yes, really — What happens when you test the real-world efficiency of hybrids and EVs? 18 drivers and 18 hybrids and EVs, tested on the same day on the same route.
Evan Williams – Aug 15, 2023 11:00 am UTC Enlarge / The assorted cars ready for EcoRun 2023.Blake Jennings reader comments 309 with
How do you put EPA mileage numbers to the test? You could buy a wind tunnel and a lab and start doing a massive science experiment. Or you could find 20 auto writers, put them in 20 different cars, and tell them they’re in a contest of efficiency where the winner gets bragging rights.
Every year, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada does the latter. About 20 of the country’s top journalists come to take part in EcoRun, an event where automakers are invited to bring their most efficient models to one place for three days of fighting to use less.
In the past, it was all gas and diesel, but as the market has changed, so has the EcoRun lineup. This year, every vehicle had some form of electrification, and about half were fully electric.
EcoRun 2023 had 10 legs. Each driver swapped to another car at the end of each leg. Consumption of fuel and electricity were recorded. Rotating 18 drivers through the 18 vehicles (each driver drove 10 cars) cancels out most of the influence of one driver who doesn’t care about winning. But all these auto enthusiasts care about winning.
Driving every vehicle on the same days and the same route in the same conditions levels the playing field almost as well as a test cell. That’s why I’m calling this the best way to show how some of the most efficient vehicles on the market compare to their official estimates. Here they are, ranked from worst-performing to best, in relation to their EPA combined estimates.
Oh, and all of the PHEVs started each day with no battery charge. It was the best way to make it fair and was also the most representative of the long road trips this event is meant to simulate. Advertisement Toyota Prius Prime: 48 mpg
When Toyota redesigned the Prius, it finally made the car stylish; there’s no denying the new car turns heads. Toyota also decided to emphasize performance over outright efficiency and gave the Prius Prime 220 hp (164 kW) and a 2.0L gas engine.
The Prime has an impressive EPA fuel economy figure of 52 miles per gallon (4.5 L/100 km), the best of any vehicle on this test. But on the road, the car delivered 48.1 mpg (4.9 L/100 km), 7.5 percent below its window sticker. Prime’s best single segment was 62 mpg (3.8L/100 km), and its worst was 33 mpg (7.1 L/100km). Hyundai Tucson: 34.5 mpg EnlargeBlake Jennings
The Hyundai Tucson offers conventional, hybrid, and PHEV drivelines, giving buyers plenty of choice. We had what was probably the best one for road tripping, the Tucson Hybrid, with a 1.6L turbocharged engine and 59 hp (44 kW) electric motor. The combination makes for 226 hp (169 kW) and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm) of torque. Hyundai uses a conventional six-speed automatic (minus a torque converter) for its hybrid drive system, and that makes it feel much more like a gas-only vehicle than the usual somewhat mushy CVTs used in other hybrids.
Pairing a turbocharger with a hybrid motor is unconventional since it adds complexity and cost to the system. Here it might also take away from the vehicle’s fuel efficiency. Against an EPA rating of 37 mpg (6.4 L/100 km), the Tucson hybrid returned 34.5 (6.8 L/100 km). At 6.7 percent under estimates, it was the second of just two vehicles that didn’t beat the official rating. Tucson faired worst in the uphill climb sections where fuel economy dipped to 24 mpg (9.7 L/100 km), a figure more in line with the bigger SUVs. On flat ground, it dropped to around 47 mpg (5 L/100 km). Page: 1 2 3 4 5 Next → reader comments 309 with Advertisement Promoted Comments Lexomatic Since I’m not the only reader who wanted a comparison table … I’ve slapped together this first-cut. It’s based purely on the information in the article, so there are empty cells where the individual vehicle wasn’t full described nor the body type apparent from the photo. (Body type may not be a useful attribute: it’s intended as a proxy for weight class, and might correlate with MPG, but can’t be fully analyzed without engine type and battery size.) The table is in the article’s order; I have not sorted by make or MPG.
Edit 1: By request (thank you for the feedback, fellow commenters): Added EPA MPG estimate, percent difference between EPA and EcoRun (positive is better), sorted by EcoRun MPG, added "article order" to align to prose if you choose, deleted "model year" (they’re all 2023 or similarly recent, I guess?).
MakeModelStyleDrivetrainEngine(s)EPAEcoRunDiffArticleKiaNiro EVBEV113156.0+38%17HyundaiIoniq 6sedanBEV103129.0+25%13HyundaiIoniq 5sedanBEV98122.0+24%14LexusRZ 450esedanBEV102120.5+18%10Genesis ElectrifiedGV70BEV91120.0+32%16Mercedes-BenzEQE 500 4MaticsedanBEV94119.0+27%15Polestar2sedanBEVdual motor100108.2+8%8ToyotaMiraisedanfuel cell7474.7+1%3KiaNiro PHEVcrossoverhybrid1.6L + electric, 180 hp and 265 Nm4954.5+11%9ToyotaCorolla Hybrid AWDsedanhybrid1.8L + electric4850.7+6%6ToyotaPrius Primehybrid2.0L, 220 hp5248.1- 8%1HondaAccord HybridsedanhybridFWD 335 Nm4444.7+2%4HondaCR-VSUVhybrid3738.5+4%5HyundaiTucsonSUVhybrid1.6L turbo + 59 hp electric, 226 hp and 350 Nm3734.5- 7%2MazdaCX-90hybrid2530.0+20%12LexusRX 500hhatchbackhybrid2.4L turbo, 376 hp2728.6+6%7JeepWrangler Unlimited 4xehybrid2028.2+41%18Range RoverP440ehybrid2125.1+20%11 August 15, 2023 at 12:18 pm Channel Ars Technica ← Previous story Next story → Related Stories Today on Ars