[thoma]

Originally Posted by shadows123

we are more judicious about fuel due to circumstances.

Necessity is the mother of all inventions

the quality of diesel sold in India wrt to Europe and America is very poor where as petrol is much better in this regard

You mean to say that in India, if we burn equal quantity of both the fuels in their respective engines, the diesel one is more harmful? I'm a noob on this. Was of the thought that though diesel produced more particulate matter, the diesel exhaust was greener than the petrol one for the environment.

EDIT:Just reading http://www.cseindia.org/node/83

[oxyzen]

Originally Posted by thoma

But, aren't all manufacturers rated on the same scale? So, I guess that comparison of FE ratings between cars are fine whereas comparing an FE rating with practical scenario is not.

Yes they are. But the one with higher FE rating in ARAI Test need not necessarily provide better real world FE. But yes, that is a fair test no one can argue about.

Originally Posted by one-77

At least for diesel sedans, you can get close to the ARAI certified fuel efficiency on the highway. But I'm yet to see an A-Star or Fiesta that gives 30+ kmpl.

Reason: Diesels are not ridiculously geared as petrol.
With lots of torque on tap, the AC load is negligible. (no downshifting)

Originally Posted by rambo1o1

I suppose now people will sue ARAI/car manufactures because they are not getting the promised figures published by ARAI?? ARAI publishes high figures for various cars which cannot be met due to various reasons.So now can i sue ARAI??

You are not entirely wrong.
I think the driving cycle should be changed and made such that you get reallife FE in the tests. It is the driving pattern that is to blame. So may be you can sue.

[highway_star]

That's 1 lakh for one customer. What if all Zen owners decide to go to court with this complaint?

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by abybabykcc

Ford does give 32 kmpl... the first 12 km on level road and the last 20 km driving downhill with the car in neutral.

And with the engine off (to reduce pollution).

Originally Posted by sourabhzen

Why is it derogatory? We indirectly contribute to the environment by selecting a car based on fuel efficiency rather than the 'worshiped' Americans who do not care about their mileage figures.

I am not sure they even understand what that means.

[mac187]

Originally Posted by Daewood

Even i've met a couple of well educated folks who believed the FE claims and another one who believed the "made exclusively for India" ads of another manufacturer. But that could be because of their lack of interest in cars and not because they are dumb.

Its not that people are dumb. One would think before plonking in 7-8 lakhs a person would do his due diligence. But people do believe in advertisements and the tall claims they make. Many fall prey to these false claims, an ordinary person or a educated illiterate..

[S_U_N]

I have a 1997 Zen carb and the only reason I am not selling it is due to the excellent fuel efficiency. I am sure that the MPFI Zen would be doing a better job at that.

I would expect FE of 14-15 in city conditions with not much traffic is very easy to achieve. Highway mileage around 17-18 with AC is easily achievable.



To me, it looks like Maruti has to pay since they were not able to solve the FE problem of the complainant.
An FE of 10 kmpl for Zen is really low. The guy should have sought a good mechanic outside. But if he does get compensation from Maruti, then this is good.

BTW: Off-topic: Is this compensation taxable?

[paperweight]

The ARAI figures are being widely quoted by car manufacturers but these too are fiction. cars rarely drive in the conditions used for ARAI testing. The average speed in Kolkata is about 9 Km per hour - you will never get the FE that ARAI certifies.

The state of the engine oil and the air filter along with the spark plugs and their wiring will all have an impact. Apart from that tinkering with the ECU may have a major impact. The state of the sensors that the ECU uses will have an impact. These are not really user accessible though they should be, through the simple mechanism of diagnostic printouts at every service. And what about petrol contamination? Is there a meter in the car that will measure octane levels in real-time?

In all this car manufacturers should know better than to use non ARAI figures to boost their sales - even the certified yardstick (ARAI FE) is pie in the sky for most people.

[k_nitin_r]

cars rarely drive in the conditions used for ARAI testing. The average speed in Kolkata is about 9 Km per hour - you will never get the FE that ARAI certifies.

Yesterday, I managed to get to work driving half way (about 4 km) normally. The remaining half of the distance (about 4 km) was covered in 1st gear in stop and go traffic. That's an example of less-than-standard testing conditions and, even with a hybrid, I may not achieve close to the ARAI FE testing figures.

[noopster]

I think the judgement is a little harsh on Maruti in particular and car makers in general. FE is a very subjective thing and as a consumer you need to be aware that what is achieved under test conditions need not necessarily be what you get in real life. Quoting a local mechanic who once told my friend, "Sab gaadi das detay hai" (All cars give 10 kmpl). For a petrol, expecting 8-12 kmpl is reasonable, for a diesel perhaps 11-15 kmpl under normal operating conditions, for most cars. Highway runs you may end up getting MORE than the ARAI number as well.

What you may now have is a lot of people running to the consumer forum claiming the same thing and those with genuine issues may not have a chance to get their issues sorted.

[CARDEEP]

IMO this is a good judgement as it would act as a deterrent to cheat gullible customer many of whom are first time buyers & do not have adequate information/ experience of motor vehicles.

Whatever mileage the cars get in case of hypermiling runs should not be basis of selling cars (like MS used the ACI figures), or everyone would come with own set of super figures.

Even Tata Manza has its name included in Limca Book of Records for hypermiling, but did they use the same repeatedly unlike what appears from the facts of the case, & also in case of Ford India which is openly claiming unrealistic figures.

I also feel that ARAI is appointed for this work, & if we feel that ARAI has made a mistake in few cases, we should sue ARAI, but, only if we can scientifically prove the low mileage claims (like in Hyundai's case).

[souravc]

I think the companies should be encouraged to display the "expected" mileage alongwith the ARAI mileage figures . I find consumers do not understand what the ARAI driving conditions mean and there is a mismatch between expectation and performance . Poor trained sales guys do not help the situation either .

Originally Posted by S_U_N

BTW: Off-topic: Is this compensation taxable?

Yes, I think it is taxable given that there is no specific exemption mentioned (at least not that I know of) - the compensation would be clubbed together with the total income.

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by souravc

I think the companies should be encouraged to display the "expected" mileage alongwith the ARAI mileage figures . I find consumers do not understand what the ARAI driving conditions mean and there is a mismatch between expectation and performance . Poor trained sales guys do not help the situation either .

I think consumers also need to educate themselves before they go out to buy a car. At least they should inquire about the ARAI certification and talk to owners for actual efficiency(if that is what they are looking for). I mean they are not buying potatoes worth Rs. 20 a kg, it is car and they are going to spend lacs of hard earned money on it.

The expected mileage varies alot depending on driving conditions, traffic, condition of the roads, AC usage, load/no. of passengers etc. The manufacturer can not give expected mileage for each of the above factor or with combination of two or more factors.

[Karthik Chandra]

Mohali District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum directs MSIL and its dealership to pay 10K compensation for deficient service

http://auto.economictimes.indiatimes...ation/50062287