Fuel-efficiency has always been one of the major concerns of car ownership. Most buyers consider fuel-efficiency as the top determining factor in owning a vehicle. Have a look at North America’s most fuel-efficient vehicles in their respective classes, as suggested by the United Sates Department of Energy:

• Honda Insight Hybrid (Most fuel-efficient vehicle overall): With fuel economy of 60 miles per gallon in the city and 66 miles per gallon on the highway, Insight hybrid tops the list of North America’s most fuel-efficient vehicles. The hybrid features a 1.0 gas engine, coupled with an electric motor. Insight produces 71 horsepower. It makes most out of this power with the help of low resistance tires and a co-efficient of drag of .25.
• Toyota Prius Hybrid (Most fuel-efficient mid-size car): Prius’ fuel economy is rated at 60 miles per gallon in the city and 51 miles per gallon on the highway. It generates 110 horsepower from its gasoline engine, along with electric motor. Moreover Prius’ utility is also commendable. It has a capacity to accommodate five passengers and their gear.
• Honda Civic Hybrid (Most fuel-efficient compact car): North America’s cheapest hybrid, Honda Civic achieves fuel economy of 49 miles per gallon in the city and 51 miles per gallon on the highway. It remains competitive for its class with a total output of 110 horsepower.
• Volkswagen New Beetle Diesel (Most fuel-efficient subcompact car): With fuel economy of 37 miles per gallon in the city, and 44 miles per gallon on the highway, Volkswagen New Beetle diesel makes to the list of toppers in fuel efficiency. The vehicle produces 100 horsepower.
• Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix (Most fuel-efficient small station wagon): Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix are the joint ventures of Toyota and General Motors. They feature Toyota engines, while most of their design and engineering are the contribution of GM. Both the vehicles’ fuel economy is rated at 30 miles per gallon in the city, and 36 miles per gallon on the highway. They feature a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine, which generates 126 horsepower.
• Hyundai Sonata (Most fuel-efficient large car): Hyundai Sonata makes it to the top as the most fuel-efficient large car with fuel economy of 24 miles per gallon in the city, and 34 miles per gallon on the highway. It features a powerful 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 12th, 2009 at 11:38 am and is filed under Industry News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.