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Are engines becoming more efficient or not?

I recently bought a Hyundai i10 1.2 for my wife. It is an excellent car but only returns 42mpg compared to the stated 61mpg, less than my old Triumph Spitfire (47mpg) and early Ford Fiesta (44mpg). The fact that the Spitfire and Fiesta, with their pushrod iron block engines from the sixties, are more efficient than the i10 only show how little progress we have made in fuel efficiency down the years, at least in small capacity engines.

Asked on 6 September 2012 by CM, Ammanford, Carms

Answered by Honest John
At: www.honestjohn.co.uk/RealMpg/Results?manufacturer=...i the Hyundai i10 1.2 is showing a real life average fuel economy of 44.2mpg. That is the true figure and the only figure you should pay any attention to. EC lab test figures are for CO2 certification purposes alone and do not represent real life. The emissions equipment that modern engines have to carry can make them less fuel efficient, but this is countered by the fact that lower speed limits and increased enforcement mean that most of us drive more slowly these days.
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