2001 Hyundai Tiburon Base Coupe 2-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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EPA says it will more closely monitor fuel economy claims from automakers

The unintended acceleration brouhaha at Toyota led to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration tightening the vise on recall procedures. Likewise, the fuel economy kerfuffle that blew up with Hyundai and Kia's admission of overstated fuel mileage claims could lead to the Environmental Protection Agency policing automaker assertions by performing more audits.
At least, that's what a senior engineer with the government agency said while in Michigan giving a talk, according to a report in Automotive News. What that actually means, however, is still in question. Just ten to 15 percent of new vehicles - something like 150 to 200 cars per year - are rested by the EPA to verify automaker numbers. The EPA's own tests include a "fudge factor" to adjust lab mileage for real-world mileage, and the agency still relies on automakers to submit data for tests that it doesn't have the facilities to perform. How much more auditing can the EPA really expect to do, or perhaps a more relevant question would be how much more accurate could the EPA's audits become?
The price of gasoline, the psychological importance of 40 miles per gallon to a frugal car buyer, an automaker wanting to further justify the price premium of a hybrid, all of these things contribute to fuel economy numbers that insist on creeping upward. Perhaps the senior engineer encapsulated the whole situation best when he said, "Everybody wants a label that tells you exactly what you're going to get, but obviously that's not possible. A good general rule of thumb is that real-world fuel economy is about 20 percent lower than the lab numbers." If the lesson isn't exactly 'buyer beware,' it's at least 'buyer be wary.'

40+ cars that barely avoid the gas guzzler tax

The Gas Guzzler schedule, with mpg ratings and charges that haven't changed since 1991, lays out which fuel-swillers owe what to Uncle Sam.
I started thinking about the "Gas Guzzler Tax" - considerably less well known as The Energy Tax Act of 1978 - when I was driving Dodge's new Challenger SRT Hellcat last week. Unsurprisingly for a car that can burn 1.5 gallons of gas per minute at max tilt, theoretically able to empty a full tank of premium in about 13 minutes, the Hellcat will be subject to the Gas Guzzler Tax schedule when it goes on sale.

2023 Acura Integra, Nissan Z and a special 4Runner | Autoblog Podcast #731

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. They lead off with a discussion of the cars they've been driving, including the 2023 Acura Integra, 2023 Nissan Z and 2022 Mercedes-Maybach S 580. After that, they move on to the news of the week. This section touches on the 2023 Toyota 4Runner 40th Anniversary Edition, 2023 BMW 3 Series mid-cycle update, the new 2023 BMW M4 CSL and rumors about the Sonata's demise. After the pair wrap up the news section, they toss it over to a sports car roundtable where multiple editors chime in on a number of new sports cars they've been driving. These include the 2022 Toyota GR86, 2022 Subaru BRZ, 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata and the 2022 Toyota GR Supra 2.0. Features Editor, James Riswick leads the discussion, and it's one you'll want to hear. The podcast wraps up with a mailbag segment where a reader has a spring beer recommendation. Plus, Greg and Zac give their own spring beer recommendations that will hopefully serve you well in the Memorial Day holiday to come. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #731 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving 2023 Acura Integra 2023 Nissan Z 2022 Mercedes-Maybach S 580 News 2023 Toyota 4Runner 40th Anniversary Edition revealed 2023 BMW 3 Series update 2023 BMW M4 CSL revealed Is the Hyundai Sonata on its way out? Sports car roundtable Mailbag Spring beer recommendations Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: