On Mon, 25 Oct 2004, daagar wrote:

> I have a new (< 3000miles) 2004 Dodge Neon SXT (auto trans.). The
> sticker said the car should be getting 25-31 MPG.

No, the sticker said the car rated 25 mpg on the EPA's simulated
city-driving cycle, and 31 mpg on the EPA's simulated highway-driving
cycle. This does NOT mean the car "should get" that mileage! The EPA test
protocols are slightly more representative of real-world driving
conditions than they were in the '70s and '80s, but not much -- there's
still a very wide gap between how the EPA computer "drives" the car and
how any actual human being does it on actual, real roads.

> I have yet to get anything above 22-23 regardless of my driving
> (city/highway/etc).

By all means, have it checked out in case there's something wrong, but
don't think that the numbers on the sticker are any kind of indication or
guarantee.

DS