Gas Mileage
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Putting a tiny engine in a hairy-chested sports car doesn't seem like the perfect recipe for fun, but British sports car companies have always been a little... different. Caterham is one of those companies. Back in 1972, it bought the rights to Colin Chapman's lightweight Lotus Seven sports car, and has produced variations on the theme ever since. The latest slots a miniscule Suzuki-sourced 660cc turbocharged gasoline engine under its long hood. That sounds quite familiar to us. 660cc is the maximum engine capacity limit for Japan's kei-car regulations--rules that ensure Japanese drivers...
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Audi A3 TDI Ultra Is Audi's Most Fuel-Efficient Car Ever...But Not For U.S.
The 'Ultra' tag will be familiar to fans of endurance motor racing, seen since 2010 on Audi's Le Mans-winning race cars. It hasn't yet featured on an Audi production car though, up until now--and as you'd expect, it's Audi's most fuel-efficient production car ever. The Audi A3 1.6 TDI Ultra uses a...
Antony Ingram -
Real-World Gas Mileage Varies By Brand; Honda Does Well, Ford Not So Much
Just how close do cars get to their official EPA gas mileage figures? We expect it's a question many of our readers are familiar with--either in keeping an eye on their own car's gas mileage, or from friends asking about their next car. It's become all the more important in recent months, with...
Antony Ingram -
Facing Fuel-Economy Fracas, Ford Focuses On Gas Mileage Myths (Video)
Many buyers of new Ford cars--both its 2013 C-Max and Fusion hybrids, and those fitted with its EcoBoost line of downsized, turbocharged engines--report real-world gas mileage much lower than the cars' EPA ratings. Ford is trying to counter almost a year's worth of media attention to these concerns...
John Voelcker -
Korean Oil Company Helps Drivers Save Gas With...Parking Balloons?
Sometimes the best ideas are also the simplest. That was our first thought on seeing one gas-saving idea from nothing less than an oil company in South Korea. Called the HERE balloon, it's oil giant S-Oil's way of reducing the time drivers spend looking for a space in a large parking lot--and...
Antony Ingram -
Want To Improve Manual Gas Mileage? Haptic Shift Knob Tech Could Help
The humble automatic transmission has come along in leaps and bounds over the year, and modern systems are often more efficient than their manual equivalents. For the manual gearbox itself, economy is still very much down to "the nut behind the wheel", so anything that optimizes a driver's shift...
Antony Ingram -
Back in 2010, we asked why so few of today's cars were among the most fuel efficient ever. Look down the list of the most fuel-efficient vehicles sold in the U.S, and only a small handful had been built in the previous decade--cars such as the familiar Prius, and the all-too-brief but brilliant first-generation Honda Insight hybrid. Well, that's now changing, and in the last few years, modern cars have started fighting back. Gas mileage is rising and technology is finally overcoming the hindrance of extra weight, equipment and safety--all factors that eroded the benefits of improved...
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Top Five Small Coupes With The Best Gas Mileage
It used to be so simple to tell which cars were coupes and which weren't. And not just because the word "Coupe" was emblazoned on your vinyl roof pillars in metallic script. Generally, if it was a little sleeker than the average car, had only two doors and a proper trunk, you had yourself a coupe...
Antony Ingram -
2013 Ford C-Max, Fusion Hybrids To Be Modified To Boost MPG In Real-World Use
That noise you heard yesterday afternoon? That was the sound of the other shoe dropping. Ford said yesterday that it will "enhance the on-road fuel economy performance" of the 77,000 2013 hybrid models it's sold over the last year, in an effort to "improve customer satisfaction." The announcement...
John Voelcker -
2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS: How Hot Is Chevy's Sporty Hatch?
The Chevrolet Sonic subcompact was an impressive offering when we tested both a 1.8-liter LT hatchback and a 1.4-liter LTZ sedan almost two years ago. Now, with the advent of the 2013 Chevy Sonic RS sports model, we had a chance to revisit the car--and we remain impressed. The RS version uses the...
John Voelcker -
2008 Ford Escape Hybrid: 500K Miles, Still In Patrol Service
If you ever had any doubt that hybrids were durable--and many people do--here's a case study to set your mind at ease. A white base-model 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid has just crossed 500,000 miles, which possibly makes it the highest-mileage Escape Hybrid on the road. That's much higher than the Escape...
John Voelcker -
2013 MINI Paceman John Cooper Works: We Ask 'Why?'
Every once in a while, we end up driving a car that leaves us utterly confused. The 2013 MINI Cooper Paceman John Cooper Works ALL4 we drove for a day last week is one such vehicle. It's striking, but far less functional than the MINI Countryman from which it's derived. The handling is decent, but...
John Voelcker -
If you're one of the millions of Americans preparing for your summer vacation, you might also be readying the family's bicycles for some exercise while you're away. Chances are, this involves some kind of roof-mounted bicycle rack for your car. And this can have a dramatic effect on your gas mileage. Consumer Reports has calculated just how much extra gas the aerodynamic hindrance of a bike rack can cause, recording figures with a 2013 Honda Accord LX. The 2.4-liter four-cylinder vehicle, capable of 29 mpg combined with an auto transmission and 28 mpg combined with the manual, achieves 30 mpg...
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2014 Nissan Versa Note Tops Subcompact Gas Mileage; Clever Aero, Light Weight
As automobile manufacturers strive for greater fuel efficiency, it's the low-hanging fruit proving most effective for immediate gains. That's why Nissan's new 2014 Versa Note--replacing the old 2012 Versa hatchback--has improved by a full 5 mpg on the old car's combined economy. The 2014 Nissan...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Mazda Mazda3 Sedan: Aero-Efficient Sedan Revealed
Mazda is on a roll at the moment. Its CX-5 crossover is among the most efficient in class, and the new 40 mpg highway Mazda 6 likewise. The 2014 Mazda 3 was also unveiled recently, and thanks to images leaked on the internet a few days ago, Mazda has now seen fit to reveal the 2014 Mazda 3 sedan in...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Mazda Mazda6 Gas Mileage Revealed: 40 Highway, 32 Combined
The automobile market is no longer a stranger to cars achieving highway mileage of 40 mpg, but to see such a figure coming from a midsize car is quite an impressive feat. What's more, the midsize car in question--Mazda's 2014 Mazda6 sedan--has no diesel engine nor hybrid system to help it reach...
Antony Ingram -
Volkswagen Passat TDI Smashes World Record With 78 MPG On U.S. Trip
Two drivers have set a new Guinness World Record for achieving the lowest fuel consumption in the lower 48 states in a non-hybrid car. Wayne Gerdes and co-driver Bob Winger returned an amazing 78 mpg around the 48 contiguous states in a 2013 Volkswagen Passat TDI, the highest-mpg diesel on sale in...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Mazda 3 Launches: Two SkyActiv Engines, High MPG Expected
Mazda launched its all-new 2014 Mazda 3 compact hatchback today at coordinated events in New York, Melbourne, Istanbul, St. Petersburg, and London. The new Mazda 3 lineup, which will include a four-door sedan version as well when it goes on sale this September, is the second model designed around...
John Voelcker -
The U.S. will save a lot more gasoline by improving the fuel efficiency of gas-guzzling high-volume pickup trucks than it will swapping out Toyota Corollas for Prius hybrids. That's mathematical fact. Now, finally, the makers of the three most popular pickup truck lines sold in the U.S. are boosting the fuel economy offered in new trucks for 2014. The trend began in 2011, when Ford launched its F-150 with an EcoBoost engine option that delivered V-8 power with the EPA ratings of a V-6 engine. And it's picking up steam for next year, with GM touting the projected mileage ratings of its all-new...
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OK, NYC Taxis Can Be Hybrids After All, City Says
Politics in New York City are a tough, bruising game. Pit a billionaire Mayor with a desire to make the city work better and cut carbon emissions against the entrenched interests of taxi owners, and you get an ongoing battle. The latest skirmish is a concession by the NYC Taxi and Limousine...
John Voelcker -
2025 Gas Mileage Reachable With 'Radical Downsizing' HyBoost Engine, Says Ricardo
Noticed engines getting smaller recently? You're not alone. "Downsizing", as it's called, involves using a smaller engine to do the work of a larger alternative--usually through turbocharging--while enjoying the fuel efficiency benefits associated with its size. Engineering firm Ricardo thinks this...
Antony Ingram -
Best Time To Drive A Hybrid? When The Traffic Is Really Bad
Show us someone who actively enjoys getting stuck in heavy traffic and we'll show you someone with nothing better to do. But if you have little choice but to sit in that traffic on your way to work, a new study shows you'd be best off with a hybrid vehicle. You probably didn't need a study to tell...
Antony Ingram -
New Gas Mileage Rules Will Reshape What Americans Drive: Engines And Transmissions
Smaller, more efficient engines better matched to more complex transmissions will have some of the biggest effects in making tomorrow's cars more fuel-efficient. The 2025 corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) level of 54.5 mpg translates to about 42 mpg on the EPA window sticker. And while Toyota...
John Voelcker -
New Gas Mileage Rules Will Reshape What Americans Drive: Aerodynamics And Weight
No, we won't all be driving golf carts. In fact, as cars change over the next 12 years to meet much tougher fuel-economy rules, automakers will likely do their best to keep the changes invisible. Your next vehicles will deliver better gas mileage than ever before, no matter how large or small they...
John Voelcker