gas mileage

Top 20 Best MPG Turbocharged Cars – 2012

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Turbocharging is one of the best ways to make horsepower and torque without a negative impact on fuel economy. Our list of the most fuel-efficient turbocharged vehicles of 2012 is dominated by European manufacturers. With little surprise, the top spots go to the Volkswagen and Audi TDI turbo-diesels. The roomy Volkswagen Passat TDI leads the list at 31 city / 43 highway / 35 combined miles per gallon (MPG). You’ll find just one entry each for the American and Japanese manufacturers, with the Chevrolet Cruze ECO and Nissan Juke landing in the top ten. The spunky Fiat 500 Abarth earns a spot in the top ten, as well. On the other side of the coin, the Bugatti Veyron earns the Thirstiest Turbo of 2012 award with ratings of 8 city / 15 highway / 10 combined (not that it matters to the typical Veyron owner).

Volkswagen Passat TDI

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New Car Gas Mileage Average: 23.2 MPG for September 2012

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It’s more than a budge of the needle. The year-over-year average in September light vehicle fuel economy numbers has risen to 23.2 miles per gallon (MPG) in 2012, from 22 MPG in September 2011, according to TrueCar.com’s TrueMPG* tally. The Santa Monica-based “authority on new car pricing information, trends and forecasting.”

While the numbers are the highest recorded to date, September 2012 held steady with August. The year-to-date TrueMPG average has risen to the same 23.2 magic MPG, from 21.9 MPG, over the first three quarters in 2011, with General Motors, Honda, and Toyota showing the largest gains in corporate fuel economy over the time period. A slew of new models and punishingly high gas prices have new car buyers seeking more fuel-efficient vehicles, with compacts and subcompacts leading the charge.

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Does a New High Gas Mileage Vehicle Make Sense?

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Are you thinking about replacing your gas guzzler with a fuel-efficient vehicle that gets more miles per gallon (MPG)? Not sure how much money you can expect to save every week, month, or year? MPGomatic to the rescue!

Cost justifying the purchase of a high gas mileage vehicle starts with some basic numbers. Thankfully, it isn’t a complicated process. You’ll begin by comparing the real-world gas mileage of your existing vehicle with the official government estimates for the new vehicle(s) that you have in mind.
2012 Ford C-Max Hybrid - 3/4 front view

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Why Do I Get Less MPGs on the Way to Work?

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One of the most important steps in MPG enlightenment* is measuring your efficiency over routes you travel most frequently while keeping a running record. You don’t have to go all out and pencil every segment into a notebook (or your smartphone). All it takes to get started is a mental note to your self that says, “hey, I just scored 35.3 MPG on the way to work.” When you travel that same route the next day, try to improve your results. If you do better, you reset the bar. If you fall short, the bar remains in place.

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MPG Fraud : Another Day, Another Lawyer’s Payday?

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I was wading through my inbox this morning when an interesting advertisement screamed from the sidebar. The advertisement was from McCuneWright, LLP a Redlands, California-based law firm that’s looking to capitalize on the current MPG (mile per gallon) craze. Apparently, McCuneWright “has filed Federal class action lawsuits against General Motors, LLC, and Hyundai Motor America, for affirmatively misleading advertising of estimated miles per gallon fuel efficiency.” While I’ve grown blind to inbox ads, this couldn’t help but catch my eye … having devoted the last five years of my life to the study of real-world fuel efficiency.

It’s not exactly clear what McCuneWright is after, other than a significant chunk of fees. Yes, a number of manufacturers are stating the highway MPG figure in their advertising and marketing materials, rather than the combined figure. Are they putting undue emphasis on this? Or is the problem more at the local level, where car dealers control the advertising? Can the manufacturers be blamed for lousy radio commercials, banners in dealership windows, billboards, and local newspapers ads – all placed and paid for by the dealerships?

What about the guy that scrawls stuff on the windshields of the cars on the dealership lot? Will his shoe polish hand lettering be drawn into a class-action suit?

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