Automotive Acronyms Trivia Quiz

Answer: Miles Per Gallon

MPG stands for 'Miles Per Gallon" and is a common measure of the fuel efficiency of automobile engines. MPG testing is common throughout many parts of the world, including the U.S., U.K., Japan, and Korea among many other countries, and is mainly done by government agencies, although automobile manufacturers and independent testers also perform these tests. Automobile manufacturers in the U.S. are required to display this information on all new vehicles sold.

Answer: Pounds per Square Inch

The "Pounds per Square Inch" or "pound-force per square inch" is a unit of pressure or of stress. It is the pressure resulting from a force of one pound-force applied to an area of one square inch. This is very common in the automotive industry to determine tire pressure. Over- or under-inflating tires can have a critical effect on an auto's performance, handling, and fuel efficiency. PSI guidelines in the U.S. are usually available on the tires themselves as well as information provided in the vehicle owner's manual.

Answer: Revolutions Per Minute

Revolutions per minute, abbreviated RPM, is a measure of the frequency of a rotation. It denotes the number of full rotations completed in one minute around a fixed axis. Automobile engines are usually operated at around 2500 rpm with the minimum speed usually around 1000 rpm and the redline at 6000-10,000 rpm. Redline is the maximum rotation the engine would be capable of performing at, and is not recommended as it could cause major damage.

Answer: Variable Valve Timing

In internal combustion engines, variable valve timing (VVT), is a
general term used to describe any mechanism or method that can alter the shape or timing of a valve lift event within an internal combustion engine. VVT allows the lift, duration or timing of the intake and/or exhaust valves to be changed while the engine is in operation. Alfa Romeo was the first manufacturer to use a variable valve timing system in production cars. The 1980 Alfa Romeo Spider 2.0 L had a mechanical VVT system in fuel injected cars sold in the United States.

Answer: Antilock Braking System

An anti-lock braking system or ABS is a electronic safety system that allows the wheels on a motor vehicle to continue to maintain traction with the road surface as directed by driver steering while braking, preventing the wheels from locking up and therefore helping to avoid skidding. An ABS generally offers improved vehicle control and decreases stopping distances on both dry and slippery surfaces for many drivers. Almost all vehicles on the road today have some form of ABS.

Answer: Flexible Fuel Vehicle

A flexible-fuel vehicle (FFV) or dual-fuel vehicle is an alternative fuel vehicle with an internal combustion engine designed to run on more than one fuel, usually gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol fuel, and both fuels are stored in the same common tank.

Modern flex-fuel engines are capable of burning any proportion of the resulting blend in the combustion chamber as fuel injection and spark timing are adjusted automatically according to the actual blend detected by electronic sensors.

The Ford Model T was the first commercial flex-fuel vehicle. The engine was capable of running on gasoline or ethanol, or a mix of both. Many of the modern vehicles can now run on ethanol which is the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages.

It is sometimes known as "grain alcohol" and can be produced from such crops as sugar, corn and potatoes. This product is commonly mixed into gasoline in many parts of the world.

Answer: Vehicle Identification Number

A Vehicle Identification Number, commonly abbreviated to VIN, is a unique serial number used by the automotive industry to identify individual motor vehicles. VINs were first used in 1954. In 1981, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the United States standardized the format.

It required all over-the-road-vehicles sold to contain a 17-character VIN, which does not include the letters I (i), O (o), or Q (q) so as not to be confused with the numbers one and zero. These vehicle identification numbers can be very useful to determine whether a vehicle has been in a prior accident, has been reported as flood or hail damaged, or been salvaged.

There are a number of independent website which can provide this information based on the VIN.

The numbers also appear on major vehicle components making them less likely to be stolen for parts.

Answer: Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price

The manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP), or list price of a product is the price which the manufacturer recommends that the retailer sell the product. The intention was to help to standardize prices among locations. This is the number you will find on the window sticker of every new car when you walk into a U.S. new car sales location.

This price is what the factory believes the automobile should be sold for, however most vehicles sold rarely generate the displayed selling price.

Answer: Sport Utility Vehicle

A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. It is usually, but not necessarily, equipped with four-wheel drive for on-or off-road ability. The term is not used in all countries, and outside North America the terms "off-road vehicle", "four-wheel drive" or "four-by-four" or simply the use of the brand name to describe the vehicle like "Jeep" or "Land Rover" are more common.

These vehicles were very popular in the 1990s and into the 2000s, but their popularity is usually tied to the price of gasoline as these vehicles are generally poor on fuel economy.

Answer: Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an agency of the U.S. government protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress. Two of the most important areas that the EPA oversees in the U.S. that relate to the automotive industry are air pollution and fuel economy. Companies selling automobiles in the USA are required to provide EPA fuel economy test results for their vehicles.

The fuel economy is calculated using the emissions data collected during two of the vehicle's Clean Air Act certification tests by measuring the total volume of carbon captured from the exhaust during the tests. Tests are done on selected vehicles throughout the year and companies found to be in non-compliance with fuel economy and air quality standards may be hit with severe penalties.