Fuel Economy
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However you choose to view the 2017 Kia Niro hybrid—Kia says it's a crossover utility, we call it a wagon—it's a good-looking and relatively capacious small car. The debate over segments comes because the Niro has neither the ground clearance of a utility vehicle nor available all-wheel drive, making it more of a wagon or "square hatchback" to us. After our first drive last December, we've now been able to spend several days and 545 miles in a Niro to get a sense of what it's like to live with. DON'T MISS: 2017 Kia Niro - full review Unusually for the Northeast, temperatures...
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What Trump did and didn't say in Detroit on EPA emission rules
One of the challenges of today's uber-polarized political environment is that fear and alarmism increasingly overtake the factual realities of an issue. This appears to be the case with President Donald Trump's Wednesday appearance in Detroit to announce the reopening of the comment period for EPA...
John Voelcker -
Small turbo engines get good MPG ratings; real-world use may be a different story
Automakers may gradually be putting more emphasis on plug-in electric cars and conventional hybrids, but they are far from done with plain old internal combustion. Over the past few years, automakers have applied more technology to a wider array of cars in order to boost their efficiency to meet...
Stephen Edelstein -
Automakers say fuel-economy rules hurt buyers; Consumers Union rebuts the claim
Automaker lobbyists continue to push back against the stricter fuel-economy and emissions standards scheduled to take effect in the U.S. over the next decade. Many of their arguments center on costs—not only to the carmakers themselves, but also to car buyers. Regulators and automakers...
Stephen Edelstein -
Overall U.S. vehicle fleet gas mileage rose only slightly over last 25 years
The average fuel economy of the new cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. is appreciably higher than it was 10 years ago. The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute has demonstrated that in its regular reports calculating new-car average fuel economy since October 2007. But...
Stephen Edelstein -
Auto industry split over halting, changing fuel-economy rules
Just days after the presidential election, automaker lobbyists urged Donald Trump to loosen pending emissions and fuel-economy standards. Shortly after the election, a lobbying group wrote Trump asking him to change or delay an EPA decision that kept planned emissions standards for 2022 to 2025 in...
Stephen Edelstein -
Smaller engines with turbochargers have spread throughout new vehicles as a way to meet the increasingly stringent fuel-efficiency rules that started in 2012. But no maker has been as forward about marketing that technology as Ford, which now offers a range of downsized and boosted engines under the EcoBoost brand. We'd tested a couple of Ford Escape compact crossovers with earlier EcoBoost engines several years ago, but wanted to spend some time with the latest iteration. DON'T MISS: 2017 Ford Escape quick drive review For the 2017 model year, the Escape has been freshened in several ways...
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ACEEE issues latest list of 'Greenest' and 'Meanest" vehicles
Measuring the energy efficiency of a new vehicle is one thing, but ascertaining its overall environmental impact can be more complex. A debate still rages over the overall carbon footprint of electric cars compared to those powered by fossil fuels. But for the past 20 years, the the American...
Stephen Edelstein -
2017 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel sedan rated at 37 mpg combined
With the elimination of Volkswagen diesel models, the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel is one of the few remaining options for buyers seeking a mainstream-priced diesel car. The second-generation Cruze Diesel was confirmed last year, but the initial sedan variant is only just now going on sale. We now...
Stephen Edelstein -
What White House faces if it tries to roll back fuel-economy standards
Donald Trump won the U.S. Electoral College and swept into the White House on a varied platform that included significant promises to cut regulation and reduce government involvement in a wide variety of spheres. The day after his election, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers sent him a letter...
John Voelcker -
Why aren't there more hybrid crossover utilities and SUVs?
It's one of the most frequent questions asked by shoppers interested in utility vehicles with better gas mileage: why aren't there more hybrid SUVs and crossovers? Following the 2012 demise of the much-loved Ford Escape Hybrid, it took four years for the 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid to emerge. This...
John Voelcker -
VW suggests engine downsizing is done; emissions rules are the reason
When it comes to improving fuel efficiency, simply making an engine smaller is a fairly direct way to get results. It's the approach that many automakers have taken in recent years. They have downsized engines across model lines, usually adding turbochargers at the same time to match the power...
Stephen Edelstein -
Regardless of political persuasion, there are some issues almost everyone can agree on. One of them, for example, is likely gas prices. It's hard to imagine anyone who enjoys paying more every time they fill up their car. DON'T MISS: Emissions/MPG rules could cost 1 million jobs, Ford CEO tells Trump: what's behind that number? Which might explain the results of a recent phone poll by the Consumer Federation of America on the subject of fuel-economy standards. Conducted last December, the poll found that two-thirds of respondents who said they voted for Donald Trump support strong...
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Full-size diesel pickup truck that gets 37 mpg? Achates says yes
Could a full-size pickup truck ever get a fuel-economy rating of 37 mpg? California-based Achates Power believes it can, and its novel engine uses a design that dates back to the earliest days of internal combustion to do so. The company announced its two-stroke, opposed-piston diesel engine for...
Stephen Edelstein -
Gas has to cost $3 a gallon before it affects vehicle choice, study says
Continuing low gas prices are often blamed for the current popularity of crossover utilities and SUVs, along with any sales struggles green cars may experience. But would a sudden increase in gas prices cause shoppers to flock to more fuel-efficient vehicles? If so, how high would gas prices have...
Stephen Edelstein -
Mazda to launch homogeneous-charge compression engine next year
The differences between gasoline and diesel engines lie not only in their fuels, but in how those fuels are ignited. Gasoline engines use spark plugs, while diesels simply use compression. But it is possible to ignite gasoline in an internal-combustion engine with compression, as in a diesel. DON'T...
Stephen Edelstein -
When the 'eco' in EcoBoost is so low that gas-guzzler taxes apply
Since Ford launched its line of downsized EcoBoost engines in 2009, the "eco" part of that name has often required an asterisk. That's because some owners have found that real-world fuel economy results don't always live up to the vehicles' official EPA ratings. The phrase "you can have Eco, or you...
Stephen Edelstein -
Calculated average new-car fuel economy in 3-year plateau
For nearly a decade, the average fuel economy of new cars sold in the U.S. steadily increased—but that moment has stalled in recent years. Low gas prices and increased consumer interest in SUVs has caused calculated average new-car average fuel economy to plateau and, in the case of 2016's...
Stephen Edelstein -
Several manufacturers are trying to launch new 3-wheeled vehicles, but will they succeed?
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2017 Mitsubishi Mirage G4: gas mileage review
The Mitsubishi Mirage is the underdog of small cars: slow, loud, and archaic, but scrappy. And it's been a much bigger sales success than Mitsubishi expected, given the small numbers of minicars and subcompacts sold in the U.S. these days. For 2017, Mitsubishi added a four-door sedan model dubbed...
John Voelcker -
Fuel-economy rules not the cause of rising auto prices: analysis
Automakers are wrongfully blaming fuel-economy rules for increased prices, analysts argue.
Stephen Edelstein -
Flurry of green-car rules as Obama administration departs
Obama administration officials are working to expedite new automotive regulations.
Stephen Edelstein -
EU fuel-economy ratings move further from reality; Mercedes tops offender list
Some Mercedes-Benz models return 50-percent lower fuel economy than EU ratings, according to a new study.
Stephen Edelstein -
NHTSA delays penalty rise for carmakers who miss CAFE levels
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will delay implementation of higher penalties for automakers that don't meet fuel-economy standards.
Stephen Edelstein