If the EPA tested golf balls, would they whack it off the side of a mountain or along an ice-covered lake, measure the distance, set the average at 1200 yards and then state, "Your yardage may vary"? The testing methodology would clearly be suspect. It happens every day with cars. Have you ever noticed how the EPA's fuel economy 'estimates' differ from your real-world driving mileage? In many cases, they are not even close. Most of the time we don't give a hoot, but when gasoline prices start kicking up over $2/gallon we actually sit up and take notice.

Here's the official story from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA tests are designed to simulate “typical” city and highway driving conditions but they cannot simulate all possible driving conditions and every person's driving style. According to www.fueleconomy.gov, this discrepancy can be caused by any of several factors related to driving conditions and driver behavior, vehicle maintenance, fuel characteristics, and vehicle-related factors. Give me a break. The testing is screwed up. Listing reasons why the tests are not accurate or applicable to real-life is no excuse for being plain wrong. The presumption is that it's our fault for not driving below the speed limit, in a windless tunnel, in perfect weather conditions with a perfectly tuned car using specially formulated fuel. With that kind of logic, I guess it would be our fault for not hitting the golf ball ball off the side of the mountain or across the frozen lake too. The tests just don't relate to the way vehicles are driven.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) conducted their own tests because their auto reviewers weren't very confident in the EPA numbers. They found some huge differences between the EPA mileage estimates and their independent tests. For instance, a BMW Z4, rated at 21 miles per gallon city and 29 highway by the EPA gets only 14.5 miles per gallon in the AAA tests. The popular Chrysler PT Cruiser, also rated at 21 city and 29 highway by the EPA, got an average of 17.5 miles per gallon. And the GMC Sierra, with an EPA rating of 16 city and 21 highway, got an auto club number of 15.3 miles per gallon.

Automakers oppose any changes to the current EPA testing. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents the domestic automakers as well as some foreign car makers, maintain that the current EPA fuel-economy labels do what they're supposed to do: provide car buyers with mileage numbers they can compare across various vehicles. Isn't that a bit like your caddie recommending a golf club that will leave you 75 yards short of the green and then telling you that everyone else is short too? Think about it.

A bipartisan group of more than two dozen lawmakers is proposing legislation that would force the EPA to change the test procedures used to determine fuel economy ratings. The lawmakers say that in real-world driving no one gets the mileage posted on car and truck window stickers and published in government fuel economy guides.

Hello EPA.  Fix your tests; they're not up to par. We're just asking that the you give us a little slice of the truth before we use your information and get hooked into buying our new car.