Thanks for all the response and comments.
There are a couple of other possibilities. One is that the manufacturers do their EPA mileage testing using the most favorable vehicle and equipment using a particular engine. For example, I had a 2005 Dodge Dakota with the 4.7 liter V8. It had 4 wheel drive and the towing gear ratio (3.92). The 4 wheel drive made it several hundred pounds heavier than a 2 wheel drive version and it would get worse mileage than a version with a friendlier gas mileage version (I believe the normal rear end ratio was 3.34). This engine was also used in the Ram 1500 full sized pickup. The EPA rating was 21 highway and 15 city for this engine, regardless of model (Dakota or Ram) or equipment (2 wheel drive/4 wheel drive; 3.34 ratio or 3.92 ratio). I averaged 14.5 mpg over the life of the vehicle, with a high of 22 on a long trip and a low of 12 during a tank with all driving done in the city (no freeway at all) during a very rainy couple of weeks.
The other possibility may be the fuel brand. A friend bought a new Subaru Outback and got terrible mileage, much less than the EPA rating. She took it back to the dealer and they told her she is supposed to use Chevron gasoline only. When she switched, her mileage did improve slightly, although it was still not good. She finally contacted the manufacturer directly and got the dealer to recalibrate the computer, which brought her mileage close to the EPA numbers.
Now the EPA mpgs are for the specific combination of engine and drive train. The AWD mpgs are typically 1-2 lower than the FWD mpgs.
What a bunch of nonsense.
Not according to the EPA:
@GorehamJ ……… John, your posted chart is for AWD and the OP says theirs is FWD . But the fact remains that they have not been verifying that the dash readout is correct . Some vehicles readouts are really close but all of mine have been either low or high and every once in a while correct.
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Thanks '_V70! Indeed, I kept track of the difference between the dash readout and the MPG measured at the pump on a bunch of vehicles and documented the differences for a story once. If interested.