edmunds top 10 most fuel efficient cars of 2005

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/103325/article.html

Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars for 2005
By Jeff Bryan
Email

We've compiled a list of the 10 most fuel-efficient cars currently sold in the U.S. based on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) miles-per-gallon ratings for city and highway travel. In order to arrive at a final hierarchy, we used the EPA's combined fuel economy formula: 55 percent of city mpg rating plus 45 percent of highway mpg rating. The rating for each vehicle below is expressed in mpg as a city/highway ratio. All ratings apply to base models equipped with a manual transmission, except where indicated otherwise with an asterisk. Also, we only allowed a given model to appear once on the list, except in the case of the Honda Civic because it's available in both gas-electric hybrid and regular gasoline versions.



Honda Insight — 61/66
Toyota Prius — 60/51*
Honda Civic Hybrid — 45/51
Volkswagen Golf TDI — 38/46
Volkswagen Jetta TDI — 38/46
Volkswagen New Beetle TDI — 38/46
Honda Civic HX — 36/44
Toyota Echo — 35/42
Toyota Corolla — 32/41
Scion xA — 32/37
Honda Accord Hybrid — 30/37*
Pontiac Vibe — 30/36
Toyota Matrix — 30/36
Scion xB — 31/35*
Dodge Neon — 29/36
Toyota Celica GT — 29/36*

#2 Toyota Prius — 60/51*

worse highway mileage? whats the * for?

#2 Toyota Prius — 60/51*

worse highway mileage? whats the * for?

Probably means downhill with the windows up, AC off and a tailwind.

#2 Toyota Prius — 60/51*

worse highway mileage? whats the * for?
All ratings apply to base models equipped with a manual transmission, except where indicated otherwise with an asterisk.

:)

and yes, hybrids generally seem to get better city because they recover energy from decelleration, which there isn't much of on the highway. their highway milage is pretty much simply because they are relativly lightweight and run on a tiny engine

Probably means downhill with the windows up, AC off and a tailwind.

:D thats what i was thinkin

Is it me or are there alot of cars left off that list that get that or better milage? what about Aveo?

Is it me or are there alot of cars left off that list that get that or better milage? what about Aveo?


26/35

In the end all the Hybrid #'s are really BS anyways, and when the general public finds out, I can see sales dramatically declining, at least not having people pay over MSRP....

actual GAS-MOTOR mileage/Gallons of fuel used = avg. 4 cyl mileage

the way they rate them:

miles since last fill up(elec&gas motor miles)/Gallons of fuel used = 60MPG
Last time I checked elec motors don't use fuel......:rolleyes:

:confused:

I think you're overanalyzing it. The point still stands that you'll go through 1 gallon of gas in roughly 60 miles.

Yes the engine is still a four cyclinder, but the electric motor eases the load so it's not running all the time.

hardly anyone gets 60mpg out of the prius, it's the most overrated car ever

In the end all the Hybrid #'s are really BS anyways, and when the general public finds out, I can see sales dramatically declining, at least not having people pay over MSRP....

actual GAS-MOTOR mileage/Gallons of fuel used = avg. 4 cyl mileage

the way they rate them:

miles since last fill up(elec&gas motor miles)/Gallons of fuel used = 60MPG
Last time I checked elec motors don't use fuel......:rolleyes:
i cannot believe you said that,

to put it in your simpleton ways, number of miles/number of gallons used = MPG, the fact that there was an electric motor doing some of the 'driving' is irrelevant...

this has NOTHING to do with the gasoline part of the engine burning cleaner or more efficiently, its about the work being done the same as a regular gasoline engine, just using other sources of energy, ie. the electric motor...

and, i think most of the public (or at least the non hill-billies) know this already, and appreciate the technology...

quite a few hybrids don't get the advertised fuel economy as it is highly dependant upon driving style and the route you take.

also don't plan on using your A/C because the electric motor can't power it and it'll just fire up the gas engine anyways.

the technology looks promising, but its not yet fully developed. give it 10 - 20 years and it'll be amazing ... just think, 30 years ago did anyone ever think that there would be a 400hp V8 could make 30+mpg hwy?

the technology looks promising, but its not yet fully developed. give it 10 - 20 years and it'll be amazing ... just think, 30 years ago did anyone ever think that there would be a 400hp V8 could make 30+mpg hwy?

Which car?

GM needs to do some work on the cobalt, it should be on that list. :(

Which car?

GM needs to do some work on the cobalt, it should be on that list. :(
The C6 gets D*mn close. Heck the Z06 gets 26 on the highway.

Errr, both the Prius and the new Civic hybrid have electric A/C, engine doesn't need to be on for it to work.

Errr, both the Prius and the new Civic hybrid have electric A/C, engine doesn't need to be on for it to work.
thats what i was told by a ford dealer about the ford hybrids, but then again dealers are often full of crap.

Errr, both the Prius and the new Civic hybrid have electric A/C, engine doesn't need to be on for it to work.
Not true for the Prius, you may be thinking of the Accord

No, Prius offers electric air conditioning that works on full electric mode, unless toyota has it wrong:

http://www.toyota.com/about/news/product/2003/04/16-1-prius.html

"Instead of running off the fan belt, the new inverter air conditioner is fully electrically operated. Not only does this improve fuel efficiency, it ensures passenger comfort, even when the gasoline engine is off and the car is being propelled only by the electric motor."

You might be thinking about the first gen Prius that was last sold for the 2003 model year.

As far as Honda Civic goes, I guess it could be a grey area, but A/C can run in all electric mode, I guess not at full capacity (true for the Accord hybrid as well):

http://search.hondacars.com/Default.asp?ui_mode=question&question_box=electric+air+conditioning
new hybrid air conditioning system uses power from both the engine and an electric motor to increase cooling performance in the car's interior and helps to further reduce fuel consumption

"Honda's new-design air conditioner usually doesn't require the gasoline engine to be running, as did the previous model."

Import companies can move fast on improvements, espectially in a fast-moving field like hybrids.

Yes but I think you'd agree that a full electric AC is going to drain the battery pack rapidly, requiring the gas engine to come on to recharge the pack a lot sooner...so its 6 one way half-dozen the other,but regardless A/C is going to significantly hurt gas mileage in a Hybrid and I think worse than in a standard gas-powered car.

Playing devils advocate here, but...

While most hybrid owners won't regularly get the EPA figures they advertise the hell out of, they will get figures good enough to make that top-10 list. They'd probably fall behind the diesels and finish around the 4-6 spots.. which isn't terrible by any means.

Lastly.. the Aveo really needs a more fuel efficient engine. Something to get it into the mid-to-high 30's for city and low 40's for hwy. Something around what Toyota's Echo is getting. Anybody hear anything of an improvement coming?

Playing devils advocate here, but...

While most hybrid owners won't regularly get the EPA figures they advertise the hell out of, they will get figures good enough to make that top-10 list. They'd probably fall behind the diesels and finish around the 4-6 spots.. which isn't terrible by any means.

Lastly.. the Aveo really needs a more fuel efficient engine. Something to get it into the mid-to-high 30's for city and low 40's for hwy. Something around what Toyota's Echo is getting. Anybody hear anything of an improvement coming?
hybrid owners usually get mileage in the 40s. do you know how long it would take to recover the extra cost of their carin gas savings?

They shouldn't use EPA ratings for this list.
They should use actual figures.

That POS Prius doesn't get anywhere near it's 60/51 rating.

GM needs a 50mpg+ Diesel Aveo.

GM sells 40mpg+ cars over seas, they need some in the USA

EPA is the only standardized numbers for fuel economy though, no way actual figures would work. Best would be to change the EPA city/highway cycles to better reflect real-world conditions.

Fuel economy is part of what hybrids are about, but so is very clean-running. Diesels don't compare. And with diesel costs the way they are, I don't think you will ever make up the difference in terms of fuel savings.

-B

That POS Prius doesn't get anywhere near it's 60/51 rating.
What about the Insight. Is it getting close to 61/66?

I'm also interested about the Aveo getting more mpg. Is there any rumor for new engines in the 07+ models? It always seemed low for the GM "economy" brand.

I'd be disappointed with just-50mpg diesel Aveo; I think GM could do better than that. Add the mild-hybrid stop/start technology to it. The VW diesels reach 46mpg. The VW's aren't as light as an Aveo. The engines aren't even close to modern either. A modern, small diesel in an Aveo would do well. Add the hybrid technology & I think GM would finally have a true "green" car -- something their current portfolio lacks.

The C6 gets D*mn close. Heck the Z06 gets 26 on the highway.
And usually if the EPA says a GM car will get 26, you'll see 28 every now and then. At least I always have.

EPA is the only standardized numbers for fuel economy though, no way actual figures would work. Best would be to change the EPA city/highway cycles to better reflect real-world conditions.
-B

I second that. Considering the cost of these hybrids, people are much better off sticking with their used car. Many are surprised when I tell them I wouldnt trade my Fiero (book value of about $1600) for a new honda-anything.

The cost of keeping that new honda would eat me alive considering what I budget for the fiero.

Cost of keeping a fiero:

Avg. Sale Price: $800
Avg. MPG: 28 / 29 (by the way, that's real life figs. not EPA)
Insurance: $26/mo.
NC State Taxes: $4.50 / year.

So, in the year I bought the car considering I spend about:
$1200 in gas [15,000 mi. x 2.25/gal (avg)]
$312 for insurance
$4.50 in taxes
and $800 for the car,
Im looking at my automobile costing me about $6.35 / day.

Now, I dont care if that $27,000 Honda Insight got 100MPG, it's avg. daily cost is way over $6!! Plus, it's fashionably ugly.

BUT, just for fun :-D

Honda Insight: $27,000
(what as the avg. mpg? I think 40 something... we'll say 45.)
$750 in gas [15,000 mi. x 2.25/gal (avg)]
$600 / year for insurance (im guessing it's close to my VUE)
and, taxes on a 27,000 POS are probably going to be around $230.

Total cost that year: $28,580 (not incl. finance charges and the loss in pride because your driving a bit** car)

that's a daily cost of OVER $78!!

I'm sticking with the Pontiac.

/\
I did some numbers when gas was about $3gal locally based on a constant amount of miles and fuel prices.

After a 5 year period the combined cost of the initial purchase price and Tahoe fuel consumption over an Impala, you can about buy 2 Impalas for the extra money spent on origonal MSRP and fuel useage.

What about the Insight. Is it getting close to 61/66?


Hybrids have fudged EPA #s