Who's Fuelling Who?

Family misfortune Peugeot has approved a partial takeover will each inject A$1.2 billion into a rescue of the century-old French car maker, the deal. Analysts believe the move — similar line first time the Peugeot family has not to the China-led reverse takeovers of Volvo held the controlling interest. the Chinese and Saab — will help the Chinese brand gain government-owned Dongfeng Motor a foothold in europe, as well as valuable Corporation and the French government production and quality control experience. Red APRIL 2014 Who’s fuelling who? It’s time for real-world economy and emissions figures FRUSTRATED because you can’t manufacturer’s own lab that’s been achieve that fuel consumption independently certified. The car figure stuck on your car’s is cycled through an urban loop, windscreen? Relax, you’re not then an extra-urban loop. The meant to. combined claim is arrived at via a The reality is, the figures don’t calculation of those two figures, as reflect the way we drive in the real specified by the ADR. These are the world, as you probably suspected. figures on the sticker and on the However, a new standard is being greenvehicleguide.com.au website. devised that should give a more The urban cycle runs for about accurate depiction of what fuel 800 seconds (13min 20sec) and economy and carbon-dioxide is designed to emulate stop-start emissions you can realistically traffic. The vehicle never accelerates expect to achieve. beyond 50km/h and is actually Unfortunately, its introduction stationary for four minutes. No here in Australia is years away. wonder car-makers are so keen on So let’s go through a bit of a idle-stop systems. The extra-urban primer here. That sticker on new- cycle lasts 380 seconds and the top car windscreens is derived from speed is 120km/h, albeit briefly. Australian Design Rule (ADR) 81/02. While the dyno is calibrated to It’s based on what’s called the New simulate aerodynamic drag and European Drive Cycle, which isn’t inertia, and a fan blows air through actually so new – its origins can be the car’s radiator and front intakes traced back to the 1970s. at intensities that simulate different The next thing to know about speeds, the reality is a lab-based ADR 81/02 is that the results are test such as this simply cannot not found by jumping into the emulate the real world. Weather, car, going for a blat down the road road conditions, driver behaviour and checking the trip computer and topography are not taken into claim. Nope, it all happens in a account. Power-sapping accessories temperature-controlled facility such as air-conditioning are on a chassis dyno – usually a switched off. 26 www.wheelsmag.com.au Sony GT Academy ReCkon you’re fast enough for F1? Here’s Aussies will be shortlisted, 14 from live events your chance to make it big. Sony and nissan around the country and 14 who clock the quickest are bringing the GT Academy to Australia in times on Gran Turismo 6. Six finalists will be 2014, meaning if you’re good enough on the selected to travel to Silverstone, UK, where the PlayStation, you could win a real factory GT fastest Aussie will race the rest of the world for drive with nissan at the Dubai 24 Hours. Just 28 the race seat. get those controllers ready. Who’s fuelling who? “It’s a very conservative get better lab results. And that’s top of that, there’s also a push in approach to driving and most because CO2 outputs and fuel Europe for real-world testing to people don’t drive like the test mileage are increasingly being become part of the homologation Out of represents,” former Holden and linked to registration and vehicle process for new models, alongside the lab Toyota powertrain engineer Natalie taxation costs, making lower the drive-cycle testing. NATALIE Roberts says. “What it does do is consumption and emissions a Meanwhile, in litigation-mad Roberts is serve as a good basis for vehicle-to- direct determinant of sales. America, consumers have taken an expert in vehicle comparisons.” “That’s where we see vehicles matters into their own hands, measuring That means if you’re shopping being designed and components opening class-action lawsuits fuel in the small-car class, for example, selected – it could be gearing or against Hyundai-Kia, Honda consumption you’ll find the new Mazda 3 Neo transmission shift points – that are and Ford over optimistic and emissions, 2.0-litre six-speed manual hatch optimised for the drive cycle on the official fuel-consumption and through her is officially claimed to consume test because they don’t want to pay claims advertised for their company, ABMARC (Automotive 5.9L/100km on the combined cycle. the cost,” Roberts explains. “Those cars. Hyundai-Kia has already Benchmarking The Golf 90 TSI manual’s claim decisions mean they get better fuel handed out $400 million Reporting Consulting), is 5.3L/100km. But in real-world consumption on the test, but it’s in compensation, blaming she’s trying to capitalise testing by Wheels last month, the potentially moving even further the exaggerated figures on the need for accurate new 3 came in at 7.9L/100km and away from what people will see in on “procedural errors” in reporting of vehicle economy. the VW 6.8L/100km. Though the the real world.” its testing. Roberts is pitching a ‘Real order remains the same, both are Absurdly tall gearing, ‘Eco’ But the trend for legal World Economy’ interactive thirstier than claimed and the gap modes that neuter your zesty action has spread to website that she hopes will be between them is bigger. However, twin-cam engine, start-stop modes Europe and there’s no up and running within two years. Rather than relying on lab-based the basic message is consistent; the – they’re all in the engineering reason increasingly drive cycles, she wants to integrate litigious Aussies Golf uses less fuel. It’s not a perfect arsenal. Stuff like this may or driver behaviour, road types and traffic guide by any means, but at least it may not help drivers in the real couldn’t have a conditions with baseline actual fuel is some sort of guide. world, but it definitely helps crack, too. That economy and emissions figures obtained via The problem is that the spread manufacturers on the drive cycles. might get a portable emissions measurement equipment, from drive-cycle results to the Responses are occurring as the replacement to come up with meaningful real-world real world has been found to be reality gap widens. The first is that for ADR 81/02 numbers. It’s a big project. She wants to survey getting wider. That’s because – new standard under development, happening a the driving behaviour of about 1000 Australians surprise, surprise – manufacturers known as the Worldwide Light- bit sooner. and gather independent data on 45 percent of new vehicles before the site launches. are working the system harder to duty vehicle Test Cycle (WLTC). On BRUCE NEWTON www.wheelsmag.com.au 27.

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