egmCarTech reports on a
USA Today article that states that:
In a recent study conducted by Kelsey Mays of Cars.com, she used a 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK350 to find out what the real difference was in fuel economy. Normally, the car gets 31.7 mpg, but with the top down, the car lost 4.4 miles per gallon, an overall 14% decrease occurred.
The loss of gas mileage is due to too much wind. As the article concludes:
Despite many attempts by automakers, so far none have succeeded in wind reduction. Maybe they aren’t thinking far enough outside the box, or maybe it is simply impossible to avoid.
