Better mileage, lower gas cost

Gary Jacobsen
Published: June 9, 2008

How would you like to reduce your gasoline expense by more than $250 monthly? If you are a typical motorist who drives 13,000 miles annually, half in the city and half on the open road, you can do this easily. Simply trade in your gas-guzzling, 8-cylinder sport-and-utility vehicle (SUV) on a small 4-cylinder sedan.

For example, if you are driving a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV, you are getting between 11 and 14 miles per gallon, according to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This mileage
translates into an annual fuel cost of $4,355 at current prices. A 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid, in contrast, has an annual fuel cost of only $1,146. The savings to you would be $3,209, or $267 per month.

Of course, if you are not driving an SUV, your overall savings may be less if you switched to a smaller car. The EPA has a Web site with mileage rates for all cars currently sold in the United States. You
need only look up data on the car you now have and compare it with any of a number of high-gas-mileage vehicles.

According to the EPA, the following five models of 2008 cars are among the best performers when it comes to gas mileage (numbers refer to mileage in city and on open road):

• Honda Civic Hybrid, 1.3 liter engine, 40/45.

• Toyota Yaris, 1.5 liter engine, 29/35.

• Mini Cooper,1.6 liter engine, 28/37.

• Toyota Corolla, 1.8 liter engine, 28/37.

• Honda Fit, 1.5 liter engine, 28/34.

The manufacturers’ suggested list prices (MSRP’s) for these high gas mileage cars vary from $14,810 to $21,100. Thus, a cost-conscious purchaser must consider the purchase price of the car in
addition to its fuel economy to determine true overall cost.

Some readers may note that the mileage rates are lower than those published in prior years. That is because the EPA is now adjusting its estimated mileage rates to account for faster speeds, harder
acceleration, air conditioning and colder outside temperatures. Still, the mileage rates are a good way to compare competing brands.

The EPA also lists gas hogs. Not surprisingly, most SUV models fall into this category.  Some of the worst:

• Jeep Grand Cherokee AWD, 8 cyl., 11/14.

• Chevrolet Trailblazer AWD, 8 cyl., 12/16.

• Chevrolet Suburban 4WD, 8 cyl., 12/17.

• Nissan Armada 4WD, 8 cyl., 12/17.

• Ford Expedition, 8 cyl., 12/18.

In the category of “large sedans,” the Dodge Charger (13/18), Chrysler 300 (13/18) and the Buick Lucerne (15/22) were also listed among the gas hogs. The Dodge Charger, incidentally, is the muscle
car “of choice” for the Virginia State Police.

I drive a late-model Mercury sedan that gets about 18 miles around town, but my wife drives a Toyota that gets twice as much mileage. So I guess we are typical of most middle-class families. But I can
still remember my very first new car: a 1964 VW Beetle that always got over 30 miles to the gallon and which cost as little as $5 for an oil change (1964 prices). Sadly, the Beetles, after a total production
run of 21,529,464 from 1938 to 2003, are no longer manufactured. Volkswagen’s New Beetle is available for about $17,475, but it doesn’t seem to have the same appeal as the original. Still, the New
Beetle gets good mileage: 20 mpg in the city, 29 mpg on the highway.

Source: http://www.fueleconomy.gov.

Gary Jacobsen lives in Woodbridge.