Highway Mileage in my 5.0 Genesis this weekend

[Aquineas]

This isn't at all relevant to the Fusion as the cars don't directly compete, but still I got such good mileage (relatively speaking) this weekend that I had to share. Friday night driving from Houston to Dallas on I-45, I filled up just before getting on I-45. With the cruise set at 80 most of the way, I got 28.3 MPG. This has been by far my best mileage (typical highway mileage is 25-26). Not bad for a 429 HP 4000+ pound car that was fully loaded.

Edited May 19, 2013 by Aquineas

[acdii]

Dude!!! The Genesis is an Awesome car. It is one I would love to have someday, but for now, MPG is a bigger need than anything else.

 

:worship:

[Aquineas]

Thanks! I love my Genny (it's my second one; my first was a 4.6), but I am seriously excited about the upcoming FFH. It's going to be a battle for the keys in the beginning for sure ;-).

[rico567]

Dude!!! The Genesis is an Awesome car. It is one I would love to have someday, but for now, MPG is a bigger need than anything else.

 

:worship:

Same here- we would no doubt have test-driven the Genesis, as well as Lexus, Acura (and be seriously considering M-B, BMW, and Audi CPO cars) if it weren't for the fact that gas mileage is such a high priority in whatever car we buy. And even in this size (we've driven Outback, Prius, Accord, Passat, FFH) there are precious few contenders. The Outback was a very attractive ride except for the fuel efficiency issue. At present, there are no more than three contenders in the >40mpg category.....and none in a car of the Genesis' size.

[Aquineas]

I think if I hadn't seen/heard such horror stories from Volkswagen from around the turn of the millennium (anecdotal co-worker stories of oil sludging and generally a littany of problems that were handled horribly the local dealer in Austin at the time), I would be have seriously considered a Passat Diesel.

Edited June 2, 2013 by Aquineas

[keithsm2]

wasnt there like a 17 mph tail wind???

[djminfll]

I think if I hadn't seen/heard such horror stories from Volkswagen from around the turn of the millennium (anecdotal co-worker stories of oil sludging and generally a littany of problems that were handled horribly the local dealer in Austin at the time), I would be have seriously considered a Passat Diesel.

When it looked like delivery of my FFH was going to be delayed beyond the promised delivery date, I considered the Passat Diesel as an alternative choice. Nice car, smooth ride, and decent mpg. And the dealer was REALLY willing to negotiate. But I knew that once the Ford dealer called me to tell me my car was ready, I would have been upset for not waiting. Plus, I remembered that when I had a Mazda Millenia in the past, it was serviced at a VW/Mazda/Kia dealer, and there was a woman in the waiting room one day who had a notebook full of the complaints she had with her VW. She told me she was so excited, because when this repair didn't last, she was finally eligible for a Lemon Law exchange. We got into a discussion with a number of other service customers, and every single one of the VW customers was complaining how many problems they had with their VWs, and this was everything from the Golf, Beetle, and Jetta, to the Passat. I kept thinking about that, and decided to wait for the FFH to be delivered. As luck would have it, it ended up only being delayed a few days past the promised delivery date, so I am glad I made the decision to wait!

[aaronj1159]

Eh. My family has had 3 VW's in the past (I learned on a 2000 Beetle, then traded for a 2006 Jetta. My dad had a 2008 Passat). We never had a single issue with any of them that wasn't our own fault. So, personally I see them as reliable cars.

[Aquineas]

Eh. My family has had 3 VW's in the past (I learned on a 2000 Beetle, then traded for a 2006 Jetta. My dad had a 2008 Passat). We never had a single issue with any of them that wasn't our own fault. So, personally I see them as reliable cars.

Google VW engine sludge.

[aaronj1159]

Google VW engine sludge.

Okay. I mean a lot of car manufacturers have to have recalls at some point for various reasons. Ours may have one for this fuel leak soon. None of our VWs ever had a single issue. That's all I'm saying. They would have been my first choice when I was shopping but they don't currently make anything that meet my specifications.

[rico567]

I tend to be skeptical of all anecdotal evidence, with which the Internet abounds. (Note: that includes MY anecdotes, which I heartily urge everyone to ignore). It's a well established rule that people voice their complaints, and if they're content, they tend not to. And who is a car service waiting room going to attract but people with issues? This comprises a self-selected sample. An example of an artificially selected sample is a survey done at Stanford University a number of years back that indicated that over 80% of women on campus had been sexually assaulted. Where was the survey distributed? In the campus battered women's shelter. Hell, I'm surprised it was only 80%!

 

(Note: another anecdote coming!)

 

I read a thread on a VW forum where one owner thought that VW should recall all their diesel cars and replace the high-pressure fuel pump. Why? Because his had gone bad, that's why. The rest of the story is that VW replaced his fuel pump for free outside of warranty, and sent him a check for two months' car payment. And yet he continues to insist that the "right thing" for VW to do would be to recall tens of thousands of cars to replace a component that has a documented failure rate of <1%.

 

(Please feel free to ignore preceding anecdote.)

 

In my opinion, this sums up perfectly where we get a lot of our notions of what cars are and aren't bad. The only thing that registers with many people when they read the above anectode is "VWs have bad fuel pumps." Am I supposed to believe that Ford has general, serious quality problems because of several comments I've read in this forum? I don't think so.

Edited June 13, 2013 by rico567

[aaronj1159]

^My thoughts exactly.^

[acdii]

I wouldnt get a VW based on two things, neither of which is based on other peoples problems. First and foremost, I just dont like how they look inside or out. Second, Diesel maintenance, I dont know if it is true with the Diesels today, but a few years back, if you did not do the 90K maintenance, which cost up to $900 depending on who does it, you have a very high risk of blowing the engine as it deals with the timing belt. Back in the 90's when I was working turning a wrench, breaking a timing belt on the majority of cars usually meant a complete valve job, or worse, a head replacement or complete engine, as the valves interfered with the pistons, and the VW diesel was no different. Also since the water pump was part of the timing belt setup, that was when you replaced the pump, just to be safe, it also required special tools, so a dealer is the most likely place to have it done, so it got to be pretty pricey. It may or may not have changed since the last 2007 model, but this would be why i wouldnt get one.

[Aquineas]

I agree all manufacturers have their problems and "problem children", but the VW and Audi dealerships (the Audi dealership wasn't as bad, but still vehemently fought to deny culpability) I'm referring to are incredibly arrogant and treated these two particular customers (who are friends and co-workers of mine) like horse dung once the sale was made.

In any case, the VW lovers out there are welcome to vote with their wallets to show their support, and those like me, who have little to no faith in them after seeing at least 2 people in my company have engine sludge problems while observing VW/Audi (one of the cars was an A4) do everything possible to deny responsibility, can choose not to. I'm sure the Passat Hybrid is selling very well. I mean, you own one, right?

Edited June 14, 2013 by Aquineas