Mileage figures to get real

Ratings will now factor in cold weather, driving with AC on, higher speeds

A different kind of sticker shock is coming to auto showrooms in Canada as EnerGuide ratings will show that most 2015 vehicles use more fuel than their 2014 counterparts.

It’s not a case of cars and trucks becoming less efficient. The revised ratings are based on new testing methods developed by Natural Resources Canada that better reflect how Canadians drive.

“In most cases, ratings on a 2015 model will show higher fuel consumption than the equivalent 2014 model because the new test method is more realistic,” the ministry said in a news release this week.

Fuel-efficiency testing conducted by manufacturers will now take into account summer heat and winter weather and include higher-speed driving with quicker acceleration and braking. The 2015 ratings will incorporate results from a city test conducted at -7C, a test at 35 C with the air conditioner running, and a high-speed/quick acceleration test averaging 78 km/h and reaching a top speed of 129 km/h. The previous top speed tested was 97 km/h, during the highway test.

The new Canadian testing is similar to methods first used in the United States for the 2008 model year.

Vancouver-based auto journalist Zack Spencer, who co-hosts Driving Television on Global and a Corus radio show heard on CHED, has railed against the old ratings for years. He tells consumers to look up U.S. figures and convert them into Imperial gallons or metric.

“I’ve always said these (Canadian) numbers are made up in fairyland,” Spencer said Wednesday. “They’re not real. The cars were never really stressed the way a regular driver stresses their vehicle every day — starting in cold temperatures, running with the air conditioning on, passing at higher speeds. These are the sorts of things that we do every day that really greatly impacts on fuel economy.”

The new testing method is “doing Canadians a huge service,” he said. “Now people can cross-shop with much more confidence.”

But real-world results will still depend on individual drivers, Spencer said.

“Only consumers driving with their own individual style will be able to get what is their best fuel economy, because a huge part of this comes down to how you drive, where you drive and how you maintain your vehicle.”

Michael Hatch, chief economist for the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association, said CADA is planning some initiatives to help educate dealers and consumers about the new ratings.

“Part of our process is to educate our dealers about that, so that consumers aren’t shocked if they look at 2015 tests and compare them to 2014 tests and all of a sudden it looks like vehicles aren’t as efficient as they used to be,” Hatch said.

“That is not the truth. Every year, cars are getting cleaner and more fuel efficient, regardless of what these new tests say compared to previous years.”

Hatch said that while price is the most important number people take into account when they are shopping for a new car, fuel econ-

‘‘I’ve always said these (Canadian) numbers are made up in fairyland.” Zack Spencerauto, is journalt

omy is one of the top technical considerations.

Natural Resources Canada says starting with 2016 vehicles, a redesigned label will include more information, including a combined city/highway rating, C02 emissions and the range of fuel consumption of vehicles in the same class. That label will also take into account emerging technologies such as battery-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.