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• Hybrid MPG: Toyota Prius vs. Nissan Altima vs. Honda Civic
• Lexus, Toyota Recall; Floor Mat Causes Crash
• How to Finance Your Next Car Purchase; Any Credit Auto Loans
• Advantages of Better Gas Mileage in the 2009 Chevy Aveo

All of these figures are based on the assumption that you have driven the car at least 1500 miles to break it in. Assuming 1500 miles annually and gas prices at $2.44 per gallon, combined MPG (Miles Per Gallon) and the assumption that you refill when the tank is at 10% full.

The Toyota Prius Hybrid does the best in the city at a whopping 45 MPG, but breaks even when it comes to the highway at 45 MPG and again takes the lead in the combined gas mileage at 46 MPG. It should cost you about $1.33 to drive 25 miles, while only using only .54 of a gallon of gas. This car will cost about $794.00 to fill up on a yearly basis.

The Nissan Altima Hybrid does not do as well as either car, as it only gets 35 miles in the city and 33 on the highway. It only pulls a combined 34 MPG. To drive 25 miles would cost you $1.79 and only gets 612 miles on a tank of gas.
You’re looking at $1076.00 in annual fuel cost based on 612 miles per tank fill up.

The Honda Civic Hybrid comes in about even with the Honda Prius with 40 miles in the city and 45 on the highway. It pulls a combined 42 MPG, it cost $1.45 to drive 25 miles, while only using .60 of a gallon.  To fill this car up it will cost you $43.92, while getting 612 miles off of a fill up, and a yearly fuel cost of $871.00.

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The 2009 NY Auto Show is the best place to get a look at the latest and greatest advancements in automobile technology. (Event Schedule) Whether you are interested in going fast or going green, there is something there for everyone. While you cannot actually purchase a car at the New York Car Show, take a look around and get some ideas for your next buy. Not only is there the opportunity to check out a display of antique cars, there is also vast information on the newest developments such as increased gas mileage, lowered emissions and brand new safety features developed to keep you and your family safe.

The winners of “Car of the Year” are all smaller cars which get great gas mileage:

• 2009 Ford Fiesta
• 2009 Toyota I!
• 2009 Volkswagon Golf

If you plan on checking out the NY Auto Show this weekend, be sure not to miss the raffle for the 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera, benefiting the Diabetes Foundation. Also, definitely check out the automotive career fair, which is a great opportunity for students soon to graduate. The exhibit of custom cars is sure to awe as well.

The New York Car Show will be running at the convention center from April 10th through April 19th, from 11am to 10:30pm (7pm on Sundays). It is open to the public and tickets can be purchased online or at the door. The NY Auto Show is an event that is sure to delight the whole family.

Most Commented Articles:

• Hybrid MPG: Toyota Prius vs. Nissan Altima vs. Honda Civic
• Lexus, Toyota Recall; Floor Mat Causes Crash
• How to Finance Your Next Car Purchase; Any Credit Auto Loans
• Advantages of Better Gas Mileage in the 2009 Chevy Aveo

The 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid has excellent gas mileage at 40 mpg in the city and 45 mpg on the highway. Its price is competitive with the Prius at $22,600. The Civic Hybrid is a roomy, 4-door style sedan with a number of trims and options available. This hybrid vehicle is considered reliable and affordable, all-in-all an excellent value.  Plus Honda has an award-winning extended warranty program which is standard for most vehicle purchases.

The new kid on the block, coming out this fall, is the 2009 Smart Fortwo.  The Fortwo is a small, affordable 2-seater, designed more for around-town than for long trips. It’s base price of only $11,590 is very affordable, and it gets great gas mileage: 33 in the city and 41 on the highway. Although this Smart car is definitely not for everyone, it is easy to park anywhere and it’s low fuel consumption will definitely save you money.

For those who need a more conventional vehicle, the Volkswagen Jetta may be a better alternate choice than these hybrids in a slightly bigger class. It is not an alternative fuel or hybrid vehicle; it gets great gas mileage through efficient design. It gets 30 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on the highway, with some variation between specific models. Available in a coupe or a sportwagon, the VW Jetta boasts quality design and construction for a long lasting vehicle, starting about $17,500.

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• Hybrid MPG: Toyota Prius vs. Nissan Altima vs. Honda Civic
• Top 3 Cars With The Best Gas Mileage In 2008
• Rising Gas Prices: Fuel Economy and Your Next Car Purchase?
• Cars with the Best Gas Mileage Tested

The secret behind the improved fuel economy in the Chevy Aveo lies in the new ECOTEC engine. Without sacrificing performance, the variable valve timing on the engine results in 27 mpg city and 34 mpg highway, with the manual transmission, and 25 city, 34 highway, using a four speed automatic. Chevy is breaking away from the typical gas guzzling vehicles many Americans associate with previous models. The Aveo is the same American quality you have come to expect, but now with the gas mileage you would expect from an import. When looking for your new car, consider the Chevrolet Aveo and feel what it is like to save money every time you start the engine.

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• Hybrid MPG: Toyota Prius vs. Nissan Altima vs. Honda Civic
• Cars with the Best Gas Mileage Tested
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• Top 3 Cars With The Best Gas Mileage In 2008

The standout car for the year was the 2008 Toyota Prius. This car posted some amazing numbers and was by far and away the leader of all vehicles in all classes. It is classified as a mid sized car which puts it above the small compacts and below the full size vehicles. Still it has enough room to sit four people comfortably and put something in the trunk. The mileage rating on this vehicle is a tremendous 48 miles per gallon city and 45 mile per gallon highway. The big draw back on this car is the price and the availability. If you can find one at sticker price though they are by far the best deal going.

The runner up for the best gas mileage is the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid. This vehicle is significantly smaller than the Prius and has worse fuel economy, although not by much. This vehicle gets 40 miles per gallon in the city and 45 mile per gallon on the highway. While the city numbers are significantly less, the highway numbers stay right with the Prius. One selling point in favor of the Civic is the fact that the actual vehicle is based around a car that has been in production for some time. All the kinks have been worked out of the Civic line and it makes this car very accessible.

The last vehicle that can be counted as won of the winners is the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. While the fuel economy is not anywhere near the mid size and compact cars it does offer a significant space upgrade over the other vehicles. The gas mileage on the Escape Hybrid is better than most mini compact and subcompact cars so it really is an achievement. This car comes in with gas mileage of 34 city and 30 highway, highly respectable for a vehicle with this much room.

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The five-month slide in gasoline prices has come to an abrupt halt, with gasoline rising by several cents in recent days amid indicators that the national average could jump to $2 a gallon or higher this spring.

So we’re facing rising gas prices — how does that impact new car purchases, specifically hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles?

Automotive analysts expect consumers, who are still wary over the shaky state of the economy, to buy between 10 million and 12.4 million new cars and trucks in 2009.   That’s down substantially from the 16.7 million in annual sales the industry has averaged over the past decade. And it’s even lower than the dismal 13 million or so in sales expected for 2008.

So the question is, at what point does fuel economy and better gas mileage become an issue again?  A lot of consumers have simply stopped purchasing new cars due to the poor economy. Once car sales begin to pick up, though, it will be a new market out there.  Consumers will want cars which get better gas mileage and more miles to the gallon.  Next years answer may come from Ford:

The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, and its twin, the 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid, are mid-to-full-size sedans that seat five in surprising comfort and offer a full-size trunk measuring around 12 cubic feet. They measure 190.6 inches and weigh a goodly 3,720 pounds. The gas-electric output is 191 horsepower and 0-60 mph acceleration is under 9 seconds.

With the cost of gas increasing to $2 in the next few months, more and more consumers will take another look at hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles.

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Thanks to their new look at the engineering behind spark plugs, E3′s Advanced DiamondFire Technology has produced a better spark plug which can actually improve fuel efficiency, save gas and provide better gas mileage.

The new technology is described by E3:

[Our] scientists studied the actual pressure rise from a single combustion event with different style spark plugs. The measurement is called the Indicated Mean Effective Pressure (IMEP).  This value is arrived at by running series of combustion cycles and comparing the values from one spark plug to another, keeping all other parameters (load, rpm, temperature, humidity, etc.) equal.  We focused on maximizing the peak pressure created by our proposed electrode designs.

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• 2008 Ford Focus SES sedan: 2.0-liter four-cylinder, five-speed manual; 24/35 mpg city/highway (28 mpg combined)
• 2009 Honda Civic EX-L sedan: 1.8-liter four-cylinder, five-speed auto; 25/36 mpg city/highway (29 mpg combined)
• 2009 Pontiac G5 XFE coupe: 2.2-liter four-cylinder, five-speed manual; 25/37 mpg city/highway (30 mpg combined)
• 2009 Toyota Corolla XLE sedan: 1.8-liter four-cylinder, four-speed auto; 27/35 mpg city/highway (30 mpg combined)

They fueled all 4 cars up at the same pump, then took them on a 300 mile test drive.  Here’s the gas mileage results:

• 2009 Toyota Corolla XLE sedan: 36.4 mpg
• 2009 Honda Civic EX-L sedan: 34.6 mpg
• 2009 Pontiac G5 XFE coupe: 33.1 mpg
• 2008 Ford Focus SES sedan: 31.0 mpg

I’m not too surprised that the Corolla performed well, as Toyotas are known for their gas mileage.  In fact I’m not surprised that the Japanese cars ranked better overall.  But I am surprised that the Ford Focus did so poorly, not even reaching its advertised highway MPG.  31 mpg is nothing to sneeze at, but considering the compromises Ford made to make the Focus (small, smaller engine, less features) it makes it a much less attractive car purchase.

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By the way, it’s because every gas station gets their gas from different suppliers or zones. Those and other factors can mean a gas station of the same brand a few miles apart can still have different gas prices.

Q. Does an Oil Change Help Fuel Economy?

A. Yes, it definitely can.  You will certainly get better gas mileage with clean oil than with dirty oil.  As with just about any other type of maintenance you can perform on your car, the less you service it the more work your car’s engine has to do.  Running oil clean is not only healthy for your engine, it also makes it run better and more smooth, which translates to better gas mileage for you.

Also consider using synthetic oil, rather than petroleum oil.  I’ve seen lab tests state that you can gain as much as a 5% to 7% increase in gas mileage with synthetic oil.  It can be a bit more expensive, but may be worth it in the long run. 

Now this doesn’t mean go changing your oil every thousand miles just to get better gas mileage; it’s not worth it if you spend a fortune in oil.  I would suggest an oil change every 5,000 miles for petroleum oil and every 10,000 for synthetic.  Modern autos can probably run fine for more miles than that without an oil change, but those are good guidelines to follow for better gas mileage.

Q.  Does Removing the AC in a Vehicle Help Gas Mileage?

A.  Technically, yes, but for the same reason not turning your AC on will help gas mileage.  Running your car’s AC puts an increased load on your car’s engine, which in turn uses more gas.  You will usually get less power and poor gas mileage out of a car with the AC running.  But that doesn’t mean you have to remove the entire AC system from the car.  Just don’t turn it on!

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