Quote:
Originally Posted by Grovsnus
If you think the numbers are off, complain to the EPA. Unless you think BMW cooked the numbers by delivering a "special" X1 version to EPA for testing, I cannot see what beef you would have against BMW or the X1.
tl;dr: If you're disappointed because of the mileage, you should be disappointed with the EPA, not with the car. It delivers.
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The EPA does not set the ratings you see on the Monroney label, and neither do they they verify the majority of the claims. The EPA provides the testing procedures and trusts the manufacturers to follow them and assign their own numbers. Only about 15% of vehicle models are actually tested by the EPA. So yes - speculation is that some manufacturers are gaming the procedures, with Hyundai and Ford receiving the most complaints. BMW initially attempted to give the F30 328 a highway rating of 36 or 37 mpg, but after validation testing the EPA forced them to lower it to 34. To my knowledge no such analysis took place on the X1. But common sense dictates that the X1 with more frontal area and a higher cd should not perform as well as the 3-Series. It's no surprise that 3-Series and 5-Series loaners I've had have both returned substantially better real world fuel economy.