I had opportunity to pick up one of those beyooouteefulll color brochures on the 08 ES350 when I had to have the tire pressure sensor looked at on my 07 -- the spare tire was low....who knew!!

I then compared the specifications of the new 08 versus the 07.

Engine HP 272 same..

Torque...same..

0-60...6.8 secs....same...

1/4 miles....same...

Transmission....same

Weight.....same...

Dimensions....all the same..

Just about the only thing different is that the 08 has interior courtesy lights for the rear seats.

However....the MPG is different...

07 -- City 21 Hwy 30

08 -- City 19 Hwy 27

So...I was wondering how such a thing could happen.

Did the "fix" for the transmission flares change the drive-by-wire transmission shift points to where the mpg suffered?

hmmmnn...but, the performance (0-60) stayed the same....

So... I did a little investigating....

The feds changed the way that car manufacturers report estimated mileage...

And...the 08s reflect this change to more of a real-world expected mileage on the sticker.

Who knew!!

Clearsong

 

Who knew some say "who knew" twice in a post...beyooouteefulll comparison.

 

I dunno if you read car mags, but the change is frequently mentioned when discussing mpg. They usually say something like, "under the new 08 methods" or "the 07 got X amount better under the old standards". Something to that effect.

Yeah, they didn't publicize it much to the general public (no money for an ad campaign for something that has no public safety value), but if you're into cars, it's mentioned in tons of places if you do any research at all.

Car salesmen are typically well versed in this also since they have to explain why their mileage on an 08 is lower than an 07 on their lot.

 

nah...I don't read car mags much anymore...too many long hours at work..

The real message in my post....is that the 07 is virtually indistinquishable from the 08....the mpg calibration issue is, as you indicate, readily found and explained with minimal effort.....

Clearsong

p.s. -- Oh, and we 07 owners will be able to use the Higher MPG as a selling point when we sell our cars!

 

Save those window stickers!!

 

Yeah, I totally hear you. I used to get like 5 subscriptions during school. Now, nada. I really only get to read what I can when I'm at the airport waiting for a flight.

 

the dfference is because all EPA testing was changed for 2008 cars which gave more "realistic" estimates. those epa estimate methods hadnt been changed for like 30 years until now.

the car will be the same.

 

Since '07 was the first model year for the new gen ES350, very few changes were expected/made with the '08. Especially since it is selling very well with around 150,000 sold since the launch in late-April/early-May '06.

'09 will probably bring a few more minor tweaks.

 

I bought my 2007 ES350 June 20, 2007. Since then, I have fueld eighteen times.

I travel short distances city stop-and-go, no interstate or freeways. Even so, my ES has averaged 19.3mpg. . . right in line with the method change.

I am well pleased with this fuel consumption.

 

Just a couple of points from me on this topic. RXSF is right on about the EPA. They changed the "rules" of how car manufacturers list mpg on stickers. I think it is at www.epa.gov where they describe the new rules.

HOWEVER, I just got a 08 ES350 UL package and (using premium fuel though), I got 33 mpg on a 200 mile road trip where most was Interstate and I averaged about 55 miles per hour (only about 40 miles were in a city-like drive). Not bad when you consider what the sticker rating said (19/27). Plus, my Tank Average on this tank of gas with the rest of the travelling was somewhat city driving (back roads) was 28.5 mpg. Again, not bad at all!!!

 

Your MPG experience is just about the same as mine. On the highway if I keep it under 65 mph, I can get 31-32 mpg. Once up to 70-75 it drops to around 30, maybe 29 if it's hilly. Still not bad IMO. On occasion, I've found the Tank Average to be about 1 mpg higher vs. calculating the mileage manually. Other times they're very close.

 

85+ will still get you 29-31 mpg. So I hear...

 

My '07 ES can last around 250 miles with a full tank, which translates to around 14 MPG. I've been having this feeling that the mileage for my car has been somewhat disappointing. I always use my car to either drive downtown, go to school (which is at downtown as well) or come back home/go back to school from wherever I drove to. I visit gas stations every week, and damn, it's gonna bankrupt me soon! Well, I don't drive aggressively at all. That's why I'm driving an ES at my age (20) in the first place instead of A4 or 3-series. No sudden accelerations, no sudden breaks, no sharp turns, no junk in the trunk. I've done nothing to harm the mileage. Any speculation on what I might have done wrong?

 

Q,

Both mine netted MPG similar to yours, less even depending on whether my appointments were or were not within 4 or 5 miles from start of car.

You can ask at service if they can check if the car is running too rich or lean.

Also review type of gas poll on here, you can use regular unleaded and save some money that way.

Reset your avg mpg display and keep an eye on it, not the tank avg mpg which only resets when you add gas. Then relay those findings to service.

 

Q, I agree 100% with ES350Bob, something is wrong and your dealer should be able to fix it. I wouldn't even think if you are running regular gas the MPG should be that low. You should run Premium if you haven't but again, that should not get you to 14 mpg! Good luck and let us all know what happens!