mpg-o-editor

Toyota Echo Gas Mileage

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Over its six-year run, the Toyota Echo built a reputation based on strong gas mileage ratings and a low sticker price. With highway gas mileage figures that ranged into the low 40 mile per gallon (MPG) range (when outfitted with the five-speed manual) and a MSRP that started at just $9,995, the draw was clear. Toyota marketed the 2000 Echo as bringing “Roominess, Performance and Youth Appeal to the Entry-Level Segment.” Ah, but the appreciation of the finer points of high-MPGs and low monthly payments knows no age barriers.

2005 Toyota Echo

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Honda Insight Gas Mileage

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The first hybrid car to hit our shores, the Honda Insight set the bar high and put gas mileage front and center. The Insight returned in 2010. The original two-seat Insight’s in-your-face design used the Civic CRX as a starting point, hearkening back to the eighties, when the CRX HF was Honda’s gas mileage champ. While both the Insight and CRX HF were lightweights when it came to the scales, they were true heavyweight contenders when it came to fuel economy.

2005 Honda Insight

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Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit Gas Mileage

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Over the years, the Volkswagen Golf’s excellent gas mileage ratings have consistently placed it in the short list of many fuel-conscious car shoppers … with a proviso. The highest VW Golf mileage has been historically achieved in the diesel-powered models. While gas-powered Golfs score highway mileage in the 30 mile per gallon (MPG) range, Golf TDI diesels rank into the mid-40 MPG range on the highway. Consequently, used diesel Golf TDIs are much in demand these days and command remarkable resale values … when you can find them.

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Jeep Wrangler Gas Mileage

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The Jeep Wrangler is an American icon that delivers all it promises (as long as you don’t expect exceptional gas mileage). Fuel efficiency aside, this four wheeler’s all about getting there and getting back, no matter the conditions. With the 2009 Wrangler’s gas mileage ratings and a 22.5 gallon tank there’s plenty of range to wander from the beaten path.

The 2009 Jeep Wrangler comes with a standard 3.8 liter V6 producing 202 horsepower and 237 foot pounds of torque. The V6 can be fitted with a 6-speed manual or optional 4-speed automatic transmission. Command-Trac Shift-on-the-Fly 4WD is standard on the base and Sahara packages, while the 4:1 Rock-Trac Part-Time 4WD is standard on the Rubicon. A 3.21 axle ratio is standard issue on the base and Sahara, with optional 3.73 gearing. The Sahara is fitted with 4.10 gearing.

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Hybrid Gas Mileage Ratings

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While today’s hybrid gas mileage ratings may seem impressive when compared to the majority of conventional vehicles on the market, there’s still a long way to go. This unfulfilled dream is clearly evident when studying the historical chart of hybrid gas mileage. The earliest models of the Honda Insight set the bar remarkably high (regardless of the change in the EPA’s testing procedures implemented in 2007); so high that they remain to be equaled by a production vehicle today.

Viewing the statistics, it’s easy to understand how the Insight hybrid achieved those remarkable gas mileage results. Weighing in at under a ton, Honda’s little spaceship had a big head start, with a diminutive 1.0 liter three cylinder engine providing just enough oomph and efficiency to land the micro hybrid’s gas mileage in the stratosphere.

With the Insight put out to pasture after the 2006 model year, the Toyota Prius snatched the hybrid gas mileage crown, edging out the Honda Civic Hybrid.

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