Well for 2012 Toyota knew they had to completely redesign the Camry Hybrid. Their knowledge and expertise shines with this newly released car. The Gas Mileage figures are outstanding as the Camry Hybrid now gets 43 MPG in the City and 39 MPG on the Highway. The combined fuel economy rating is 41 MPG which is enough to make the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid one of the Top 5 BEST MPG Cars for 2012.

But why the big jump in fuel economy over the previous model Camry Hybrid? In fact the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid gets 38% better gas mileage than the old model. These better ratings are due to a handful on revisions most notably the updating of the Hybrid Synergy Drive. As technology gets better so too does the efficiency of an automobile. The power delivery and Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy System Software has been recalibrated to help the Camry Hybrid be more fuel efficient. The 2.5 Liter 4 cylinder engine has better intake and exhaust manifolds to help the car breathe better. The engine is also beltless meaning there are no accessories like the power steering or air conditioning that run off the engine. Instead these accessories are all electrically driven.

Besides the engine and Hybrid Synergy Drive the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid got a weight reduction of over 200 lbs. The lighter a car the better gas mileage it will get. Another cool fact about the new Camry Hybrid is that it is more powerful than the outbound model. The 2012 car produces 200 horsepower as compared to the 2011 Camry’s 189 horsepower. With a base price of $25,900 the 2012 Toyota Camry is cheaper, more powerful, and more fuel efficient than last year’s car. The 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid gas mileage is 43 MPG in the city and 39 MPG on the highway. With a combined total of 41 MPG the Camry Hybrid is in a very select group of cars.

The Range Rover Evoque fuel economy begins with the all new engine. Powered by a turbocharged 2.0 liter 4-cylinder engine the Evoque puts out 240 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque. This is not alot of power by most luxury SUV standards but plenty enough to get the job done. A couple of factors that make the new engine so efficient are the fact that the weight is kept down by using an all aluminum block, direct-injection, and a 6-speed automatic transmission.

Weight is the enemy of gas mileage and Land Rovers engineers went along way in making sure the weight of the 2012 Range Rover Evoque does not get out of hand. The generous use of lightweight materials such as aluminum and boron high strength steel go along way in keeping curb weight down. Many of the body parts and exterior pieces are made from composite materials. These weight saving methods are usually reserved for high end sports cars.

When you keep the weight down and add an efficient engine and transmission to an SUV you can get great fuel economy ratings with out the aid of a hybrid powerplant. The 2012 Range Rover Evoque has a starting price of $43k but you get tons of luxury features, Land Rover’s rock solid off-roading abilities, and a combined gas mileage rating of 22 MPG.

Buick Lacrosse eAssist Hybrid

The Buick Lacrosse uses a Belt Alternator Starter Hybrid System like the short lived Malibu Hybrid. Regenerative brakes charge the batteries and a start-stop system turns off the motor when the car is idle. All these features stack up to create a luxury hybrid that has a relatively cheap price for the amount of luxury you get.

Image via http://www.sandyblogs.com/techconnect/index.html

The Lexus CT 200h thankfully skips the ugly wedge shape design that is common with the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight hybrid cars. Instead the Lexus CT 200h is a hatchback and still musters an ultra low drag coefficient of 0.29 which is necessary to get good gas mileage numbers. For comparison the current Toyota Prius has a drag coefficient rating of 0.25. Pretty similar and definitely not enough of a difference to explain the gap in MPG numbers.

Both the Lexus CT 200h and the 2011 Toyota Prius are powered by the same 1.8 Liter 4-cylinder Atkinson Cycle Engine. This engine is ultra efficient and makes 98 horsepower and 105 lb-ft. of torque. What makes the Lexus CT 200h a hybrid is the electric motor and battery assist. This electric motor adds more horsepower and torque bringing the total up to 134 HP. The Lexus CT 200h also has the same CVT transmission as the Prius which allows for optimum gear selection. And being a parallel hybrid, the Lexus CT 200h can drive on gas, electric, or a combination of both.

Another great feature about the Lexus CT 200h is the fact that the battery pack is placed with cargo space in mind. The battery pack is a 38-module Nickel Metal Hydride unit weighing only 118 lbs. And do not worry about the longjevity of the battery pack as all new Lexus CT 200h hybrid cars come with a 8-year 100k mile warranty on the batteries.

Regenerative Braking is pretty common and the Lexus CT 200h uses this method to recharge the batteries. When you stop, the braking energy is converted into electricity. This efficient system also powers the electric water pump and the electric power steering components. Since these units are not driven by belts on the engine, the Lexus CT 200h sees gas mileage improvements.

The Hybrid Synergy Drive on the Lexus CT 200h allows the driver to choose between 4 modes: EV, ECO, Normal, and Sport.

• EV Mode – EV stands for electric vehicle and the Lexus CT 200h is equipped to run up to 25 MPH on pure electricity alone. This is great for stop and go traffic and really helps with the gas mileage. Also while in EV mode the car produces Zero emissions
• ECO Mode – With the Lexus CT 200h in ECO mode you can expect the best gas mileage but you also get the worst performance in terms of acceleration.
• Normal Mode – This mode increases throttle response and is good for normal driving situations.
• Sport Mode – Sport offers the best acceleration and adjust the steering, traction, and stability control settings. You also get the worst gas mileage while in Sport mode.

So in conclusion the Lexus CT 200h has all the same operating systems as the Toyota Prius yet net a far lower fuel economy rating. The Lexus CT 200h Gas Mileage is 43 MPG city, 40 MPG highway, and 42 MPG combined. While the Prius enjoys 51 MPG city, 48 MPG highway, and 50 MPG combined. Drag coefficient cannot be the cause of the variation in gas mileage and the Lexus CT 200h only weighs 100 more lbs. than the Prius. And both cars sport low rolling resistance tires. What Gives?

Photo Credits : http://www.lexus.com/models/CTh/

Starting with the very base model Cadillac CTS MPG which comes in at 18 MPG in the City and 27 MPG on the highway.  These figures come from the 3.0 liter V-6 engine with the automatic transmission and puts out 270 HP.  What’s weird is the gas mileage ratings go down a bit when you add in the manual trans?  Then when you step up to the 3.6 liter engine, you get a nice 34 HP bump and the fuel economy does not suffer at all.  In fact the Cadillac CTS MPG is the same in the 3 liter and the 3.6 liter car.

Stepping up to the big 6.2 liter V-8 engine the CTS-V gets 14 MPG in the City on the 19 MPG on the Highway with the manual transmission.  The automatic gets less at 12/18.  But keep in mind this car has a supercharged V-8 from the Corvette ZR-1 that puts down 556 HP!

The Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon and Coupe get the same gas mileage as the sedan with the V-6 engine.  So if you are in the market for a CTS then by all means opt for the larger 3.6 liter V-6 engine!

Below is a list of third row SUV gas mileage with current model year and price info.  This is a good list of SUV fuel economy to aid in the process of finding a good SUV!

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!

Idle Cars Kill MPG

A big part of the reason why hybrids like the Civic get such great MPG is because of the ability to run in electric mode and essentially shut-off while stopped, this feature is called auto-stop.  Bringing me to my point: you are getting 0 MPG while you’re idling.  That 10 minutes spent waiting for that monster seven-layer burrito, or all those minutes you spend waiting for your kid absolutely kill your MPG.  Feel free to turn off your car instead of idling next time.

Drive It Like You Stole It

There is nothing like racing the car next to you from stoplight to stoplight. Why accelerate slowly and save gas when you can punch it and blow the doors off of Grandma’s Cadillac? I’m a take no prisoners’ sort of guy….it makes no difference your gender, age, skin color.

Speed is Sexy

Driving the speed limit is for whimps! What really revs up the female libido is driving at a high rate of speed in the most un-aerodynamic vehicle possible. The drag coefficient of a car refers to its aerodynamic efficiency. While the Honda Insight cuts through air like a hot knife through butter; I prefer to drive my huge Hummer which is more like a giant lead brick with a parachute attached. And the faster I drive my Hummer, the worse my gas mileage becomes….but chic’s don’t care about MPG!

Summer Road Trip

Yeah many people have cut back on the summer road trips and car club cruises. But all this talk about saving gas only makes me want to get out there and see what’s what. Oh yeah and waste as much gas as possible.

Get Your Roll On

In an earlier post I talked a little bit about low-rolling resistance tires and how these can improve your gas mileage. Well partner….I go for the stickiest tires out there. Sure they lower your MPG; but the thrill of being able to make your dog puke pulling 4g’s around a corner far outweighs the savings at the pump!

Since Space the Final Frontier has been conquered…might as well solve the gas crisis.  Damn….why did I skip Auto Shop Class!  I could be rich…..maybe not….you can bet that the big auto makers are already on the case.  The Announcement was made at the New York International Auto Show a few months back.  And even the Mayor Bloomberg gave his 2 cents on the prize:  “Development of a super-efficient car would be a major step forward in the fight against global warming – and it would help us reach our goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in New York City by 30 percent by 2030.” Please…..by 2030 we are going to be oil free.

It always seems like America is a little behind the times.  Why shoot for 100 MPG….that seems easily within reach.  I mean we already have Electric cars, Vegetable Oil powered cars, and so on running around.  And a plug in Hybrid can already achieve close to those numbers.  Gas is a thing of the past!  In 2009 a cross-country race will determine the winner of the Progressive Automotive X Prize.  Check out their website for more info. http://www.xprize.org/x-prizes/automotive-x-prize

Back in August of 2008 Infiniti got the Automotive Faithful all hot and bothered with news they were working on a g35 hybrid car. Well here we are in 2009 and the G35 isn’t even part of the Infiniti line-up anymore.

Lexus has been ruling the hybrid market now for years.  The RX 400h SUV starts at more than $40k and gets a pitiful 25 MPG.  The GS 450h costs $55k large and gets even worse gas mileage.   Finally the Lexus 600hL costs a mere $100k and…well I won’t repeat the EPA estimated MPG, but lets say it is stunningly low!

So does that mean we will be getting a G37 hybrid?  By the time Infiniti gets around to making a hybrid car, electric vehicles will be all the rage.  So while Infiniti sits on their thumbs, Lexus will gladly rake in all the cash from the luxury hybrid car segment!