Gas prices have soared to an all time high. In the first half of 2008, oil companies posted record breaking earnings and US car manufacturers, like Ford, posted record losses. The message sent to car manufacturers - make more gas friendly models. Why not look at car models that currently get the best gas mileage. Ford and others will likely start bringing European models and introducing new high MPG calls to the market, but we do have decent MPG models on the market now.
Although Ford might have lost a lot of money during their second quarter, they also have a stellar model - the Ford Focus - that competes with the ever-popular import compacts. The Ford Focus has a 24/35 (city/highway) MPG rating when it’s a manual, and a 24/33 rating when it’s an automatic. To put this into perspective, the 2009 Ford Mustang V6 received a 19/26 MPG rating. Fuel efficiency seems to be a major concern of many buying newer model cars, and while Ford makes steps in the right direction with the Focus, other manufacturers have created fuel efficient juggernauts.
Toyota has seen tremendous success with their hybrid and compact line of cars. The Prius hybrid has amazing MPG rating at 48/45. This means the Prius can drive twice as far, on the same amount of gas, as a Ford Focus (in the city). The mechanics of the hybrid don’t give it better mileage on the highway, but it still outpaces most compacts on the market at 45 MPG. The Toyota Corolla comes in at 27/35 MPG with an automatic. This markets the Corolla alongside the domestic Ford Focus.
Who says fuel efficiency equals compact sized cars? The Nissan Altima comes in to the picture with 23/32 MPG (manual) and 23/31 (automatic). At just over 30 MPG, this fuel efficient car bests many other four door model cars in its class. You may be saying, it’s only getting four more MPG than the 2009 Mustang we talked about earlier. You would be right, but 4 MPG can make a huge difference when it comes to a year’s supply of gas.
Calculating a Year’s Supply of Gas
Let’s do a little math. The average car travels 12,000 miles per year. Let’s assume all those 12,000 miles would be city driving. The 2009 Ford Mustang owner would be using 632 gallons of gas, while the Nissan Altima would be using 522 gallons. At $4 per gallon, the Altima owner would pay $2,088, while the Mustang owner would fork over $2,528. The close to five hundred dollar savings could be two car payments on the Altima, which retails for less than the Mustang.
But let’s not compare apples to oranges - let’s look at the Toyota Prius against the Ford Focus. We’ve established the Focus would take 522 gallons to travel 12,000 city miles in a year. The Prius would take less than half that, with 250 gallons to make the 12,000 miles. This means the Prius owner would spend a cool thousand dollars on gasoline, as compare to over two thousand for the Altima owner. What a difference a battery makes!
Other Fuel Efficient Cars
We’ve named some of the front runners and mass marketed models. Now let’s look at a few of the newcomers to the market, and review their ratings.
The Mini Cooper has become an instant classic since its rebirth on the US market. The tiny compact comes in at 28/37 (manual) and 26/34 (automatic). The speedy Mini Cooper can reach excellent MPG ratings if you can keep from accelerating too much.
It’s no surprise that high-end car makers have been combining luxury with fuel economy - it’s a birth of efficiency and reward. The latest line of hybrid Lexus models shows us exactly what can be accomplished with more combustible bang for our buck. Of course, Lexus has been criticized for their lack of informative commercials and the fact their hybrids don’t reduce pollution. Coming from the makers of the Prius, we can only hope they improve.
The Lexus 600h L model is the first mass produced V8 fully hybrid vehicle, according to a Wikipedia article. The car gets 20/22 MPG - not exactly terrific numbers - but for a V8 with this type of luxury and power Lexus has made great strides towards fuel economy in a car class more consumed with status accoutrements.
Learn to Drive Stick
The models we talked about usually have better mileage when they’re manual. Automatic transmissions usually perform the same for city driving, but not highway. If you truly want to be fuel efficient, then you should buy one of the models we suggested (or a car with similar MPG rating) and learn to drive stick. It’s never too late to learn a new skill.
Just ten years ago, the thought of buying a new car sight unseen would seem like an unwise purchase. But the explosion of the Internet has even reached car dealers and potential buyers.
