10 Most Fuel Efficient Cars

[Dover]

We've compiled a list of the 10 most fuel-efficient cars currently sold in the U.S. based on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) miles-per-gallon ratings for city and highway travel. In order to arrive at a final hierarchy, we used the EPA's combined fuel economy formula: 55 percent of city mpg rating plus 45 percent of highway mpg rating. The rating for each vehicle below is expressed in mpg as a city/highway ratio. All ratings apply to base models equipped with a manual transmission, except where indicated otherwise with an asterisk. Also, we only allowed a given model to appear once on the list, except in the case of the Honda Civic because it's available in both gas-electric hybrid and regular gasoline versions.



Honda Insight — 61/66


Toyota Prius — 60/51*


Honda Civic Hybrid — 45/51


Volkswagen Golf TDI — 38/46
Volkswagen Jetta TDI — 38/46
Volkswagen New Beetle TDI — 38/46


Honda Civic HX — 36/44


Toyota Echo — 35/42


Toyota Corolla — 32/41


Scion xA — 32/37


Honda Accord Hybrid — 30/37*
Pontiac Vibe — 30/36
Toyota Matrix — 30/36
Scion xB — 31/35*


Dodge Neon — 29/36
Toyota Celica GT — 29/36*

http://edmunds.nytimes.com/reviews/list/top10/103325/article.html?tid=nytimes.e.....Other+Make*?pagewanted=all

Hmmmm....does the new Ford hybrid get less than these cars?

_________________________________________________________________


Fuel Economy Plan Bypasses California to Help Out Detroit
NYT. Aug. 25, 2005


...The plan aims to increase the fuel efficiency of light trucks sold nationwide to 24 miles per gallon in 2011 models from 21.2 m.p.g. today. How much it would actually increase efficiency is hard to say because of the plan's structure, which could encourage production of larger, less fuel-efficient vehicles.

By contrast, California's emissions regulation would effectively force automakers to have a combined fuel economy for cars and trucks of about 33 m.p.g. by the 2016 model year and save 1.7 billion gallons of gas in California alone in just five years, the state's Air Resources Board projects.

But the California plan faces an uphill battle; it is being challenged in court by automakers, and the administration's new fuel economy proposal says it would interfere with its own regulatory authority. The administration's vision for the American automobile is a far more likely regulatory future.

The White House plan is intended to help the struggling domestic automakers, General Motors and Ford Motor. They could use the help - Moody's cut the debt rating of both companies to junk on yesterday.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/25/business/25place.html?oref=login

[phantom power]

1. Only two American cars on that list. But they'll blame the foreigners

for eating our lunch yet again, and call us traitors for buying foreign cars, because we can afford to use them.

[MikeDuffy]

2. What about in Europe (and maybe Asia)?

Can you get a top 10 list to compare with ours, so that we can see what might be available here soon? Of course, safety and possibly environmental and "not invented here" concerns play a role when that will happen...

[One_Life_To_Give]

3. Top 10 UK

From http://www.360clicks.co.uk/cars

1) HONDA INSIGHT at 94.2MPG (Why does it get another 30MPG in UK?)

2) SMART CITY-CABRIOLET at 65.7MPG

3) SMART CITY-COUPE at 65.7MPG

4) SUZUKI SWIFT at 62.8MPG

5) AUDI A2 at 58.9MPG

6) DAEWOO MATIZ at 55.4MPG

7) TOYOTA PRIUS at 55.4MPG

8) FIAT SEICENTO at 54.3MPG

9) DAIHATSU SIRION at 53.3MPG

10) DAIHATSU YRV at 53.3MPG

[hunter]

5. One part of the reason, gallons are bigger in the U.K.

Seriously.

10 U.S. gallons = .8327 U.K. gallons.

[Strelnikov_]

6. The VW Lupo (74/94 mpg)

Shows what can be done with existing IC technology when they try to maximize fuel efficiency.

http://www.tc.gc.ca/programs/environment/atvpgm/vehdesc/volkswag/00_lupo.pdf (.pdf)

[dcfirefighter]

7. I think European MPG standards

also imply a steady 55 mph on level ground, or something similar such that the USEPA standard is 'harder'.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. Yes, those ones quoted are the 56 mph (90 km/h) figures

For instance, for the Honda Insight, the complete figures are:
MPG 1 68.9
MPG 2 94.2
MPG 3 83.1

which correspond to an urban test, a steady 56 mph, and a steady 75mph. And, as noted above, a British gallon is about 1.2 US gallons.

[NV Whino]

4. I have a Toyota Celica GT

with a manual transmission (it was really hard to get one), and I get 30 to 35 mpg. Manual transmission makes a big difference, especiall when you drive up and down hills as I do.

[nannah]

8. i drive a 1997 ford escort wagon; i get 32 -36 miles per gallon.

this includes city and country driving. i live in an urban area, and commute on fast highway @300 miles per week.

[pstans]

10. I just bought a Honda Accord

It is really my wife's. I have just driven it once in the week we have had it. It gets 30-34 I think. My wife had her eyes set on a Honda CRV, so I was surprised when she said that an Accord was more practical. I guess my rants about Peak Oil and fighting in Iraq for oil finally got to her.

[struggle4progress]

11. Thirty years ago I had a VW ragtop. It WAS a deathtrap but it got ..

.. over 50 mpg on the highway when well-tuned.