One of my favorite magazines arrived in the mail a few days ago with a back page ad for the 2013 Ford Explorer. Nice looking car.
The tag line on the ad reads “EcoBoost fuel economy and 365 horsepower*”
The fine print at the bottom says EPA-estimated rating of 16 city/22 hwy/18 combined mpg. This is for a 3.5 liter engine and 4 wheel drive.
Until very recently, I drove a 1995 GMC Safari (essentially the same as a Chevrolet Astro), that was rated at 16 city/21 hwy for the AWD model, and this was with a 4.3 liter engine.
How is it that in almost 20 years of automotive technology advances a brand new passenger crossover SUV gets the same mileage as a hulking 1/2-ton utility van? That just ain’t right.
The fine print also notes that the advertised horsepower rating of 365 is for 93 octane premium fuel. When was the last time you saw premium at your gas station for anything more than 91-92 octane?
I don’t mean to pick on Ford here in particular, and I come from a family that bought and drove Fords for generations, But all of the automakers are pulling the same BS and greenwashing their new cars, and they need to be called on this. Do you agree?