Fuel Economy

We're fond of the Chevrolet Spark minicar; it's by far the best-executed of the several smaller-than-subcompact cars sold today. But our fondness had been limited to the five-speed manual version; the four-speed automatic offered in 2013 was, in a word, awful. Now we've driven a 2014 Chevrolet...

The Dodge Dart compact sedan launched as a 2013 model hasn't sold as well as hoped. One thing that hurt its debut was the unfamiliar feel of its dual-clutch automatic gear gearbox, brought over from Europe to boost the fuel economy of versions fitted with the 160-horsepower turbocharged 1.4-liter...

Yesterday's multi-hour presentation of the five-year plan for the combined Fiat Chrysler Automobiles was called "Chryslerpalooza" by local Detroit reporters who sat through it. The first green news was that Chrysler will build small numbers of plug-in hybrid minivans and large SUVs to meet emission...

The FTC is seeking comments on potential updates of its fuel-economy advertising guidelines.

We're often asked why cars sold in Europe seem to be so much more efficient than those on sale in the U.S. Typically, it's accompanied by the mention of some supposedly 80-mpg car sold in Europe--while the best U.S.-market vehicles barely crest the 50-mpg mark. Now, Reuters highlights one of the...

If you've never heard of an APU, you may not be a long-haul trucker. The acronym stands for auxiliary power unit, in this case a generator or other form of generating electricity to run auxiliary services like air conditioning in the sleeper cabs of Class 8 over-the-road sleeper tractors while...

In recent years—especially in the time since EPA fuel economy ratings have become more realistic—40 miles per gallon on the highway has become like a sort of high-water mark for non-hybrid cars. Even in 2014, there remain relatively few subcompact or compact sedans that top the 40-mpg...

Ah, conspiracy theories and urban legends. They lure us in with the promise of dark plots and amazing events--even as our rational minds suggest they're likely not true. Now the ultra-efficient Volkswagen XL1 economy car, the highly aerodynamic two-seat diesel plug-in hybrid we drove last fall, has...

Ford will educate customers, dealers, and repair shops on the the ins and outs of aluminum-bodied 2015 F-150.

If you're looking for a small hatchback that delivers high gas mileage and almost unparalleled flexibility, the all-new 2015 Honda Fit should probably be at the top of your list. The new Fit has become a more important car for Honda now that it's built in Mexico, and that's reflected in many of the...

Auto writers tend to like Mazdas; they generally perform and handle well, and are far more fun to drive than the anodyne Fords, Hondas, and Toyotas that outsell them in the compact and mid-size categories. The newest crop of Mazda cars and crossovers, built around the company's highly...

The trend of increasing average fuel economy continues.

Is it possible to make a gasoline engine so efficient that it would emit less carbon dioxide per mile than is created by generating electricity to run an electric car over that same mile? Small Japanese carmaker Mazda says yes. In an interview published last week with the British magazine Autocar...

How do you measure your gas mileage? Do you take mileage readings after each tank, refill to the brim, calculate how much you've used...and repeat at each fill-up? Or do you press the trip computer button a few times to bring up your tank average? If you're doing the latter, there's always the risk...

Tell us what car you would replace this Volkswagen Jetta TDI with.

Running a diesel engine on gasoline could significantly improve efficiency, researchers say.

This year, the big hurdle for pickup-truck gas mileage was 20 miles per gallon combined--and two trucks made it. For 2015, the bar has been raised: The next race is to see which full-size pickup can attain a rating of 30 mpg on the highway portion of the EPA test cycle. MORE: Diesel Pickup Trucks...

The Obama Administration wants stricter truck fuel-economy rules to replace the current standards, which expire in 2018.

The 2015 Ford Expedition full-size SUV will be offered exclusively with a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6.

India's Bureau of Energy Efficiency has proposed increasing fleet-average fuel economy 14 percent in 2016.