The most fuel efficient 2008-model cars available to consumers are hybrids, according to new fuel economy numbers issued by the EPA. The Toyota Prius, with a combined highway/city mileage of 46, and the Civic Hybrid with combined mpg of 42, are the only vehicles to break the 40-mpg mark. The rest of the top five most efficient vehicles are also hybrids: the Nissan Altima Hybrid, Toyota Camry Hybrid, and two-wheel-drive Ford Escape Hybrid, the only SUV at the top of the list.
Our recent drive of the Fusion Hybrid proved that the vehicle—if driven with a light foot—can achieve mileage in the mid-40s. That makes the Fusion Hybrid the first American hybrid sedan to hit the mpg big leagues. And that earns Ford a spot on any hybrid buyer’s consideration list, despite the un-truth of their primary marketing claim.
The Mercedes Benz S400 Hybrid is the world’s first mass produced car with a lithium ion battery. It’s the first Mercedes with a hybrid drive. And, with a price tag likely to approach or exceed $100,000, it’s going to be an ultra-niche vehicle. We achieved 29.3 miles per gallon in a 150-mile mixed driving course though Southern Germany.
The new Honda Insight is being billed as the Prius-fighter. Living up to that expectation will depend on real-life numbers that drivers start to post. We recently ran the Insight twice in our usual test loop. When we drove with a lead foot, we got a very modest 38.8 miles per gallon. On the second slow and steady run, we easily managed 51.2 mpg.
Seventy-five-point-three miles to the gallon! That was enough to win the 2010 Toyota Prius fuel economy competition that stacked 28 auto journalists against one another in Yountville, Calif. Akihiko Otsuka, the chief engineer of the 2010 Prius, was on hand to watch the contestants break way past 50 mpg. The journalists averaged 69.9 mpg on the 33.8 course.
Honda’s goal with the new five-door 2010 Honda Insight is affordability, not maximum mileage. But the first set of real-world road tests are arriving, and they are consistently higher than 60 mpg.
Rudy Clay, Mayor of Gary, Indiana, is defending his decision to purchase a new $30,000 2009 Hummer H3 at city expense—while the City of Gary faces a $30 million budget deficit. Last year, Clay said, "The word Hummer really throws people off, makes you think you're driving a big automobile. I'm not driving one of those. They're gas-guzzlers.”
The EPA and Energy Department this week issued its 2009 fuel economy guide. Hybrids, once again, dominate the top of the list with five of the six most efficient vehicles. The 2009 Toyota Prius is the leader with ratings of 48 mpg in the city and 45 on the highway.
The Chevrolet Aveo sedan and Aveo5 hatchback are a pair of no-frills five-seat subcompacts aimed at efficiency and affordability. Our drive time was spent with the Aveo5, which achieved 32.8 miles per gallon in mixed driving.
The Environmental Protection Agency has released a report which sites an overall improvement in new car fuel efficiency from 20.6 miles per gallon in 2007 to a projected 20.8 miles per gallon for 2008 – a jump of .2 miles per gallon. A small step in the right direction.
