Gas Mileage

It still hasn't really registered in public awareness, but as we've said before, U.S. gasoline consumption has been falling since 2006. Now, it turns out that U.S. energy imports have been falling as well--from 60 percent in 2005 to just 45 percent last year. That can be attributed to two factors...

Over the past few years, we’ve been following with interest the ongoing legal battle between Honda and owners of its 2003-2008 Civic Hybrid. The claim? That Honda sold the Civic Hybrid on the basis of a claimed 50 mpg gas mileage that no-one could achieve. Now a proposed Californian...

Several years ago, the U.S. auto industry worried that Chinese carmakers would use inexpensive cars to gain a foothold here, just as Japanese and Korean makers had done. That hasn't happened, for many reasons--one being that making cars good enough to sell here is remarkably hard. More recently...

When Indian automaker Tata launched the world’s cheapest small car, it gave thousands of people across India the chance to own a car of their own for the first time. While the cheaply-built Tata Nano might combine utilitarian construction, simple engineering and frugal motoring, Tata has come...

Before we were handed the keys to the 2012 Lexus RX 450h AWD, we were advised that although the luxury SUV would be a comfortable companion, freeway driving isn't the best test for a hybrid vehicle. Or is it? After all, we already know that hybrids work best in city driving, but low tailpipe...

You may not know this, but internal combustion engines are only efficient during a tiny part of their total operating range. And that means when driving at lower speeds when demand on the car’s engine isn’t large, your car might not get the gas mileage you’d expect. But...

Sometimes at an international auto show, a new concept car is unveiled that is truly stunning -- but is unlikely to ever make it to the U.S. We call them Forbidden Fruit. Like most Forbidden Fruit, we feel sad when we can’t take them home. That’s how Nissan’s latest concept...

Pester power, the advertising practice of using the nagging abilities of children to sell candy and toys is known and feared by most parents worldwide. But what happens when elementary school children are targeted by an automaker in order to pester their parents into taking a test drive? Enter...

When 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid owner Heather Peters took Honda to Small Claims Court for what she said was misleading and unachievable gas mileage claims, the world looked on with interest. Not everyone thought Peters would win. But when she did -- to the tune of nearly $10,000 in damages --...

Unless you’re the kind of person who can afford a bespoke luxury car, you’ll know the pain of finding out from your car dealer that the car you want doesn’t come with the paint or interior options you’d like. So what if you could help automakers decide on which options to...

We've been saying for a long time that one way carmakers will meet new, tougher gas-mileage rules is to make their engines smaller but more efficient. Ford's EcoBoost lineup of direct-injected, turbocharged engines is one example, from a 3.5-liter V-6 used in full-sized pickups all the way down to...

There's an arms race going on. It's being fought out by carmakers over the globe, but it's one that could finally be coming to an end. It's the horsepower arms race. As power and weight have risen, economy has hit a plateau. New technology advancements may see power doing the same over the next...

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.

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...

Unless you don’t own a car, or happen to drive an all-electric car, the chances are you’ll have noticed that gas prices have risen dramatically over the past few days. But as growing uncertainly in the Middle East -- not to mention the knock-on effects of a large gasoline refinery fire...

"The Ultimate Driving Machine" - It's one of the most well-known taglines of the motoring world, and each successful generation of BMW is designed to improve that driving experience further. However, in times of austerity and rising gas prices, it's not enough to simply concentrate on performance...

For some time, Toyota has held the crown when it comes to bizarre -- and sometimes cute -- ad campaigns for its range of Prius hybrids. Now Mazda wants some of the cute green ad action. In its latest ad, Mazda proudly proclaims that its 2013 CX-5 compact crossover is Truffula Tree friendly, thanks...

Let's say you're in the market for a small car, and you want the most economical one around in your budget. What are the options? Quite varied ones, actually - everything from electric cars, through hybrids, range-extended vehicles, gasoline and diesel. You might notice a few glaring omissions from...

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...

When it comes to gas mileage figures, we're always told "your mileage may vary". It's when that mileage varies outside of reasonable expectations that people start to take issue, and that's exactly what happened when 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid owner Heather Peters was unable to match Honda's 50 mpg...