Not all cars that claim to get 40 miles per gallon will hit that mark in
real-world driving conditions, says Edmunds.com, the premier online
resource for automotive information. But because the cars in the test
are very fuel efficient, even those that fell just short of that high
mpg threshold would be a good choice for someone who is currently piling
up the miles in a gas guzzler, says Edmunds.com.
Edmunds.com’s “40 MPG Challenge” tested six vehicles that claim an
EPA-rated 40 mpg on the highway: Chevrolet
Sonic, Hyundai
Veloster, Kia
Rio 5, Mazda
3i, Ford
Focus and the diesel-fueled Volkswagen
Passat TDI. Only three vehicles (Passat TDI, Mazda 3i, and Ford
Focus) cleared the EPA’s 40 mpg rating in at least one of Edmunds.com’s
testing routes. Still, Edmunds.com found that the difference in yearly
fuel costs between the top performing vehicle (Passat TDI) and the
weakest vehicle (Kia Rio 5) is only $255 (assuming 12,000 miles driven
in a year).
“Whether a car achieves 35 mpg or that all-hallowed 40 mpg, the
difference won't have as much impact on your wallet as you might
expect,” says Edmunds.com Automobile Editor James Riswick. “The most
important takeaway here is that any one of these vehicles would be a
tremendous fuel efficiency upgrade if what you’re trading in is a 20-mpg
gas guzzler.”
|
EDMUNDS .COM 40 MPG CHALLENGE - RESULTS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ranking
|
|
Vehicle
|
|
MPG
|
|
Total
Cost
|
|
Total cost for one
year/12,000 miles
|
|
1
|
|
Volkswagen Passat TDI
|
|
45.1
|
|
$ 71.46
|
|
$ 1,128.09
|
|
2
|
|
Mazda 3i Grand Touring
|
|
38.8
|
|
$ 79.77
|
|
$ 1,259.16
|
|
3
|
|
Ford Focus SFE
|
|
37.9
|
|
$ 81.61
|
|
$ 1,288.22
|
|
4
|
|
Hyundai Veloster
|
|
35.5
|
|
$ 87.14
|
|
$ 1,375.59
|
|
5
|
|
Kia Rio 5
|
|
35.3
|
|
$ 87.64
|
|
$ 1,383.45
|
|
6
|
|
Chevrolet Sonic Turbo
|
|
37.0
|
|
$ 83.77
|
|
$ 1,322.32
|
Check out the full results and conclusions from Edmunds.com’s “40 MPG
Challenge” at http://www.edmunds.com/fuel-economy/the-40-mpg-challenge.html.
How much money can you save by trading in your gas guzzler?
Edmunds.com’s Gas-Guzzler Calculator crunches the numbers for you at http://www.edmunds.com/calculators/gas-guzzler.html?sv.
Car owners can research how much they can expect to pay in Monthly Fuel
Costs in Edmunds.com’s Data Center at http://www.edmunds.com/industry-center/data/monthly-fuel-cost.html.
About Edmunds.com,
Inc.
Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information,
launched in 1995 as the first automotive information Web site. Its
acclaimed mobile site, Edmunds.com
Android App and five-star Edmunds
iPhone and iPad apps make car pricing and other research tools
available for car shoppers at dealerships and on the go. Its automotive
enthusiast web site, InsideLine.com, is the most-read car
publication of its kind. Its highly regarded mobile site and iPhone app
features the wireless Web's most comprehensive gallery of automotive
photos and videos. Edmunds.com Inc. is headquartered in Santa Monica,
California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit. Follow
Edmunds.com on Twitter@edmunds
and fan Edmunds.com
on Facebook.
