It's Official: US Fuel Economy Guide Published

October 9, 2005 – Vol.10 No.29

IT’S OFFICIAL: U.S. FUEL ECONOMY GUIDE PUBLISHED.

The U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency have published the Model Year 2006 Fuel Economy Guide for new vehicles sold in U.S. showrooms.

Some notes...

--- None of the vehicles in the Guide will likely achieve the mileage ratings listed. As they say, Your Mileage May Vary. This is true for conventional vehicles, hybrids and diesels alike.

--- The most fuel-efficient vehicle available is, again, Honda’s two-seat Insight hybrid rated at up to 66 miles per gallon in highway driving.

--- Next in line is (again, and no surprise) Toyota’s Prius at up 60 miles per gallon in city driving.

--- Honda’s new generation Civic hybrid is not yet listed, but Honda claims 50 miles per gallon should be available in both city and highway driving.

--- Missing too is the 2006 version of the Honda’s Accord hybrid. The 2005 Accord Hybrid gets up to 37 miles per gallon in highway driving, not much better than the 4-cylinder conventional version at 34 while cruising. That car is sold for thousands less. Performance and trendiness may be the real lure of the hybrid. If pure economics is the deciding factor, the 4-cylinder conventional car is the better bet.

--- Various versions of Ford’s Escape hybrid are listed in the guide, Mazda’s Tribute Hybrid and Mercury’s Mariner Hybrid, but only the Ford is available in both 2 and 4 wheel drive. The 2 wheel drive Escape is the mileage champ of the bunch getting up to 36 miles per gallon around town.

--- Toyota’s 2 and 4 wheel drive Highlander Hybrid is also listed. With less weight and simpler mechanicals the 2 wheel drive gets 33 miles per gallon in the city. The Lexus 400h Hybrids get nearly identical mileage to the Highlanders.

--- Mini Coopers are listed as being the most efficient in the minicompact category. BUT, they require premium fuel. (There go the economics of better fuel economy.)

--- VW’s New Beetle and Golf diesels are listed as the most efficient subcompact and compact cars respectively. However. the these cars don’t meet emission standards in 5 states - California, New York, Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts - thus are not sold there. The cars could run on biodiesel, of course.

--- Mercedes E320 Cdi diesel, at up to 37 miles per gallon on the highway, is also sold in only 45 states.

--- EPA's Size Class system groups passenger cars according to interior volume and light trucks according to body style and vehicle weight. Thus a seemingly small car like the Prius is categorized as a midsize car along with the much larger Camry. Manufacturers have increased passenger volume in some cases by increasing head room - raising the roof for instance.

--- The web version of the Guide allows drivers to enter their own fuel economy experiences. The average posted from individuals might be a better guide to mileage expectations than those from the EPA.

The guide is available in print, as a long PDF file or the interactive version at http://www.fueleconomy.gov/