Gas Mileage Ace » diesel

2012 Cars with the Best Gas Mileage

Car Dude — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 05:57:41 +0000

Below is a list of the best gas mileage cars for the 2012 model year. As you can see Hybrids dominate the list. But the first 2 positions are taken up by electric vehicles. The EPA still gives these 2 MPG ratings based on energy usage but its apples and oranges. Really the Toyota Prius Hybrid is the 2012 car with the best gas mileage.

	1) Nisan Leaf - MPG: 106 City/92 Highway Price: $28,340 – While a True Electric car and thus should not be part of this list, the EPA still gave a Gas Equevalent rating based on energy use.
	2) Chevrolet Volt - MPG: 95 City/93 Highway Price: $28,340 – When running on full electricity the Volt nears the Energy Equivalent usage as the Leaf. When running the gasoline generator the mileage really drops to below that of a normal hybrid car.
	3) Toyota Prius Hybrid - MPG: 51 City/48 Highway Price: $28,340 – Still the best performing hybrid available on the market. And with the plug-in version due out soon, these race for the first 100 MPG hybrid will be over.
	4) Lexus CT200h Hybrid - MPG: 43 City/40 Highway Price: $28,340 – This little Lexus borrows the technology from its big brother the Prius. It does everything right and is sure to be a hot seller.
	5) Honda Civic Hybrid - MPG: 44 City/44 Highway Price: $28,340 – It should come as no surprise that the Civic Hybrid is near the top of the MPG list. The Civic does everything well and when paired with a hybrid power plant, it kicks butt. What makes the Civic Hybrid stand apart from the crowd is the CVT (continuously variable transmission) and the Start-Stop System.
	6) Honda Insight Hybrid - MPG: 41City/44 Highway Price: $28,340 – The Insight is marketed as the Honda’s Answer to the Prius. Well the Insight shares the similar Wedge Design but cannot match the Fuel Efficiency of the Toyota Prius.
	7) Ford Fusion Hybrid - MPG: 41 City/36 Highway Price: $28,340 – All 3 cars (Fusion, Milan, MKZ) share the same power plant and thus have the same fuel economy numbers. The Fusion Hybrid gets such good gas mileage thanks to the Atkinson Cycle Engine and CVT Transmission.
	Honda CR-Z Hybrid - MPG: 35 City/39 HighwayPrice: $28,340 – The Honda CR-Z is small and packed full of technology. It’s a real shame that this is the best Fuel Economy it can muster.
	9) Hyundai Sonata Hybrid - MPG: 39 Combined = 41 City/36 HighwayPrice: $28,340 – The new kid on the block is the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The Sonata Hybrid has a Parallel HEV that allows the car to run on Full Electric Power. This is a major benefit to Gas Mileage.
	10) Smart Fortwo - MPG: 39 Combined = 41 City/36 HighwayPrice: $28,340 – The best Mileage Non-Hybrid on the list. Take a very lightweight small car, add a small engine, and you have the recipe for a fuel efficient car. This has long been the formula and many cars prior to the Smart fortwo have been designed tat way.
	11) Lexus HS250h - MPG: 35 City/34 Highway Price: $28,340 – The Lexus HS 250h has the best from Toyota in that there is an Atkinson Cycle engine, Parallel Hybrid System, and CVT Transmission. Yet the added weight of all the luxury features and options really hinder the Fuel Economy of this car.
	12) Volkswagen Jetta Diesel - MPG: 30 City/42 Highway Price: $28,340 - For some reason American’s think Diesel’s are high polluting gas guzzlers. When in fact the opposite is true. The TDI diesel engine line from Volkswagen (Turbo Direct Injected) get great gas mileage when paired with a tall sixth-gear. These cars have also won Green Car of the Year Awards.
	13) Nissan Altima Hybrid - MPG: 33 City/33 Highway Price: $28,340 – The Nissan Altima is quickly falling off the Top Fuel Economy List as more modern hybrids with newer technology take its place. But the Altima Hybrid still performs very well and sacrifices nothing. But Did You Know that the Hybrid Powerplant is all Toyota?
	14) Chevrolet Cruze Eco - MPG: 28 City/42 Highway Price: $28,340 – The Chevy Cruze Eco utilizes Technoloy and not Hybrid power to get such good gas mileage. The turbo is integrated into the exhaust manifold for better fuel efficiency. The transmission has overdrive in both 5th and 6th gears. And there are Aerodynamics that change at higher speeds to increase fuel economy.
	15) Hyundai Elantra - MPG: 29 City/40 Highway Price: $28,340 – The Hyundai Elantra is another non-hybrid car that employs a very efficient engine combined with a body design that nets a very low drag coefficient. This allows the Elantra to get great highway fuel economy.
	16) Ford Fiesta SFE - MPG: 29 City/40 Highway Price: $28,340 – Ford has stepped up its game with a fuel efficient engine that employs Twin-Independent Variable Cam Timing, a Dry Clutch Transmission, and Electric Power Steering to reach its 40 MPG highway fuel economy rating.
	17) Toyota Camry Hybrid - MPG:43 City/39 Highway Price: $28,340 – The Toyota Camry Hybrid uses a hybrid power train that is more than half a decade old and therefore the fuel economy ratings have not progressed with the times. But the Camry Hybrid does get 27% better fuel economy than the non-hybrid version.
	18) Ford Escape Hybrid - MPG: 34 City/31 Highway Price: $28,340 – The SUV with the best Fuel Economy. The Ford Escape Hybrid has also been around for 5+ years but is still the undisputed SUV MPG king. The wonderful figures are thanks to a small 4 cylinder engine and CVT transmission. But the Escape can also run on full electric power alone which is a big help.
	19) Toyota Yaris - MPG: 30 City/38 Highway Price: $28,340 – The Toyota Yaris is a sub-compact and everything about it is small. The engine is only 1.5 liters and barely cranks out 105 horsepower. But combined with a manual transmission the lightweight Yaris gets over 32 MPG combined.
	20) Mazda 2 - MPG: 29 City/35 Highway Price: $28,340 – A relatively new-comer to the Subcompact world, Mazda’s contribution follows the same formula. Take a small, lightweight car and shove a fuel efficient engine under the hood. Combine with a manual transmission and the result is a nicely rounded car. Look to the Mazda2 to get better gas mileage as the model gets refined.
	21) Honda Fit - MPG: 28 City/35 Highway Price: $28,340 – The name says it all. The Honda Fit is indeed fit to get good gas mileage. What sets the Fit apart from the other subcompacts is its sporty dive appeal. No other subcompact provides as much fun as the Fit. Although if Fuel Economy is your thing, you will not be participating in spirited driving any ways.
	22) Kia Rio - MPG: 30 City/40 Highway Price: $28,340 – Kia has been the kicking stone of the Automotive world for a long time. They feel cheap. But Kia is on the rise and the Rio shows its true colors with its 30 pus MPG rating. Yet the Rio is old and outdated. Kia seems to be concentrating on the Mid-sized level cars as evident with the upcoming release of the Optima Hybrid.
	23) Lexus RX450h - MPG: 32 City/28 Highway Price: $28,340 – Incredibly the Lexus RX450h Hybrid has been on this list for years. Even though it’s the most expensive of the group, the RX Hybrid is on the top of every Hybrid SUV owners wish list. How can you go wrong with Ultra Luxury combined with Technology powered by a hybrid power plant?
	24) Chevrolet Sonic - MPG: 29 City/40 Highway Price: $28,340 – Unfortunately the Aveo suffers from the Cheap car syndrome the same as the Rio. Yes it gets good MPG but would you really want to own one? There are better Subcompacts out there and Chevy will have to kill or update this car if it wants to compete with the Ford Fiesta which is years ahead of the Aveo.
	25) Nissan Versa MPG: 30 City/38 Highway Price: $28,340 – What one Japanese car maker does the others must follow suite. Thus you have the Nissan versa subcompact. Built to compete with the other, the Versa has the lowest mileage thanks to its larger more powerful engine. And the portly curb weight. Still it breaks the 30 MPG barrier.

The Ford Fiesta – Coming to America?

Car Dude — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:45:06 +0000

If ever there was a car made for the times and the going green trend, this would seem to be it: the new Ford Fiesta. It’s a sporty compact with the seating capability of five and gets about 65mpg. It seems like the perfect car the only negative thing is, it’s not sold in the US.

Despite the Fiesta ECOnetic’s definite potential to compete with the other US manufactures, Ford has only sold the recent generations of the Fiesta in Europe. The America Ford President reportedly stated that there were business reasons as to why they can’t sell it to the US and left it at that.

The main reason for the selective selling is that the Fiesta runs on diesel fuel and the US remains to detest the fuel. America’s opposition to diesel fuel is because it still often reminds us of a loud and stinky truck or trailer pouring out black junk, smog, and smoke into our environment.

Diesel fueled cars are now introduced in the market with pollution fighting technology that is as clean as or even cleaner than gasoline with 30% more fuel efficiency. So why can’t the US have this 65mpg car on our market? Ford doesn’t think that North and South America would buy any diesel cars. The Fiesta ECOnetic is comparable to European diesels but Ford can’t make a business case for bringing the car to the US.

In addition, the Fiesta is made in Britain and importing the car to the US would cost too much money without a profit and Ford doesn’t believe they can charge enough to make any money. With that said, the main question is: will the US ever embrace diesel fuel to allow automakers and manufactures to achieve sufficient scale to make money on those vehicles? All Ford needs to do it look towards Volkswagen and their TDi Jetta. The Jetta costs about what the Fiesta would cost, gets only 41 MPG on the highway as compared to the Fiesta’s 65 MPG, and finally the Jetta has received numerous accolades for being an ultra green car. Ford is missing out on all this publicity the Jetta is enjoying.

But wait! It seems that ford will bring the Fiesta over tho the US sor the model year 2011. Wonder what this car will consist of. Stay tuned for more information.

41 MPG for only $21k! From a Diesel No Less

Car Dude — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:53:05 +0000

I am going to ruin the rest of the weekend for everyone reading this who owns a hybrid. The Jetta gets 41 MPG on the highway! And that’s just the EPA rating! Real world figures are right at the 50 MPG mark. Well your Prius gets that too right? Maybe, but is you Prius turbocharged? Does it put down over 236lb.-ft of torque? No your Prius is an underpowered mouse.

Diesel cars have been running around town getting incredible gas mileage for over a decade. These cars are not the over-polluters of yesteryear. Today’s Diesel cars get low the emission seal of approval.

The Volkswagen Jetta TDI is one of these amazing diesel cars that breaks the mold and stereotype of diesels. The TDI gets an estimated 41 miles to the gallon and was named “Green Car of the Year” by Green Car Journal at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The Green Car of the year award given to the Jetta TDI makes it the first clean- diesel vehicle to win. A diesel car finally getting the award gives people the signal that clean diesels have arrived and are effective. It also shows that clean- diesels are an alternative to hybrids because it brings fuel consumption down and is environmentally friendly.

The Jetta TDI has a diesel turbocharged direct-injection engine that features a rail fuel injection system instead of the traditional mechanical system. While diesel vehicle have been widely popular in Europe for decades, they have been slow in the US market. Part of the popularity gap is due to tough emission requirements and typical diesel stereotypes of times past.

As for emissions in this diesel car, the TDI will be the first car to meet the world’s most stringent emission control standards in all 50 states. The Jetta TDI uses NOx storage catalyst like a filter to temporarily hold noxious emissions until they can be burned off during an engine cycle. This emission control permits higher injection pressures that atomize fuel and make it easier for pollution control.

The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the new Jetta TDI is estimated at around $21,990 while a Sport Wagon package is available for about $23,590. The Jetta TDI is a top choice for economy conscious customers who don’t want to sacrifice premium performance.

Volkswagen Polo TDI gets 60 MPG!

Car Dude — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:37:33 +0000

The Polo may be a step down from the already lowly Rabbit; but it is a giant step forward in terms of Gasoline powered Efficiency. has 4-doors, a reasonable price tag, and last but not least: a sweet little engine. Europeans have always known what we Americans have been missing: Turbo-diesel power is the way to go! Not only can you get the best MPG from a diesel car, the fuel burns more cleanly, and adding a turbo increases power by using wasted exhaust gasses.

The little engine that could is a 1.4L, 3-cylinder, direct injected, turbo-diesel. This bad boy pumps out a staggering 79-hp. But when combined with LRR tires, special aerodynamics, and a manual transmission; the Polo can easily obtain the 60 MPG advertised, eat that hybrids. And the little 12-gallon tank will take you well over 700 miles. Sounds good to me!