mpg
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When you see that magic 40-miles-per-gallon number in a car ad, does it make you pay attention? Most likely it does. (Among other things, it's usually in much larger type than the other two EPA ratings.) But how seriously should you take any publicized gas-mileage ratings? Most people seem to know that, as the old saying goes, Your Mileage May Vary. Now a group called Consumer Watchdog has filed a lawsuit--on behalf of plaintiff Louis Bird of Sacramento, California--complaining that Hyundai used only the 40-mpg highway mileage rating in its television ads for the current Elantra compact...
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July 4th Special: Six U.S. Cars That Get More Than 30 MPG
If your workplace is anything like ours, it seems that while you're at work, most of the rest of the United States has taken the entire week off to celebrate Independence Day. For our own celebration, and with a friendly nod to our defeated British colleagues, we thought it would be appropriate to...
John Voelcker -
Do Hybrids Save Money? FuelEconomy.gov Site Helps You Decide
Hybrid vehicles cost more upfront than comparable gasoline models, but get better fuel economy. So will you save money in the long run? To make the comparisons easier and more accurate, the FuelEconomy.gov site has launched a new comparison tool that provides a "Years to Payback" number based on...
John Voelcker -
2013 Ram 1500 Pickup Truck: Same Looks, Much Better Mileage (Video)
The New York Auto Show, now open to the public, occupies two floors of the Javits Convention Center, and organizers this year were strict about relegating trucks to the basement. Chrysler was allowed only a single truck or crossover in its entire main-floor display. So it chose the 2013 Ram 1500...
John Voelcker -
20 Years Of Gas Mileage: All Cars Improving, But Hybrids Best
With conventional gas engines incremental improvements of the range of 20% are possible over a 20 year span, but for really large gains alternative technology seems to be necessary.
George Parrott -
3-Cylinder 2014 Ford Focus EcoBoost To Deliver 50 MPG-Plus?
Smaller, more efficient engines will be all the rage for the next 15 years, as automakers work to meet gas-mileage standards reaching past real-world averages of 40 miles per gallon. One of the most eagerly awaited is Ford's three-cylinder, 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine, first shown at the Frankfurt...
John Voelcker -
Well, here's a bit of good news. The sales-weighted average gas mileage for all vehicles sold in the U.S. was the highest it's ever been, reaching 22.9 miles per gallon. That's almost 1 mpg higher than the 22.0 mpg figure for January 2011, according to an analysis by TrueCar. While 22.9 mpg may not sound all that high, remember that more than 100,000 full-size pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles are sold each month. Their gas-mileage ratings, usually well below 20 mpg, drag down the average, offsetting subcompact and compact cars and hybrid vehicles that have far higher EPA fuel economy...
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2012 Honda Civic Hybrid: Hammer It, How High Is Gas Mileage?
Honda has managed to raise the gas mileage ratings on all of its new 2012 Civic models, including the 2012 Civic Hybrid, which is rated at a combined 44 mpg. In a road test over several days last May, we managed to get a real-world 45.3 mpg over a route that was about two-thirds highway, one-thirds...
John Voelcker -
New Mileage Rules Encourage Small Cars To Become Big Trucks For Lower MPG
Automakers have long known there's a double standard for gas mileage. Cars have to meet higher goals, trucks have less stringent requirements. And the larger the vehicle, the lower the average fuel economy it has to deliver. The proposed fuel economy standards for 2017 through 2025 vehicles...
John Voelcker -
2013 Dodge Dart: 40-MPG CAFE Target Hints At EPA Ratings
The 2013 Dodge Dart, which will be fully revealed to the public at next week's Detroit Auto Show, achieved an unadjusted gas-mileage rating of at least 40 mpg, according to Chrysler. But hold on; before you rush over to the dealership and put money down, consider that 'unadjusted' means that it's...
John Voelcker -
Top Five Green-Car Stories Of 2011: MPGs, Electric Cars, And More
Yep, it's almost the end of the year, which means reams of roundup stories from all your favorite auto websites. Nope, we're not that different: We've got one too. Here's our take on the five most important stories--or perhaps themes--of 2011 in the growing world of green cars. New fuel economy...
John Voelcker -
Consumer Watchdog To EPA: Re-Test Hyundai Elantra Gas Mileage
The advocacy group Consumer Watchdog has called for the EPA to test whether the Hyundai Elantra lives up to its EPA gas-mileage ratings in real-world use; owners have complained that it doesn't.
John Voelcker -
We get asked a lot about hybrids with seven seats. The answer is simple: There's only one, the 2012 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. But the question is really more about fuel efficiency: What family vehicles with a third row of seats that can carry seven people get the best gas mileage? It's a major question for larger families, those with kids on sports teams or other after-school activities ... and even sometimes just people who cart around a lot of people, for whatever reason. If you buy based on EPA gas-mileage ratings, the 2012 Highlander Hybrid is at the top of the list. But we'll focus on...
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Nissan Boosts Fuel Economy By Redesigning CVT In 2013 Altima
One of the best ways to improve fuel economy is to keep a car's engine operating at its most efficient speed, regardless of how fast the vehicle is traveling. That's the principle behind continuously variable transmissions, or CVTs, which use belts and variable pulleys to match road speed to an...
John Voelcker -
Will Toyota Prius Hit Gas-Mileage Trifecta: 40, 50 & 60 MPG?
With new corporate average fuel economy rules now taking us to 54.5 mpg by 2025, gas mileage will be the focus of new-car development for years to come. With its 15 years of experience in hybrid-electric vehicles, Toyota seems well positioned for steady improvements. Now, there's a chance that...
John Voelcker -
To Celebrate 100 Years, Chevy Sells Its One Millionth Cruze
Chevy has announced sales of the one millionth Cruze on the day that marks the automaker's 100th birthday.
Kurt Ernst -
Who Hates High-Mileage Cars? Your Local Auto Dealers, That's Who
Sometime next month, the EPA and NHTSA will release final draft rules that increase corporate average fuel economy standards to 54.5 mpg by 2025. Most--although not all--carmakers have signed off on the standards, but opposition has hardly died down. The latest group to take up the fight against...
John Voelcker -
2012 Chevrolet Sonic LT 1.8-Liter Hatchback: Drive Report
It's autumn, so what better way to highlight the changing leaves than a tomato-soup red Chevy Sonic subcompact? Three weeks ago, we drove our first new Sonic: a high-end 2012 Sonic LTZ sedan with the 1.4-liter turbocharged engine. We liked the little turbo, and found the sedan roomy and comfortable...
John Voelcker -
Given the recent spate of recalls for clean diesel cars, the public might be a little distrustful of the fuel right now. Both Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen have recently issued recalls for fuel leaks in their diesel models. However, diesel may still yet have its day, according to the U.S. Coalition for Advanced Diesel Cars. Wards Auto reports that diesel may gain in popularity over here for the same reason it did in Europe twenty years ago - rising gas prices. The Coalition believes that the only thing holding back diesel sales in the U.S. is the number of diesel models on sale. European auto...
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Mitsubishi Updates MIVEC, Adds Stop-Start For Better MPG
You've gotta hand it to automakers. However tight the noose of emissions regulations and MPG targets gets, the engineers always find a way to wriggle free with ever more impressive fuel economy figures. Mitsubishi's way of meeting ever tighter targets is to update its MIVEC variable valve timing...
Antony Ingram -
The Top 10 Highest MPG Cars On Sale Today
If you're in the market for a new car and your top priority is fuel efficiency, what do you buy? With so much to choose from now including gasoline, diesel, natural gas and electric cars on the market as well as a range-extended electric vehicle and hybrids galore, the options are bewildering. If...
Antony Ingram -
Edison2 Electric Car Sets EPA Economy Record Of 350 MPGe
The EPA's MPG equivalent (MPGe) ratings for electric cars aren't the simplest of things to understand, worked out through a series of different calculations. When an electric car gets 350 MPGe to the more well-known 2012 Nissan Leaf's 99 MPGe rating though, you know it must be something special...
Antony Ingram -
2012 Hyundai Accent SE: Quick Drive Report--Commuter Car Test
Over a short test that mimicked commuter duty, our 2012 Hyundai Accent SE hatchback returned 33.4 mpg.
John Voelcker -
EPA, NHTSA Delay Full 54.5 MPG Rules For 2025 Until November
It was the proposal that brought every automaker selling in the North America market out in a cold sweat. Now, Reuters brings news that the NHTSA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are delaying the 54.5 MPG, 2025 average fleet fuel economy figure proposal until November. The reason given...
Antony Ingram