10 Fuel Efficient Cars for 2009
If you are looking to get a new car this year, you'll probably want to get a car with the best mpg available. Gas prices are starting to rise for the summer, and the president is emphasizing environmental issues. Additionally, if you are trying to watch your spending, gas conservation is one of the easier ways for you to save and still be able to drive on the trips you want to take, or even a way for you to save money on your long commute.
When you look at a list of the best mpg cars for 2009 on the Internet, most of the cars on the list will be foreign cars like Toyota® or Honda®. As a general rule, this is because of the perception that domestic automakers do not focus on fuel efficiency. However, there are some domestic cars that get the same or better gas mileage as some of the best mpg cars on the list of foreign cars, depending on what model you get.
Though the list below has ten of these cars, there are others that didn't make the list that still offer more than 30 mpg. For example, the Mini Cooper® has an estimated EPA mileage of 26 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway. Alternatively, the Nissan Altima® offers 23 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway. All of these vehicles offer something different, but listed below are those with the best mpg in a new car.
For more details on the Mini Cooper visit:
www.edmunds.com/mini/cooper/review.html.
For more information on the Nissan Altima® visit:
www.edmunds.com/nissan/altima/review.html.
Foreign Gasoline Electric Hybrid Best MPG Cars
When you're thinking of the car with the best mpg, you most likely think of the Toyota Prius®. With an estimated 48 mpg in the city, and 46 mpg on the highway, this car will go a long way on a tank of gas. The Prius is available as a 5 door hatchback, giving you enough room for your whole family.
Get more details about the Prius at:
www.edmunds.com/toyota/prius/review.html.
The second in the list of best mpg cars is the Honda Civic™ hybrid. With an estimated 40 mpg in the city and 45 mpg on the highway, the Civic hybrid combines the style and functionality of the Honda Civic with the gas mileage offered by a gasoline electric hybrid motor. However, one drawback to the Honda Civic™ hybrid is that it's not much more fuel efficient than a traditional gasoline powered Honda Civic™, even though the price is comparatively higher.
For a full review of the Honda Civic™, visit:
www.hybridcars.com/compacts-sedans/honda-civic-hybrid-overview.html.
The Smart ForTwo is one of the smaller hybrid cars on the market. In Europe, the ForTwo is rated at an estimated 50 mpg, but EPA estimates for the Smart ForTwo leave the best car mpg as 33 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on the highway. With electronic stability control and anti-lock brakes, the cost of the ForTwo starts at under $13k, making it one of the most affordable best mpg cars around.
For full details about the Smart ForTwo, visit:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_Fortwo.
Foreign Gasoline or Diesel Best MPG Cars
The Volkswagon™ Jetta is a diesel powered car that gets 30 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on the highway for the manual transmission or 29 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway for the automatic transmission. Though it is more expensive to buy diesel fuel for a diesel powered vehicle, the Jetta’s average mpg helps ease the pinch you feel when buying diesel instead of gasoline.
More information about the Volkswagon Jetta is available at:
www.vw.com/jetta.
The Honda Fit™ is the second Honda vehicle to make the top 10 best mpg cars. This car gets an estimated 27 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. The Fit has a back seat and hatchback with a cargo area. The Honda Fit™ Sport has a gear ratio that improves acceleration but decreases fuel economy, but the Honda Fit™ Base trim has a slightly better fuel economy of the two.
Details about Honda Fit™ are offered at:
www. automobiles.honda.com/fit/.
Domestic Gasoline Electric Hybrid Best MPG Cars
If you still wish to get an SUV when you are looking for a fuel efficient car, you might want to consider the Ford™ Escape hybrid. Though you wouldn’t consider an SUV to be fuel efficient, the Ford™ Escape hybrid gets 34 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway. Ford’s™ hybrid system is said to run more smoothly than Toyota’s, doing a better job of running the electric motor when running in the city.
The second domestic hybrid on the list would be the Ford™ Fusion hybrid. This vehicle gets 41 mpg in the city and 36 on the highway. The Ford™ Fusion is a mid-size sedan with plenty of room for your family. Additionally, the Ford™ Fusion hybrid has Ford’s™ hybrid system that runs the electric motor more smoothly than Toyota’s electric motor.
For more information on Ford™ offerings, visit:
www.ford.com/.
The Chevy™ Malibu gets an estimated 26 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway. Because the Malibu is Chevy’s™ most popular vehicle, they have developed a version that will qualify for a car with the best mpg available. They added a hybrid motor to this popular vehicle, improving the fuel efficiency. The Malibu comes standard with the OnStar™ auto navigation system too.
For a review of the Chevy™ Malibu, visit:
www.chevrolet.com/2009malibu.
Domestic Gasoline or Diesel Best MPG Cars
If you are looking for a domestic gasoline powered vehicle, you may want to consider the Chevy™ Cobalt XFE. This gasoline powered vehicle gets an EPA estimated 25 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway. Like the Chevy™ Malibu, the Chevy™ Cobalt comes standard with the OnStar turn-by-turn navigation system. With the lower city mpg, you may only be interested in the Chevy™ Cobalt if you are driving mostly on the highway without the stop and go traffic you would see in city driving, especially with traffic lights.
Information on the Chevy™ Colbalt XFE is offered at:
www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/cobalt/review.html
The Ford™ Focus is the last domestic vehicle on our list of cars with the best mpg. The Ford™ Focus is another vehicle that gets decent gas mileage on the highway but not as good gas mileage in the city. With an estimated 24 mpg in the city but 35 mpg on the highway, there is room for improvement on this Ford™ vehicle, but if you are commuting you will find that the 35 mpg will help you conserve gas. Additionally, the Ford™ Focus also comes with luxury options like the Sirius® satellite radio.
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