@DarkScribe Ok… but I’m noticing the opposite. I do far better than the estimate. I’m a very conscious driver, though often drive energetically, and can pat my ego to think I’m that much better than the estimates, but it seems so far off it’s hard to believe.
@wundayatta I don’t keep a diary but I set the trip odometer when I refuel, fill it up and note the gallons purchased and the miles traveled since the last time I filled it up, often at the same pump, and divide what should be the miles traveled by the fuel used. It’s always over 20 MPG in city driving. In the case of the SUV, I’m going by its own on-board estimate saying more often than not 14–18 MPG (this is a Ford Freestyle). I live in Seattle, which is hilly. It seems to be worse in winter, and has been worse since my car has had some issues with starting and idling, but I think I’m still beating the official estimates, and my car is 23 years old and has about 250K miles on it. My driving style is to start quite quickly, and coast a lot, and pay close attention to the driving and only apply gas when wanted, though I am often zipping around for fun.
Another “detail” I didn’t mention is I seem to remember when I was car shopping about 15 years ago that the mileage estimates shown on cars then, including my model, were more like what I think I see in practice. Which is why I asked about “current” estimates – I was wondering too if the way this statistic is expressed has changed.