1985 Mercury Lynx Wagon MPG
| EPA combined | 24–34mpg |
|---|---|
| Citybest tested version | 31mpg |
| Highwaybest tested version | 39mpg |
| Engines tested | 2.0L 4-cyl, 1.9L 4-cyl and 1.6L 4-cyl |
| Transmissions | Manual 5-spd, Manual 4-spd and Automatic 3-spd |
| Drive | Front-Wheel Drive |
| Fuel | Diesel and Regular |
| Class | Small Station Wagons |
| EPA annual fuel costat 15,000 miles a year, at the fuel price used in the year of publication | $2,350 |
| CO₂ tailpipe | 299g/mile |
Notes
- The 1985 Mercury Lynx Wagon was tested in 9 versions, and they do not all return the same figure. 2.0L 4-cyl Manual 5-spd — 31/39/34 mpg; 1.9L 4-cyl Manual 4-spd — 28/39/32 mpg; 1.9L 4-cyl Manual 4-spd — 24/33/27 mpg; 1.9L 4-cyl Manual 5-spd — 23/34/27 mpg; 1.6L 4-cyl Manual 4-spd — 23/32/27 mpg; 1.9L 4-cyl Manual 5-spd — 23/33/27 mpg; and others. The spread between the best and worst here is 10 mpg, which is why "what does this model get" has no single answer without naming the engine and gearbox.
- These are laboratory figures, not a prediction of your fuel economy. EPA runs a standardised dynamometer cycle so that any two cars can be compared on identical terms. Real driving diverges from it in every direction — short trips before the engine warms, cold weather, roof boxes, tyre pressure, a heavy right foot and sustained speeds above about 60 mph all cost several mpg each. EPA's own guidance is that the label figure is a comparison tool, and that individual results vary widely.
- The test method changed in 2008, and older figures are not comparable. EPA revised its procedure for the 2008 model year to reflect higher speeds, air conditioning use and cold-weather operation, and the revision cut published city figures by roughly 10–20%. Figures shown here for pre-2008 vehicles have been restated on the current method where EPA restated them, but a number quoted from an original 1990s brochure will look better than the same car does here — the car did not change.
- The annual fuel cost figure moves with the fuel price of the year it was published, not today's. It is useful for ranking one car against another and close to useless as a budget.
1985 Mercury Lynx Wagon fuel economy
1985 Mercury Lynx Wagon — 34 mpg combined, 31 city and 39 highway on the best tested version.
EPA tested 9 version(s) of this model year. Engines: 2.0L 4-cyl, 1.9L 4-cyl and 1.6L 4-cyl. Transmissions: Manual 5-spd, Manual 4-spd and Automatic 3-spd. Drive: Front-Wheel Drive.
Reading a laboratory figure honestly
These numbers exist so that two cars can be compared on identical terms, and for that they are excellent. As a prediction of what your own car will return, they are a starting point and nothing more.
The gap between the label and reality is not random. It opens up with short journeys taken before the engine reaches temperature, with cold weather, with sustained speeds above about 60 mph where aerodynamic drag dominates, with roof boxes and bike racks, with under-inflated tyres, and with hard acceleration. Each of those costs several miles per gallon on its own, and they compound.
The direction is almost always the same: real-world economy comes in below the label rather than above it, and the shortfall is largest for the cars with the highest ratings.
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