Fuel Economy
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You've read the reviews, and it's finally time: You're off to the dealer to replace your old car with a new, much more fuel-efficient vehicle. But then you get to the dealer, and during your test drive, you notice that the gas mileage shown on the car's display is nowhere near the EPA rating. Should you worry? Probably not. MORE: New Diesel SUVs & Crossovers: Jeep, Audi, Mercedes Fuel Economy Tested Let's say you're considering the new 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid, which was our 2014 Best Car To Buy. It has an EPA combined rating of 47 mpg (50 mpg city, 45 mpg highway). It's a popular model...
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2014 Toyota Corolla Eco LE: Gas Mileage Test DriveThe Toyota Corolla has long been the best-selling compact sedan in the U.S., and the all-new 2014 Corolla is a considerable advance over the aged, grim, unexciting model it replaced. We recently tested the most fuel-efficient model, the Corolla Eco, over our usual test route of about two-thirds...
John Voelcker -
2015 Volvo S60, XC60, New V60 Wagon: Fuel-Efficient Drive-E EnginesAfter several years of keeping quiet, Volvo is finally starting to roll out new and updated products--especially in its core mid-size segment. We've now driven three of them, all 2015 models: the XC60 crossover utility, the S60 sport sedan, and the new V60 wagon, the first actual Volvo wagon to be...
John Voelcker -
2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid: Gas Mileage Test DisappointingHybrid SUVs and crossover utility vehicles remain rare compared to the growing array of hybrid passenger sedans and hatchbacks. So we've been eager to test the new 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, one of only four hybrid crossovers. MORE: 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid: Is It Hybrid Enough To Matter?...
John Voelcker -
2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Pickup Fuel Economy: 23 MPG CombinedThe 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel's EPA fuel-economy ratings are in.
Stephen Edelstein -
Green Car Reports, Five Years And 9,800 Articles LaterFive years ago today, Green Car Reports began a daily publishing schedule. At first one a day, and then more, we wrote articles on fuel efficiency, hybrids, diesel vehicles, and the plug-in electric cars that were then still two years away from the market. Think back to February 2009, when the...
John Voelcker -
It's winter in the Northeast, and last week's Polar Vortex luckily came along just as our weekend test car was a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. This is the all-new compact crossover that replaces the old truck-like Jeep Liberty, going head-to-head with popular compact crossover utilities like the Chevy Equinox, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, and Toyota RAV4. MORE: 2014 Jeep Cherokee - full review After the Dodge Dart launched for 2013, it's the second new vehicle from Fiat Chrysler to use front-wheel-drive underpinnings adapted from Italian Fiat and Alfa Romeo models. Adding all-wheel...
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Five MORE Big Myths About Green Cars And Gas Mileage, DebunkedYep, Big Oil is definitely scheming and plotting to destroy the electric car. Everyone knows that. Right? [sigh] Time for more mythbusting, it seems. The surprising success of our first debunking of five green-car myths led us to look at five more relatively common ideas and explain ... well, as...
John Voelcker -
Chrysler Hybrid Sedan And Minivan: Missing, Presumed Dead?Pretty much every carmaker offers at least one hybrid model these days, even if they're notably unenthusiastic about it. (Have you ever seen an Audi Q5 Hybrid? Ahem.) But one carmaker is missing from a list that now numbers more than a dozen. And that maker is Chrysler-Fiat. Back in January 2011...
John Voelcker -
Five Big Myths About Green Cars And Gas Mileage, DebunkedEvery now and then we get a reader question that reminds us how many myths about green cars are out there. In the interests of helping you actually save money by using less gasoline, here are five of our favorites--with explanations as to why they're myths. (1) Boosting gas mileage from 33 to 50...
John Voelcker -
Hybrids, Electrics Not Needed To Reach 54.5 MPG In 2025: Industry ExecFor some companies in the auto industry, building cars to hit a target of 54.5 mpg by 2025 may seem like a near-impossible task. But to others, the EPA's Corporate Average Fuel Economy targets agreed in 2011 aren't simply achievable by that date, but could be reached today--and with today's...
Antony Ingram -
Honda Fit-Based Crossover To Spawn Small Acura Luxury Utility?Honda is mulling an Acura-badged version of the Vezel compact crossover.
Stephen Edelstein -
This year, 2014, is going to be the big test for diesel engines in U.S. passenger vehicles. It's the first full year in which two popular cars--the Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan and the Jeep Grand Cherokee--are offered with diesel engines as optional equipment, complete with higher EPA fuel efficiency ratings. MORE: Volkswagen Jetta TDI: Much More Mileage Than EPA Admits? And they're joined by additional diesel vehicles, too, among them the Audi Q5 TDI and Mercedes-Benz GLK 250 BlueTEC, both luxury compact crossovers. Chrysler refuses to say how many Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel models it sold...
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2015 Ford F-150 Aluminum Body, Smaller Engines: Details EmergeThe 2015 Ford F-150 full-size pickup truck won't be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show until tomorrow morning, but some details of its innovations to boost gas mileage have emerged already. Ford apparently gave exclusive details to The New York Times, which reports that the new truck will use an...
John Voelcker -
Chinese Vehicle Sales Soar Past 20 Million, Smog Worse Than EverChina surpassed 20 million new-car sales in 2013, but analysts believe those numbers will decline as air pollution becomes unbearable.
Stephen Edelstein -
2015 Mazda 6 Diesel Sedan Further Delayed, Company SaysBad news for fans of diesel passenger cars, it seems. Mazda said today that the launch of its new SkyActiv-D diesel engine would be delayed past the previous date of sometime this spring. A terse press release attributed the delay to the time required for "further development...to deliver the right...
John Voelcker -
Will Mitsubishi Mirage Minicar Add Sedan Model For 2015?A Mitsubishi Mirage sedan is expected to appear at the 2014 Montreal Auto Show.
Stephen Edelstein -
New-Car Average Fuel Economy Rose To 24.8 MPG In 2013According to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, sales-weighted new-car average fuel economy has steadily improved since October 2007.
Stephen Edelstein -
Diesel engines are now offered in a growing number of passenger vehicles on sale this year and next, especially crossovers and sport utilities. The 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel is one of two popular models this year that offer a good test of how attractive buyers find today's modern diesels. (The other is the 2014 Chevy Cruze Diesel compact sedan.) MORE: 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel: The Diesel Jeep Returns Last weekend, we were able to put a diesel Grand Cherokee through our usual test cycle. As always, our fuel-economy test runs 250 to 300 miles (253 this time), covering roughly...
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2014 Ford Fiesta 1.0-Liter EcoBoost Cars Now Being DeliveredThe first 2014 Ford Fiesta 1.0-liter EcoBoost cars are making their way into customers' hands.
Stephen Edelstein -
Volkswagen, Audi & Porsche Grow Diesel Sales Beyond 100,000 In 2013For drivers whose travel include long stretches of high-speed highways, diesel cars offer a fuel-efficient alternative to gasoline vehicles. For many years, the biggest seller of diesel vehicles in the U.S. has been Volkswagen--more recently joined by its corporate siblings Audi and Porsche. MORE...
John Voelcker -
2014 Mazda CX-5 2.5-liter SkyActiv: Gas Mileage Drive ReportWhile hybrids are one way to get good gas mileage in a variety of cars, another way is to wring every last drop of efficiency out of new and highly-efficient gasoline engines and transmissions. That's the path Mazda's taken, and it seems to be working. Two overachievers Almost two years ago, we...
John Voelcker -
Green Car Reports Year In Reverse: Our Five Biggest StoriesAt the end of every year, we look back at our traffic to identify the most popular stories we've published. Some of them may be evergreen topics that draw consistent traffic--three of the five were first published in 2012--while others are news or reviews that really took off and captured readers'...
John Voelcker -
Why Green Car Reports Writes About Full-Size Pickup TrucksOnce in a while, we're blind-sided by responses to an article we publish--and we learn something in the process. On December 23, we wrote about ways that the all-new 2015 Ford F-150 full-size pickup truck might get better gas mileage. We learned that at least some of our readers seem to resent the...
John Voelcker