Toyota, Honda lead fuel-efficient list
The hybrid-electric Toyota Prius leads the
government’s annual top-10 fuel economy list of vehicles that can make
living with high gas prices a little more tolerable.
Ford can build this Ranger with 2.5L turbo-diesel
but — they don’t!
The hybrid-electric Toyota Prius leads the government’s annual top-10 fuel economy list of vehicles that can make living with high gas prices a little more tolerable.
The 2007 Prius, with 60 miles per gallon in the city and 51 mpg on the highway, ranked first while the Honda Civic Hybrid was second with 49 mpg in the city and 51 mpg on the highway, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy said Tuesday.
Honda and Toyota made seven of the 12 vehicles listed in the top 10. The new Toyota Camry Hybrid made its debut at No. 3, with 40 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway.
Six gas-only vehicles made the top 10: manual and automatic versions of the Toyota Yaris, the manual version of the Honda Fit, the manual Toyota Corolla and manual versions of the Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio.
“Every model is available with some sort of fuel efficient technology and as consumers continue to demand fuel efficient vehicles, manufacturers will continue to offer more choices,” said Charles Territo, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.
Among classes of vehicles, the Ford Ranger two-wheel-drive was the most fuel-efficient pickup, with 24 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway. The Hyundai Sonata manual version was the top large car, with 24 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway, while the Dodge Caravan two-wheel drive was the top minivan, with 20 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway.
Frankly, I included Territo’s quote to illustrate the difference between “leading the way” and trying to “play catch-up”. U.S. car builders gradually increased build quality over a few decades to match the competition — while losing significant market share. Sadly, it looks like they’ll do the same with fuel efficiency.
Posted: Wed - October 18, 2006 at 06:46 AM