Gas Prices Headed Down, How Low Will They Go?

[trollbait]

Originally Posted by Charon

It is difficult to make direct comparisons, because it is rare for exactly comparable vehicles to be available with gas or diesel options. From what I have seen, it is usual for a diesel to make 30% to (maybe)50% better mileage. The diesel engine option is usually considerably more expensive, too. These comparisons do not use government tests, but actual real driver use. For instance, Consumer Reports gives the gas mileage of the Chevrolet Cruze as 26; the turbo diesel as 33. They have commented that the diesels of today are not the same as the noisy, smelly, and smoky diesels of the past.

Because of their rarity, the auto makers can increase the diesel price through extras. The base diesel is usually the equivalent of the mid-level trim of the gasoline model in terms of features at the very least. The Cruze diesel is closer to the high end Cruze.

Consumer Reports fuel economy testing is unscientific. It is performed outside, spring through fall, in Connecticut. Not only does that allow weather to be a variable, but also use locally available fuels so that seasonal blends and varying ethanol content come into play. They don't disclose temperatures on the day of testing. They also don't disclose the test profile they are following on their track, and then do some of the test on local roads with traffic.

The steady speed highway portions is probably the only number of any value. Otherwise their numbers aren't going to be repeatable, and they aren't comparable between models.

I paid $3.09 gal to fill up earlier this week. It was down to $3.05 a couple days later.

[Charon]

Consumer Reports says their MPG figures are an average of several tests, but as you say they don't disclose their procedures. They do claim to use some real-world on-the-streets testing. I have found their tests to come up just a little lower than my own results, probably because I do not live in a city so my driving is more highway biased.

Our EPA has been under some pressure to make their testing more realistic, partly based on lawsuits by individuals who claim their mileage is significantly lower than EPA. I do suspect that EPA testing and testing by others (especially the reported figures from the UK) seldom or never use wide-open throttle acceleration, so the engines never get into "turbo boost." I personally believe part of the test should involve full power acceleration up a short uphill on-ramp to a highway. But we must remember that EPA testing was never designed to show fuel mileage, but to make sure vehicles are emission compliant.

[Draigflag]

Well today I travelled on the motorway (highway) for the first time since I bought my new car. I was pretty impressed, I stuck to the limit (70 MPH) with cruise on, forgot to press the ECO button but I still got 73 MPG on the 100+ mile journey, not bad for a car thats not run in yet. Im not saying all diesel cars get double the mileage of thier gas equivelents, but my previous car would have got 38 to 40 MPG for the same trip so it's not far off.

The Cruze diesel you refer to, possibly one of the worse selling cars in the UK, of the 57 diesels for sale only 6 are auto's but I notice the MPG figures are 20% lower in comparison to the manuals, and the emissions are about 30% higher too.

[trollbait]

But we must remember that EPA testing was never designed to show fuel mileage, but to make sure vehicles are emission compliant.

That is an important bit that many simply don't know or have forgotten. The standardized test protocol does allow fair comparison of relative fuel efficiency between models.

I think the current EPA window sticker numbers are close for most cars in real world though. An issue is that the automakers aren't required to perform the 3 new tests, but are allowed to make mathematical approximations instead. Which works fine with most traditional powered cars, but overestimates on hybrids or ones with small displacement turbos.

The Cruze diesel you refer to, possibly one of the worse selling cars in the UK, of the 57 diesels for sale only 6 are auto's but I notice the MPG figures are 20% lower in comparison to the manuals, and the emissions are about 30% higher too.

The Cruze and the Golf, with all its siblings, are the only sub $30k diesel car options we have in the US. The Passat may be close to that in price, but the rest are all Audis, BMWs, and Mercedes. Of course we get further gouged on top of their luxury premiums with a higher diesel one.

The transmission issue is separate from the fuel type. Manuals sell in higher numbers and are geared for efficiency in Europe. In the US, nearly all manuals are geared for performance because that's what the few that buy them want them for. Even those installed in economy models. So the test numbers for automatics are near, or even better than, the manuals.

[Darkside]

In Missouri we got down to $2.69!!
I filled my tank and the next day it went to $2.99, which is still amazing.

[Draigflag]

A friend of mine just posted this on Facebook. Not sure how true it is, but i'm praying this happens!

http://www.mirror.co.uk/money/person...-litre-4505655

[Kuripot_Kevin]

Just paid $2.799 here in east central IL. WTC is still hovering around $80/bbl. and Goldman Sachs has slashed there oil price forecast for 2015 to $75 from $90.

At this rate, gasoline should keep falling and I expect to pay less than $2.50/gal. in the very near future. If nothing changes we could see sub $2/gal. gas.

[LouSiffer]

Ours here in Ottawa just went up again to $1.10 per litre - about $3.78/gallon. Not bad really....only about $60 for a fill up.

[Draigflag]

Just heard on the news, oil prices have dropped 25% since June, but prices at the pumps here in the UK have dropped by 4.5% only. Daylight robbery! Some vote hunting politicians have said they are going to "ask" Petrol companies to consider dropping prices more.

[trollbait]

How much of your gas price is taxes? Are they a flat amount or percent base? Depending on those and other factors, like distribution costs, a decrease in the crude price may not appear as significant on the pump price.