Why is our FIAT 500 TwinAir returning just 30mpg?

I badly need your help. We bought a FIAT 500 TwinAir recently because it’s a quirky car, has no road tax, is Congestion Charge-free and we were told it would do 70mpg by the FIAT dealer. We are most disappointed...

Why is my Mazda 6 returning just 40mpg when it is advertised as returning up to 52mpg?

I bought a Mazda 6 estate 'Takuya' edition in September 2010. It’s a 2.2TDi (163ps) with an advertised mpg of 40.9 urban and 52.3 combined. Given the rising price of fuel, the mpg performance was a key...

Why is my Honda Civic hybrid returning just 37mpg? Are hybrids useless?

Are hybrids pointless? I have a Honda Civic 1.4 IMA hybrid. It returns less than 37mpg, confirmed by the trip meter and by calculation. I've contacted Honda, who declined to take any action, citing all...

Did my Mercedes-Benz dealer alter my tyre pressures to improve fuel economy?

I purchased a new Mercedes-Benz E220CDI in December 2009. In January I received a call from the dealership asking me to take the car in for a warranty job to be carried out. I took the car in and waited...

Why does my Alfa Romeo MiTo only achieve 75 per cent of its quoted mpg figure?

I know from what you have written that official fuel economy figures are unachievable, but does there come a point at which they are misrepresenting the car? I bought an Alfa MiTo in August (pre-reg but...

My test indicates that using cruise control can reduce fuel economy by approximately 10 per cent.

Your correspondents ask about the relative fuel consumption of cruise control versus manual driving. I have recently driven three return journeys from Cambridgeshire to South Devon, in my Honda Accord...

Why doesn't my Hyundai ix35 achieve anywhere near its quoted mpg figure?

I bought a Hyundai ix35 4wd diesel manual at the end of October. We are delighted with the car except for its fuel consumption. When we first had it and it was running in I did not expect any reasonable...

What could have caused pins and needles in my hands after driving a friend's Hyundai i30 long distance?

Each December a friend and I travel from Yorkshire to Scotland, usually in my petrol BMW 318 automatic. This year, because my car is a snow hater, we went in my friend's two-month-old diesel Hyundai i30...

Why would you buy a Fiat 500 TwinAir when it returns worse fuel economy than the 500 1.2?

Further to our discussion about the FIAT 500 TwinAir, ‘Autocar’ only got 37mpg out of the car on its first drive of the Lounge and 35.7 mpg on the full Autocar test, which is far worse than you get in...

Is the 85ps FIAT 500 TwinAir a real alternative to the 500 1.4?

I want to buy a FIAT 500 and decided that the 100PS 1.4 engine should provide the kind of performance I am looking for. FIAT has now produced the 85PS 'TwinAir'. Should I consider this, as FIAT claim,...