Top Ten Most Economical Cars
Below are the most economical cars in current production. We test the best economy cars from different countries around the world. Go ahead and select a country and a vehicle type:Availability: |
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Fuel Efficient Car Reviews & Articles
Fuel Efficient 4x4If you're in the market for a fuel efficient 4x4 you should definitely test drive the Volkswagen Tiguan. Its the second most efficient 4x4 available in the U.K. and is a capable performer in all areas.
Four wheel drives are slowly shedding their reputations as gas guzzlers thanks to an influx of economical new 4wd's such as the VW Tiguan. Fitted with a 2.0 TDI engine this fuel efficient 4x4 is capable of 45 miles per gallon (UK) in the city, 59 on the open road and a whopping 53 mpg on the combined cycle. Fuel Efficient 4x4...
Most Efficient SUV: Ford Escape Hybrid
The Ford Escape hybrid is the United States most efficient SUV. To be this environmentally friendly does come at a price though. The hybrid Escape is expensive compared to other vehicles in its class and around $9000 dearer than a non hybrid Escape.
Ford's hybrid Escape has a 153 horsepower 2.5 liter four cylinder gasoline engine and a 94 horsepower electric motor. Compared to other hybrids, electric power is substantial, vastly improving the Escape's gas mileage over its non hybrid sibling. The economical Ford also runs on continuously variable transmission for greater fuel efficiency.
The Escape is available in either front wheel or all wheel drive configurations. The front wheel drive version has a fuel economy of 34 mpg in the city and 31 on the highway while the heavier four wheel drive registers 30 in the city and 27 miles per gallon on the highway. Most Efficient SUV: Ford Escape Hybrid
Small Economy Car: Toyota Yaris 1.5
The Toyota Yaris is a very good small economy car. Its the smallest and cheapest car in Toyota's line up but it still manages to retain the company's trait for high build quality.
The Yaris is highly fuel efficient. In fact its the third most efficient car in the subcompact class, which means its in the top 10% of cars for fuel economy. A well engineered 4 cylinder 1.5 liter gasoline engine is responsible. It produces a not too insubstantial 106 horsepower while still managing 29 miles per gallon in the city and 36 mpg on the highway. While its no sports car there's plenty of zip when driving around town and its a fun drive. Small Economy Car: Toyota Yaris 1.5...
Most Efficient Sports Car: Mazda Miata
The most efficient sports car you can buy is the Mazda Miata, but don't go thinking its a boring sports vehicle. While the Miata may not have the power of its rivals its still an awesome car with handling ability comparable to supercars.
The sporty Mazda comes with a choice of three transmissions. There's a 5 speed manual shift which has a fuel economy of 22 miles per gallon for the city, 28 for the highway and 24 mpg combined. There's also a six speed manual and an auto equipped with paddle shifters, both of which register 21/28 miles per gallon for the city/highway cycles. You can't buy a more economical sports car than this. More on the most efficient sports car...
Most Efficient Small Car: Honda Fit 1.5
One of the most efficient small cars is the Honda Fit, returning great fuel economy without the need of expensive hybrid technology - just a small engine tweaked for efficiency.
The auto version is so tweaked for efficiency, in fact, that its more economical than the manual which is very unusual. The downside of the auto is its pretty sluggish especially when you need it to change down a gear for some extra power. The manual is a more engaging drive and would be our transmission choice. It is not much less efficient than the auto, recording EPA figures of 27 miles per gallon in the city and 33 on the highway, while the automatic does 28 miles to the gallon on the city cycle and 35 on the highway. More on the Honda Fit 1.5...
Most Economical Coupe | Honda CR-Z
One of the world's most economical coupes is the new hybrid Honda CR-Z. Its a defining car because its the worlds first hybrid 2 door coupe and also the CR-Z is the only hybrid car with a manual gearbox you can currently buy.
The Honda CR-Z has a 1.5 liter 4 cylinder engine and a small 10kW electric motor powered by nickel metal hydride batteries. The car is a mild hybrid - the electric motor assists the internal combustion engine and cannot power the car alone. The 1.5 liter engine has 84 kW of power and maximum combined power output is 91 kW at 6100 rpm (although the electric motor produces 10 kW it can't operate at maximum power when the engine is also at its peak).
Fuel economy on the combined cycle is 5.0 litres per 100km. Toyota's Prius, for comparison, uses just 3.9 litres per 100km. So although not as efficient as the most economical cars you can buy, it is a very economical sports coupe. Carbon dioxide emissions are 117g/km. Honda have compromised on fuel efficiency for a better driving experience. That's why there's a more powerful engine than Honda's most popular hybrid, the Insight, and why the CR-Z comes with a six speed manual. Both sacrifice some fuel in favor of a more engaging drive. More on the Honda CR-Z...
Economical Hatchback | 2010 Honda Insight
The 2010 Honda Insight: an economical hatchback, a great looking car, an enjoyable drive, affordable hybrid technology. This car promises us so much. Does it live up to the hype? We've reviewed it and we think it does.
The Honda Insight is of course most commonly compared to the Toyota Prius. Its worthwhile remembering before we begin that these two cars occupy two different size classes. The Prius is classified in the U.S. as a midsized car while the Insight is a compact. I mention this because these hybrid cars are so often compared and I think this difference often gets forgotten. Yes the 2010 Honda Insight is several thousand dollars cheaper than the 2010 Toyota Prius, which its so often applauded for, but you are getting less car for your money. The size difference is noticeable as we shall see later.
So first to the Insight's area of expertise - fuel economy. This economical hatchback will do 40 miles per U.S. gallon in the city. Read more...
Economical Small Diesels - VW Polo BlueMotion Review
One of the most economical small diesel cars is the VW Polo BlueMotion. VW give the BlueMotion tag to each model variant that has had some tweaks and is the most economical and least polluting in the range. Now in its second generation, the Polo BlueMotion's stats are simply outstanding - a combined fuel consumption of 83 miles per UK gallon (this car is not available in the States) and 90 g/km of CO2 emissions. A Prius comes nowhere near this.
The first generation Polo BlueMotion was also a very economical diesel at 72 miles per gallon but it suffered from a lack of refinement. It had a noisy engine and lifeless steering.
To achieve the remarkable fuel economy the designers at VW added a new grille, smaller wing mirrors and a special rear wing to improve the BlueMotion's aerodynamics. Economical Small Diesels - VW Polo BlueMotion Review
Economy Tires
Economy tires have less rolling resistance than standard tires. This means you don't use as much gas which is both great for your finances and for the environment. Energy efficient tire manufacturers say there are no disadvantages to them, which if true means these economical tires should be the choice of every car owner.
Since the growth in economical cars is so rapid at the moment its no surprise that tire manufacturers want to jump aboard the movement too. The biggest manufacturers in the economy tire market include Michelin, Hankook and Bridgestone.
Economy tires work by reducing friction within the tire. About 20% of a car's gas use is due to friction from its tires. Economical tires have a new rubber compound containing silica which reduces friction between molecules in the tires. This means less energy goes to waste and your car consumes less fuel.Tire makers are keen to make it clear that the lower friction of the new rubber compound does not lead to any less grip of the tire on the road. More on Economy Tires...
Most Economical Speed
With fuel prices constantly on the increase its important to know what the most economical speed of your car is. This way you can get optimum fuel economy from your car when traffic conditions allow. Unfortunately there is no one speed that returns the best fuel economy for all cars. Fortunately though its very easy to find your own car's most economical speed.
Your car's most fuel efficient speed depends on its engine size and type, gearing ratios, its aerodynamic profile and a whole host of other factors. However in simple terms, the most economical speed will roughly be the slowest speed you can go in top gear without the engine laboring. More on the Most Economical Speed...
Manual, automatic and CVT fuel efficiency
You've probably noticed when reading car fuel efficiency stats that manuals are always a bit more economical than auto versions of the same car.
The reason for this is a manual gearbox allows a direct mechanical link to be maintained between the engine and wheels through the use of cogs, a metal chain and clutch. First gear is the largest cog and top gear is the smallest cog. The clutch on manual transmission cars is able to uncouple the engine from the cogs allowing gear selection and stopping of the car. You can vary the amount of torque applied by the engine by varying the degree of clutch engagement. The mechanical coupling of the engine to the gears in this way means that manual transmissions are very efficient. More on Manual, automatic and CVT fuel efficiency...
The Most Fuel Efficient Car In The World
The Pac-Car holds the Guinness World Record as the most fuel efficient car. Built by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology to demonstrate how economical a car can be, it traveled 5385 km for the equivalent energy of only 1 liter of gasoline. This corresponds to 0.0186 liters/100km, or 12,646 miles per gallon! This means the Pac-Car would only use 8 liters of fuel to drive around the globe. More about the Most Fuel Efficient Car...
Most Efficient Cars - Toyota Prius
Toyota were really ahead of the pack when they released their hybrid efficient car, the Prius, back in 2004 and it has been one of the most efficient cars on the market ever since. When it was first unveiled most people had no idea how a hybrid car even worked. Other car makers were left bewildered at the amazing technology that was packed into the Prius. The Toyota Prius was the hybrid trailblazer and it would be quite some time before it would have any decent competition. Toyota very definitely still lead the way in hybrid economical cars and their latest edition, the 2010 Prius packs lots of new hi-tech features as well as being the most economical Prius yet.
The Prius initially had a 1.5 liter 4 cylinder petrol engine but many customers were unhappy with the cars sluggish acceleration. The latest Prius has a larger 1.8 liter petrol engine outputting 73kW in combination with a 60kW electric motor. The car is still sluggish on take off when only powered by the electric motor but when the petrol engine kicks in at about 25mph, acceleration is comparable to other family cars.
Incredibly the new 1.8 liter engine makes the Prius a more fuel-efficient car than the old 1.5 liter car. This must certainly be in part because the more powerful engine doesn't need to work as hard as the old one. The hybrid engine is combined with a continuously variable automatic transmission which always keeps the petrol engine in a narrow rev range thats best suited for maximum fuel efficiency. The Prius is the most economical family car on the market. It returns amazing fuel efficiency figures - 51 mpg in the city and 48 mpg on the highway. Only smaller cars with tiny engines can beat it. More...
Best Mileage Cars
The best mileage cars in production are all mini or subcompact cars with tiny engines. Some have advanced diesel engines while others have 3 or 4 cylinder petrol engines. The best mileage cars are all lightweight and tend to have narrow wheels providing little rolling resistance.
These efficient cars can return gas mileage figures in excess of 60 mpg compared to some large V8 engines which manage less than 20 mpg. This means that these economical vehicles will cost you less than a third of the fuel costs of some V8's. Not only this but running costs will of course also be a fraction of the cost.
The best gas mileage cars can save you a lot of money and these days they are also surprisingly nice to drive. Many don't feel as small as they actually are to drive. More...
Car Fuel Mileage
Car fuel mileage refers to the distance in miles a car can drive on 1 gallon of fuel. The unit of measurement is mpg (miles per gallon). When comparing car fuel mileage figures you need to know which gallon is being referred to - the U.S. or gallon or imperial gallon. The imperial gallon is approximately 20% larger than the U.S. gallon.
A higher mpg means better fuel economy - you can travel further for the same amount of fuel.
The two extremes of car fuel mileage figures are a top fuel dragster which consumes about 24 U.S. gallons per mile (or 0.042 mpg) and the world record holding Pac Car which manages 12,660 mpg. Most people in standard cars achieve a car fuel mileage of between 15 and 40 mpg. Governments want to raise this figure. New cars sold today in the U.S. must meet a fuel economy standard of 27 mpg however this will slowly be increased to 35.5 mpg by 2016. The European Union is going further, demanding a car fuel mileage of 47 mpg by 2012. More...
If you're thinking about buying a breathalyzer for your fuel efficient car they're not all the same. You can read reviews of car breathalyzers at Blood Alcohol Breathalyzer
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