Detroit:
Q: What was the first thing that attracted you to the new Impala?
A: The price was right. It was a vehicle I could afford
to lease.
Since I was downsizing from a Buick Rendezvous, I was looking for a car that
could carry five adults comfortably. And its also a sharp looking car.
Q: What part did the flex-fuel or E85 component play in your decision making about the vehicle?
A: At the time of lease I was aware of it, but hadn’t really investigated what it was.
Q: Which of these terms (E85 or flex-fuel) is used by the Impala?
A: Both.
Q: Did you drive the vehicle off the dealer's lot with a full tank of E85 or flex-fuel?
A: Interesting question. I’m not sure. They didn’t say anything but I assumed it was regular gasoline.
Q: Describe any aspects of your new car experiences and tell us any stories associated with your initial quest for fuel.
A: The car has an on board computer that monitors my driving habits. Average
speed, average miles per gallon, tire pressure, etcetera. When gasoline prices started going up I was always on the lookout for cheap gas.
One night on my way home from work I saw a price sign of $3.29 for E85. That got my attention as gasoline was selling for @ $3.65 per gallon. I stopped the next day and filled up. I noted that the computer reported I was getting 23.7 MPG average at the time.
At my next fill up I noted that my average MPG was 21.9 and the cost of E85 had gone up to $3.33. The next time I purchased E85 (which was 5 days later) it was at a different station and it was $3.09 and I was getting 20.2 average MPG.
A couple weeks later, E85 was up to $3.18 per gallon, but my average MPG had decreased to 19.2.
Q: How was your first filling station experience?
A: It was nothing special at the time, but the next day when my co-workers were complaining about the cost they had paid I did feel better and bragged just a little bit.
Q: Since then, how's the experience been?
A: I’ve discontinued using it as my gas mileage continued to decline.
Q: Would you do it again or recommend it to others?
A: I may try again at some point. I also may try half E85 & half gasoline and see what kind of mileage that produces. I’d tell others to check it out for themselves.
What Scott experienced in his flex-fuel Impala not unusual. Here's
what the
HowStuffWorks web site
has to say about the subject:
"Drivers jumping on the latest gas-saving
bandwagon may be in for a shock when they
see fuel-economy estimates for the newest
darlings of Detroit: E85 ethanol flex-fuel
vehicles. Run a new V6 Chevrolet Impala on
good-old gasoline, and it'll get 21 miles
per gallon in the city, 31 on the highway,
according to Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) estimates. Burn E85 -- a blend of 85
percent of the alcohol-based fuel ethanol
and 15 percent gasoline, which American
automakers flaunt as their latest
alternative-energy idea -- and the Impala's
EPA numbers shrivel to 16 mpg city, 23
highway.
"It's no better with other kinds
of flex-fuel vehicles, vehicles that can run
on E85, 100 percent gasoline, or a
combination of the two. Run a two
wheel-drive V8 Ford F150 on regular unleaded
gas, and the EPA says it'll get 14 mpg city,
19 mpg highway. Run it on E85 ethanol, and
it gets 11 mpg city, 14 mpg highway. In
other words, fill up on environmentally
friendly E85 ethanol, and you'll get fewer
miles per gallon than you would on
gasoline."
