Three of Australia’s best-selling buses are thirstier and dirtier on the road than in the lab, according to the latest real-world vehicle tests.
The background: The Australian Automobile Association on Wednesday revealed road test results for a further 15 vehicles, from small SUVs to 4x4s.
While six out of 15 vehicles used less or as much fuel as promised, nine vehicles consumed more gasoline or diesel on the road, one of which exceeded the estimate by 7%.
Alarmingly, four of the vehicles tested also produced more harmful emissions than allowed in laboratory tests.
The key quote: “We can now confidently say that while some vehicles produce fuel economy and emissions in line with laboratory tests reported by car manufacturers, many do not,” said Michael Bradley, chief executive of the Australian Automobile Association (AAA).
What else to know: Three of the country’s best-selling utes were driven on roads around Geelong, Victoria, in the latest tests and all used more diesel than expected and produced more nitrogen oxide than laboratory tests allowed.
The current model Ford Ranger 4×4 ute exceeded the laboratory NOx limit by 26%, while the 2023 Isuzu D-Max 4×2 ute and 2024 4×4 ute exceeded the limit by more than 50%.
What happens next? The latest figures bring AAA’s vehicle testing to 58 in its first year, and Bradley said the results showed it was necessary to undertake the testing.