point is the way we express fuel economy here in the US leads to this misconception and the desire for an ever greater number which means very little except bragging rights.

If we expressed our fuel economy as gallons per 100 miles, then a car getting 20 MPG would be 5 gallons/100miles a car getting 40 MPG would be expressed as 2.5 gallons/100 miles. In this way of expressing it, the savings in fuel from better economy would be linear. That is to say a savings of 1 gallon/100 miles would be seen as the same savings on a vehicle with poor fuel economy as it would be on a vehicle with good fuel economy. And we would more clearly see that the difference between 40MPG and 50MPG is the same as the difference as between 18MPG and 20MPG.

 

Healthy debate going on this thread. Interesting points of differing interpretations.

In the end, let's face it, $ spent or $ saved, we all love driving our Fits (GDs, GEs and soon to come GKs).