The compact Mazda3 was introduced to America in the 2006 model year, after being available abroad since 2004. The Mazda3’s good gas mileage and sporting character have won it fans the world over. While highway gas mileage rankings in the low thirties for the base model have ensured success with the commuter crowd, it’s the style, handling, and lively nature that play to those looking for a bit of “zoom-zoom” in their day-to-day lives.
The Mazda3 4-door “i” Model is equipped with a 2.0 liter DOHC four cylinder engine, producing 148 horsepower (HP), while the “s” Model is fitted with the larger and slightly more powerful 2.3 liter four cylinder engine, producing 156 horsepower and 150 foot pounds of torque. The i Model delivers 24 city / 32 highway miles per gallon (MPG), while the s Model provides 22 city / 29 highway MPG.
The Mazda3 5-door “s” Model is fitted with the same 2.3 liter engine as the 4-door s Model. (Mileage estimates are identical, as well.) The i Models are equipped with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed electronically controlled automatic. The s Models are available with either the 5-speed manual or a 5-speed electronically controlled automatic.
The top-of-the-line MazdaSpeed3 5-door is unquestioningly intended for the enthusiast. The little hot rod wagon’s turbocharged Direct Injection Spark Ignition version of the 2.3 liter four cranks out a whopping 263 HP and 280 foot pounds of torque. The MazdaSpeed3 is exclusively equipped with a six speed manual transmission; an automatic is not available. Mileage estimates are 18 city / 26 highway, on premium fuel.
European Mazda3’s can also be fitted with 1.6 or 2.0 liter diesel engines, resulting in a remarkable increase in fuel efficiency over the gas-engined models.
The Mazda Tribute debuted in the 2001 model year, along with its corporate cousin, the Ford Escape. The Tribute delivers solid gas mileage ratings for a mid-sized SUV, with excellent ratings coming from the Tribute Hybrid variant. For 2008, the Tribute Hybrid will be released only in Southern California, with a limited run of just 350 vehicles. If you’re in SoCal and looking for an exclusive hybrid sans the hype, the Tribute Hybrid just might be the ticket.
The standard 2008 Mazda Tribute can be fitted with either a 2.3 liter DOHC four-cylinder engine that delivers 153 HP and 152 foot pounds of torque or a 3.0 liter DOHC V-6 that produces 200 HP and 193 foot pounds of torque. While a four-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission is standard for either the four or the six cylinder Tributes, the four-banger can also be fitted with a five-speed manual transmission.
Need a four wheel drive with the best gas mileage? Get ready to downsize. None of the best gas mileage four wheel drives (4WDs) are jumbo-sized sport utility vehicles (SUVs).
Simply put, the aerodynamics and vehicle weight of the bulkiest SUVs cause gas mileage to suffer, leading to many a painful transaction at the pump. The trick is to get small(er), lighter, and more slippery. Credit Subaru for getting the ball rolling with popularizing economical 4WD drive passenger cars in the early days. Since 1997, every vehicle Subaru’s offered in America has been all wheel drive.
These days, it’s not just Subaru. There are plenty of four wheel drive choices that are neither truck nor SUV. And forget the notion of pint-sized economy cars. You’ll find a generous helping of 4WD luxury from manufacturers including Audi, Volvo, Cadillac, and Lexus … in fact, you’ll find many of their offerings in the 2008 list of best gas mileage four wheel drives.
Purists will gladly share that there’s a difference between four wheel drive and all wheel drive (AWD). And surely there is … but for a great many folks, it comes down to two simple questions: will it go in the snow and will I go broke feeding it?
At the other end of the spectrum, the little Suzuki SX4 delivers plenty of bang for the buck, by combining the best four wheel drive gas mileage with a low sticker price (for those who don’t just think miles per gallon … but miles per dollar.)
Along with its corporate cousins, the Ford Escape Hybrid proves the exception to the rule as the highest all around mile per gallon (MPG) four wheel drive vehicle. If you can’t get a great deal on an Escape Hybrid at your local Ford dealer, take a look at the Mercury Mariner Hybrid. And if you happen to live in Southern California, the Mazda Tribute Hybrid HEV might be an option … as long as you’re able to snag one of the 350 Tribute HEVs built for this test market.)
Thirty miles per gallon (MPG) on the highway isn’t too much to ask. As the chart below shows, the 30 MPG car isn’t a rarity in America these days. Alas, it’s not nearly as common as it was 25 years ago. Looking back at the lists of high MPG cars built in the early 1980s might be a surprise to some, for the lists were long and the fuel efficiency ratings were high. The 30 MPG car was not an oddity back then … it was more part of our nation’s mindset.
The Mazda B Series pickup doesn’t just deliver some of the best gas mileage ratings of all small pickup trucks sold in America, it’s also one of the longest running small pickup model lines sold here in the States. Their are two engine choices in the current B Series range. The regular cab 2WD 2.3 liter four-cylinder manual-transmission B2300 produces 143 horsepower and delivers a very respectable 26 miles per gallon on the highway. The B4000 is fitted with a 4.0 liter six cylinder engine rated at 207 horsepower.
Even though the Mazda B Series tops the charts of 2008 pickup truck gas mileage, it’s overshadowed by the B Series trucks produced in the early 1980s, when the B Series delivered highway mileage was as much as 60% higher than the current ratings. It was not unusual for Mazda B2000 pickups to achieve as much as 40 miles per gallon, back in the day.
The fuel efficient 2.5 liter turbo diesel engine, currently available in the B-Series overseas, could help Americans in search of a pickup truck that achieves better than 30 miles per gallon.
