Fuel Efficiency Adviser
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CNET Editors' Review
CNET Editors' Rating
- Reviewed by: Wayne Cunningham
- Reviewed on:
The good: The Fuel Efficiency Adviser serves up loads of data about your car. It is highly programmable and also displays and clears engine error codes.
The bad: The device doesn't offer any actual tips on driving more efficiently, requiring you to interpret the data. Some cars have trip computers that replicate many of the Fuel Efficiency Adviser's functions.
The bottom line: For serious car geeks with an engineering bent, the Fuel Efficiency Adviser will provide a satisfying array of data, but others will be overwhelmed by the complexity.
A typical car's trip computer shows information like average miles per gallon, range to empty, and distance traveled, but if you want to know more about your car's performance--a lot more--then the Fuel Efficiency Adviser deserves a place on your dashboard. Billed as a device to help you drive more frugally, the Fuel Efficiency Adviser overwhelms with an incredible amount of data, everything from instant miles per gallon all the way to manifold pressure.
Unlike the PLX Kiwi, which uses colorful graphics to indicate efficient driving, the Fuel Efficiency Adviser provides the kind of data that only an ... Expand full review
A typical car's trip computer shows information like average miles per gallon, range to empty, and distance traveled, but if you want to know more about your car's performance--a lot more--then the Fuel Efficiency Adviser deserves a place on your dashboard. Billed as a device to help you drive more frugally, the Fuel Efficiency Adviser overwhelms with an incredible amount of data, everything from instant miles per gallon all the way to manifold pressure.
Unlike the PLX Kiwi, which uses colorful graphics to indicate efficient driving, the Fuel Efficiency Adviser provides the kind of data that only an engineer could love. But along with that data comes a great degree of programmability. And even better, the device can be used to check and clear a car's error codes.
Design
A rather simple plastic box dominated by a monochrome LCD screen on the front, the Fuel Efficiency Adviser looks as utilitarian as its functions. It is fairly small, only about 6 inches long, and could sit low on a car's stack, below the stereo and climate controls, where it would be unobtrusive.
More difficult to hide will be its cable, which plugs into a car's ODB II port, usually found under the dashboard near the center. Fortunately, Fuel Efficiency Centers, the company that produces the Fuel Efficiency Adviser, included plugs on the side and back of the device, giving you some flexibility for how you attach it to a car.
The front of the device has five buttons, just simple white studs, all unlabeled. Four are soft buttons, their functions changing depending on what the LCD is showing, while the fifth, in the lower right, is a menu button that will take you back to the Fuel Efficiency Adviser's home screen. The various data or menu items shown on the screen are all easy to read, although many of the abbreviations require you to read the manual to understand.
Features
The Fuel Efficiency Adviser reads and displays data from your car's engine management computer, which is transmitted through the OBD II port. It also lets you program in some data, such as your cost per gallon of gas. Data from the user and from the car is used by the device to calculate items like your current trip cost.
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Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET, and appears on the Car Tech Live podcast Thursdays at noon, PST. He's also the author of "Vaporware," a novel that's available as a Kindle or Nook e-book.
User Reviews
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Most recent user reviews
Showing 3 of 3 reviews
"Hope it's an upgraded ScanGauge II" By Lionum
Pros: (for SG2)
small, easy-to-install (or keep in the car), & doesn't require extra software. Runs on OBDII port power. Depending on how you install it, it can be very easy to remove & carry in your pocket (about the size & weight of a Snickers(TM)
Cons: (for SG2)
6ft cable may be too short to place the gauge where you want. OBDII connector on the cable has a snap catch to keep the cable connected - this can make it very difficult to disconnect without breaking the snap.
Summary: I don't have this model, but the ScanGauge II has instantaneous MPG, RPM & engine load readouts. I got the SG2 because my Sentra kept going into "limp-home" mode due to a faulty throttle position sensor. The sensor was later replaced under warranty, but before then I could just ... Expand full review
"A rebadged Scangauge II... but that's a good thing." By clashboard
Pros: - reads and clears codes
- provides sensor readings
Cons: - glitchy mpg reading
- cheap looking
Summary: This is identical to the Scangauge device that I purchased a few weeks ago. I originally bought it to help me diagnose an erratic engine idle issue that my mechanic couldn't figure out or replicate.
A few days later, the idle issue returned and I immediately plugged in the ... Expand full review
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