June 3, 2013
We've put just over 10,000 miles on our 2013 Dodge Dart, and at this point we're starting to get alarmed about its fuel economy.
Compared to an EPA combined rating of 31 mpg, our average stands at 27.7 mph. That's 3.3 mpg shy of the rating, which represents an 11-percent miss.
Lest you think this is a result of lead-footed journalism, know that I personally drove the last tank and my commute-to-work driving style is pretty boring. And I tend to do quite well unless the traffic is absolutely solid, which it wasn't. I got 26.2 mpg.
Our best highway tank so far (35.6 mpg) came on Kurt Niebuhr's road trip. I don't know if he was flying or trying, but the EPA highway rating stands at 37 mpg, so he got somewhat close. Within 4 percent if you want to put a number on it.
But that tank was an anomaly. Only a handful are in the 30s, and 31 mpg is supposed to be the overall average here.
I'm beginning to wonder if small turbos do as well in the real world as they do on the dyno running the EPA test procedure. And this isn't the first such "ecologically boosted" engine to leave me with that impression, either.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 10,680 miles
Worst Fill MPG: 16.8
Best Fill MPG: 35.6
Average Lifetime MPG: 27.7
EPA MPG Rating (City/Highway/Combined): 27/37/31
Best Range: 487 miles
Current Odometer: 10,680 miles
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