![]() The rooftop box resulted in a 9 mpg decrease for the Altima and a 5 mpg drop for the RAV4. They were mostly hidden behind the wider, boxier RAV4’s bodywork. The bikes stuck out beyond the sides of the sedan, which created extra drag. The Nissan lost 12 mpg with the bikes on the hitch-mounted rack, while the RAV4 was down only 5 mpg. There’s even a loss when driving with an empty roof rack: The Altima dropped 5 mpg, and the Toyota lost 2 mpg. The RAV4 lost 7 mpg, dropping to 32 mpg from 39 mpg. The Altima lost 13 mpg, going from 46 mpg to 33 mpg. Carrying two mountain bikes on the roof had the biggest impact. We did fuel-economy tests at highway speed on a Nissan Altima and Toyota RAV4 with a roof rack, a tail-hitch rack, and a rooftop box. Don’t add to that by carrying unneeded things on the roof. At highway speeds, more than 50 percent of engine power goes to overcoming aerodynamic drag. Remove roof racks when they are not being used. Smooth acceleration, cornering, and braking also extend the life of the engine, transmission, brakes, and tires.Ħ. Drive smoothly and anticipate the movement of traffic. Unnecessary braking wastes the fuel you used to get up to speed. The harder you accelerate, the more fuel you use. Once up to speed, maintain a steady pace. In our tests, frequent bursts of acceleration and braking reduced an older Toyota Camry ’s mileage by 2 to 3 mpg. ![]() Avoid hard acceleration and braking whenever possible. Beyond fuel concerns, speeding is, of course, a safety risk.ĥ. Another way to look at it: Speeding up from 55 to 75 mph is like moving from a compact car to a large SUV. The penalty of cruising at 75 mph, rather than 65 mph, was almost 7 mpg in the Altima and 6 mpg in the RAV4. Higher speeds exact a toll in fuel consumption. We found that reducing speed from 65 mph to 55 mph improved fuel economy by 6 mpg in the Altima and 8 mpg in the RAV4. Your driving habits can play a significant role in fuel economy.Ī recent CR test shows this: We measured gas mileage while driving at a steady 55, 65, and 75 mph in a Nissan Altima and Toyota RAV4. When you drive, follow the speed limits and drive smoothly. If you can delay errands or other activities, you will preserve the gas that you purchased and reduce overall consumption for the region, helping in some small way to reduce the gas scarcity.Ĥ. ![]()
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