SLegacy99

Looking at the numbers I think that Mercedes is in poor shape as well.

C300: 18/25, 17/25 with 4MATIC
C350: 17/25

E350: 17/24, 16/22 with 4MATIC
E550: 15/22, 13/19 with 4MATIC

R350: 15/19

S550: 14/22

SLK300: 19/26

They only have one efficient vehicle. The E320 Bluetec, 23/32. All of their other models are lackluster in the efficieny department when compared with BMW, Lexus, Audi, and even a few Acuras. But then, I suppose you could make the same argument against Cadillac.

I think it should also be noted that the Mercedes 3.5L only puts out 268 HP.

LexFather

Yeah the Benz 3.5 is not better than the Lexus/Infiniti 3.5. We do have to remember with their 5.5, well it is 5.5 liters, that is a huge engine with 382hp, thus the lower MPG results.

Note the Lexus 4.6 liter makes better MPG and only has 2 less HP in the LS than the S class 5.5 liter. The GS is down 40hp for some dumbass reason (we guess the single intake vs dual on the LS).

SLegacy99

GM has made some changes.

Buick Lucerne earns a 1 MPG increase to 17/26 with direct fuel injection being the cause. However, I think the downfall here is that its equipped with a 4 speed auto. Why?

mmarshall

Several reasons. Cost, complexity, enough torque and flexibility from the Lucerne's V6 and V8 engines that it doesn't need more gears. Many Lucerne and LaCrosse customers are older people who generally don't drive aggresively and usually don't need to (or want to) auto-manually scroll up and down though a lot of gears, nor do they need an ultra-tall 5th or 6th gear for high top speeds....four is more than enough for them.

Also keep in mind that Subaru and a number of other manufacturers still use 4-speed automatics for their lower-level models. In fact, it was only a few years ago that some entry-level Dodge products stopped using THREE-speed automatics.

LexFather

It needs 6 gears, it would get even better MPG. Hyundai just stated they are going with 6 or 8 speeds as it helps economy.

4 speed autos shouldn't even be sold

SLegacy99

True, but it has been shown that with more than 4 gears, even automatics can be more efficient that manual transmissions. 4 speed is so 20th century.

People wonder why an AWD A4 can put down more power than a Legacy 2.5i or Impreza and get better gas mileage doing it. Sure direct injection is good for an MPG. But 6 speed manuals and automatics with tall overdriven final gears do it. My Legacy runs at about 3300 RPMs doing 70 MPH. I wish I had a 6th cog to go to and drop it down a few hundred RPMs.

TRDFantasy

A lot of GS and LS owners get FAR above EPA numbers, what is your point? Personal observations here matter little.

The point SICK is trying to make is that in an *apples-to-apples* comparison, fuel economy for Acura models is not that great. Using the EPA numbers is an apples-to-apples comparison because it is the same test, done the same way, to a variety of vehicles.

Personal observation matters little because of variations in driving style, having modded or aftermarket parts on the vehicle, as well as variations such as weather, geographical location (altitude), proper car maintenance, among other things.

TRDFantasy

Hard numbers? First off, you're using made-up classes to conveniently prove your point. Niche Luxury SUV and Mid-Size Luxury SUV are two classes? Sorry but it doesn't work like that. Nobody in the industry categorizes luxury SUVs like that.

Fact is, the RX and FX compete in the SAME class as the MDX, ML, X5, and Q7. Knowing that, both the FX and RX get better mileage than the MDX.

No, it's not just the RL that gets mediocre fuel economy. You can throw in the RDX and MDX in there as well.

Also if you want to be really picky about the IS350 vs TL, let me add a little bit more information then.

The regular 3.5L TL makes 280HP @ 6200 RPM and 254 lb-ft @ 5000 RPM with EPA numbers of 18/26. Curb weight is at 3699 lbs. The SH-AWD 3.7L TL makes 305HP @ 6300 RPM and 273 lb-ft @ 5000 RPM. Curb weight is at 3948.

The IS350 makes 306HP @ 6400 RPM and 277 lb-ft @ 4800 RPM. EPA numbers are 18/25.

The IS350 makes more torque than either TL engine, and also at a lower RPM. The IS350 I guarantee is faster than both the regular TL and the SH-AWD version. The only TL variant that could actually keep up with an IS350 in a straight line would be the upcoming SH-AWD 6MT, but we will have to see when that comes out. I can also guarantee that the IS350's 3.5L has a superior torque curve than either engine in the TL. That is why the IS350 is faster than the numbers on paper suggest, because of an excellent torque curve as well as a very linear HP curve. The regular TL in particular absolutely pales in comparison to the IS350's 3.5L in terms of torque. While fuel economy might seem pretty good for the TL, consider that the IS350 will still be the faster car in a straight line.

IS350 bone stock has been proven to be able to run 5.2-5.0 sec 0-60 as well as low 13s in the 1/4 mile. It's very unlikely that either the 3.5L TL and 3.7L SH-AWD will be able to keep up with those performance times. The TL may shine in the corners, especially the SH-AWD model, but it will lag behind in the straights.