Best Mileage Cars

Best Mileage Compact | 2010 Honda Insight

2010-07-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Honda Insight has a lot to offer: one of the best mileage compacts, stylish design, hybrid technology, yet an inexpensive car. So is it a good car? Our review will reveal all.

The 2010 Honda Insight goes head to head with the 2010 Toyota Prius. One major factor in Honda's favour is the Insight is several thousand dollars cheaper than the Prius. Drawcards for the Prius are cabin and luggage space (the Prius is a midsized car whereas the Insight is a compact), a more powerful engine and more features.

Lets talk fuel economy.The Honda Insight is one of the best mileage compact cars with a city fuel economy of 40 miles per gallon (U.S.), a highway mileage of 43 and a combined mpg of 41. The Insight is not quite as economical as a Prius, but there's not much in it. CO2 emissions are also a bit higher at 101 g/km, compared to the Prius at 89 g/km.

The Honda Insight has very high fuel mileage for several reasons. The main one of course being its hybrid powertrain. A small 1.3 liter 4 cylinder gasoline engine is teamed with a 10 kilowatt electric motor powered by a 580 Watt Hour nickel metal hydride battery hidden under the rear seats. The battery is charged with spare engine power and through regenerative braking. The Insight can drive solely on electric power at speeds up to around 30mph.

Continuously variable transmission provides the hybrid compact with infinite ratios allowing the engine to run in an efficient rev range. Honda's ECON mode maximises fuel economy further by remapping the computer to accelerate more slowly and keep revs lower.

Other features helping to make the Honda Insight a best mileage compact include a stop start system, variable cylinder management, low resistance rubber and a new aerodynamic shape.

The car's dedication to fuel economy is further underlined during driving.Honda's multi information display gives you feedback on your current and average fuel mileage, and your braking and accelerating patterns in order to help you drive more efficiently. The speedometer also changes color providing instant feedback on your driving style. When its green you're getting good fuel mileage, when its blue you're not driving economically. In addition to all this, there's also recognition of your long term driving style. The car rewards you with a number of leaves depending on your mileage and driving patterns. A total of five leaves are displayed to the most light footed drivers. Since it takes quite a while to build up to five leaves its a game that should keep you entertained for some time.

Standard equipment across the Insight range is pretty good. The pricier EX model has alloy wheels, cruise control, a better audio system with iPod connectivity, paddle shifters on the steering wheel giving the feel of a seven speed manual, stability assist and a navigation system with voice commands.

Hybrid car customers tend to also prioritise safety and Honda hasn't disappointed with their 2010 hybrid compact - front, side and curtain airbags, anti lock brakes and a pedestrian friendly front nose are all standard.

Interior passenger space is good for people in the front of the car but can get tight in the rear depending on the size of your passengers (and how much room they like!). Children and young teenagers will definitely have plenty of space but larger adults will find the head and leg room a bit cramped. The 2010 Prius definitely has greater space for rear passengers. There's 350 liters of storage space (without folding any seats down) and another 50 liters in underfloor storage compartments.

This best mileage compact is a nicer car to drive than Toyota's Prius. It feels responsive and agile considering its a hybrid with a small engine. While the engine and electric motor perform really well in the city you will notice a slight lack of power on the highway when you overtake at speed. The ride is good on all but the bumpiest roads where you'll feel the bumps somewhat.

Honda's 2010 Insight is a very good compact. Its one of the least expensive hybrids you can buy yet has a high build quality, performs well, is safe and practical. Its only limitation if you're looking for a family car is size, in which case you may be better off considering the mid sized Prius. The 2010 Toyota Prius is larger and more powerful and has more features but it does cost several thousand more.

High Mileage Cars - VW Polo BlueMotion

2010-07-11T03:11:00.000-07:00

One of the best high mileage cars is the diesel VW Polo BlueMotion. Volkswagen have a BlueMotion version of each of their models. These are the cars that have had some special treatment to give great fuel mileage and to make them environmentally friendly. The diesel Polo BlueMotion is in its second incarnation and it boasts incredible figures - combined fuel mileage is 83 miles per UK gallon (BlueMotion vehicles are not available in the U.S.) and 90 g/km of CO2 emissions. This Polo is one of the most efficient cars you can buy.

The first generation Polo BlueMotion was also a very high mileage diesel car returning 72 miles per gallon but reviewers criticised its noisy engine and poor steering. It was a car in need of refinement.

The high fuel economy was a result of designers adding a new grille, smaller wing mirrors and a clever rear wing to improve the aerodynamics of the Polo. Low rolling resistance tyres were also included. The Polo's 1.4 litre 3 cylinder diesel engine was tweaked by adding a new variable turbocharger, a new exhaust and a new catalytic converter. The ratios of the five speed manual gearbox were lengthened to squeeze more speed for fewer engine revolutions and generally the 195 Nm diesel coped ok with the demands.

Volkswagen took a big risk with the changes to the BlueMotion's list of features and for some it was a step too far in the name of economy. In order to keep the weight of the Polo to a bare minimum and decrease fuel consumption they removed a lot of fairly basic equipment that you expect all cars to have these days - air conditioning, power mirrors, central locking.

Volkswagen's second and latest version of the Polo BlueMotion is a definite improvement on the initial incarnation. Their new baby diesel returns better fuel economy, is more refined and boasts intelligent new features. The high mileage small car has a brand new engine - a smooth 1.2 litre diesel powerplant replaces the old 1.4 litre noisy engine. While only 74 bhp is available its a very refined engine and is a big improvement over the outgoing one. Top speed is only 107mph and 0-60 takes a leisurely 14 seconds but the car now returns a massive 83 mpg and emits just 90 g/km of carbon dioxide.

New technology includes a gear change indicator to tell the driver when the most efficient time to change gears is. The car also now has regenerative braking powering a stop start system. The new features all work well. The gear change light encourages you to change up very early and the stop start system is seamless. The high mileage Polo is a more enjoyable car to drive now.

Awards for the Polo BlueMotion have come thick and fast including the winner of the European Car of the Year. Its only fault now is price which certainly negates part of its money saving fuel mileage. This car costs about £14,500 in the U.K. which is very expensive for a supermini. Another high mileage supermini is the Vauxhall Corsa Ecoflex which can be yours for around £11,500. I'm not convinced you're getting £3,000 of extra value with the VW. Having said that the Polo BlueMotion is still one of the best high mileage cars in current production.

New convertible Mini high mileage car

2010-01-12T13:41:00.001-08:00

BMW reinvented the high mileage Mini several years ago now and it continues to be a success. No other classic car thats been given a new lease of life has been so successful, including VW's Beetle. BMW respond to public demand for the little car by continuing to release more iterations and special editions of the Mini. The Works Mini is a high performance version. A successful soft top was released, and the Clubman is a slightly larger station wagon take on the Mini. A soft roader Mini and an electric Mini are also on the drawing board. Feeding off the success of the first soft top, BMW have unveiled a new convertible Mini, which they're hoping will be another popular retro high mileage car.

The new convertible Mini is available in the familiar Cooper and Cooper S versions. Both cars have a 1.6 litre engine coupled to either manual or auto boxes. The Cooper is normally aspirated and delivers 120 bhp while the 'S' is turbocharged and considerably more powerful, outputing 175 horsepower. The non turbo engine squeezes out all the power it can through the use of variable valve timing, but it's not a particularly powerful engine and performance is mediocre and noticeably slower than the hard top Mini. The reason for this is all the extra weight of the equipment for the auto opening roof. The turbo engine is a completely different animal and easily copes with the extra weight. Its definitely the engine you want with the soft top Mini. The extra power gives the car its usual nimble performance that we've come to expect from Mini's. It can't be over emphasised what a great engine the 1.6 turbo is. It pulls well across almost the whole rev range which is outstanding for such a small engine.

The non turbo Cooper has a good fuel economy of 49 miles per gallon for the manual and 42 for the automatic. The Cooper S is not such a high mileage car but still very respectable with a fuel consumption of 42 mpg for the manual and 39 mpg for the auto. For a fun go-kart like feel the six speed manual gearbox is the better option. Its changes are quick and smooth and it really adds to the driving experience. The automatic is a bit slow to change gears although there is a Sport button which sharpens them up.

The Mini's soft top is well thought out, easy to use and quick to open and close. The first press of a button opens the soft top up as a sunroof. A further press of the button opens it up all the way. When you're driving around with the top down its not excessively windy and with the top up its not too noisy. BMW have fitted an 'Openometer' gauge to their new convertible Mini's. Really its just a timer telling you how long you've had the roof down and is just mean't to be a bit of fun although BMW do say it is useful to let you know how much UV radiation you've had. There are a couple of ways the soft top could be improved but they're only minor - there is no cover for it, and rear visibility is not ideal.

BMW's new convertible Mini is a high mileage car with lots of cool options but they don't come cheap. Without any extras the car is not cheap but when you start adding the numerous features available the price quickly heads towards what you'd pay for a luxury car. Some of the options include mp3 player, phone support, a 10 speaker premium stereo system, sportier suspension, traction control, heated leather seats, multi function steering wheel, mood lighting and climate control.

Many convertibles do not have as good road handling as their equivalent coupe's. The reason for this is the metal roof provides stiffness to the car allowing for quick changes of direction. When you take away that metal roof it often leads to sloppy handling due to the twisting of the car's body. I'm pleased to report the Mini belongs to a select group of convertibles whose handling remains excellent despite the lack of a metal roof. There's only very minimal loss of stiffness and the convertible is still outrageously nimble. There's an optional sports suspension package which further tightens things up but the resulting ride will be too harsh for many people.

The Mini's cabin is very sylish. They've color coded it to the exterior paint and the design of the interior is unique to Mini's. There's even a mood lighting option which allows you to change the colour of the dash lights. Space is fine for the driver and front passenger, very tight for rear passengers and cargo space is tiny, but then you don't buy this car for interior space.

Safety is good for a small soft top car. It has a five star safety rating and four airbags (front and side airbags). Stability control is optional. Unique to the soft top, a sensor detects when the car rolls and fires a pop up rollbar to protect the occupants.

The latest soft top Mini is a great car. Its well constructed, agile and will put an enormous smile on your face. Its fast too if you buy the turbo and yet it still manages to be a high mileage car. The Mini convertible is a bit overpriced though, even in standard form. Once you start adding a few options the price is way over the top leaving you feeling a little ripped off. Its still a good high mileage convertible though.

Toyota's High Mileage Cars First To Meet EU Guidelines

2010-01-02T02:46:00.000-08:00

Oct 09: Tough new emissions standards will have to be met in the EU from 2013 and the Toyota high mileage car fleet is the first to meet them.
Its a big pat on the back for Toyota who are desperate to get the message out that its not just the Prius thats green, but the company as a whole. Toyota have worked hard with their engines to make their cars economical and low carbon emitters but there's another good reason why they got there first. Toyota have eliminated all sports cars from their range. Years ago they used to have quite a pedigree in performance cars with the likes of the Supra and Celica but these were slowly removed from their range. Today they do not sell a single high performance car. The reason is probably partly because they have bad fuel mileage and high emissions and they didn't fit with Toyota's new green image.
The new European Union law in force from 2013 will be 130 grams of CO2 per kilometre for each car maker. Its ok to be over this for some of your cars but your fleet average as a whole needs to meet this level. Toyota currently have a fleet average of 129.15 g/km of CO2. Six of their models emit less than 130 g/km.
Toyota are starting to make a habit of being the first manufacturer to green milestones and other car makers need to work harder to catch up or risk being left further behind the economical car maker.

Best Gas Mileage Cars Can Now Sound Like V8's

2009-11-23T02:42:00.000-08:00

Here's the problem: You wanted one of the best gas mileage cars on the market so you bought yourself a mega efficient small car. Your new 3 cylinder engine doesn't sound like much though, and you're 5 short of the gurgling V8 you've always desired but could never justify, both financially and ethically. There is now a solution to your problem. Its called SoundRacer.

SoundRacer makes any car sound like a V8. So now even the best gas mileage cars can sound like a 6 liter sports car. The product plugs into the 12 volt outlet in your car and transmits a signal which you pick up with your car radio. According to the company, 'the SoundRacer senses your car engine RPM's and matches it with just the right V8 sound effects. Whether you're accelerating, decelerating, shifting gear, cruising the highway or idling, you'll think you're driving a genuine V8'. Hmmm, somehow I think not. I would think, 'whats that annoying tinny engine noise coming from my speakers'.

The SoundRacer is manufactured in Sweden. I must say I can't really see it taking off. Maybe a few teenagers will buy this gimmick for their first car for a bit of entertainment but I think the novelty will wear off in about 2 days. I think it would be quite embarrassing to drive around in a Mazda 2 that emits sounds from the window like a V8. And what about the fact that your car doesn't GO like a V8. If anyone wants to make their best gas mileage cars sound like a V8, the solution is out there for you.

Supercars desperate to become high mileage cars

2009-11-10T02:42:00.000-08:00

They were the last car makers to hold out but now even supercar manufacturers are investing large amounts of time and money into building high mileage cars. They're worried about possible falls in sales if they don't build more environmentally friendly cars than at present. Also, they need to meet tough new CO2 regulations which will be in force in Europe by 2014 and the U.S. in 2016. Supercars are easily the worst offenders for bad fuel efficiency. The Lamborghini Murcielago for example uses gas about six times quicker than a Smart Car!

Lamborghini have said they'll reduce their vehicles carbon dioxide emissions by 35% by 2012. But they don't have a clear vision as yet on how they're going to do this. Lamborghini just say they're looking into several fuel saving options such as hybrids and biofuels. However they will definitely be reducing vehicle weight through the use of lighter materials and will be developing existing engines into more fuel-efficient units. Lamborghini have budgeted US$50 million to research and develop high mileage cars over the next 5 years.

Ferrari are probably closer to producing fuel efficient vehicles. They've already tested a hybrid engine in their 599 coupe and plan to be selling a hybrid supercar by 2015. Ferrari have set aside half of their total research budget to building greener cars.

Porsche will have hybrid cars for sale from 2011, although only hybrid versions of the Cayenne SUV and Panamera sedan, which are only sports cars at best, not supercars. Indeed at this point in time they do not intend to make a hybrid 911, which is their best car.

Ferrari and Porsche have both stated they will never make all-electric versions of their cars because of the loss of engine and exhaust noise. If electric sportscars become massively popular I think they will go back on this, otherwise they'd be losing a lot of potential customers, at a time when the internal combustion market could be dwindling.

A few years back I never thought we'd soon be discussing high mileage sports cars! With the current green revolution it'll be interesting to see if sports cars and supercars remain as popular in the future as they currently are. Car makers are certainly working hard to keep them changing with the times.

Car mileage ratings - 2010 Toyota Prius

2009-10-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

Toyota were way ahead of their competitors when they released their best gas mileage car, the hybrid Prius, back in 2004. Back 95 percent of people had no idea how a hybrid car worked and other car makers were equally stunned by the incredible fuel saving technology of the Prius. Toyota made the first great hybrid car and it would be a couple of years before it would have proper competition. Toyota are still leading the way in best gas mileage cars with the 2010 Prius, which is the most efficient Prius yet and has lots of new hi-tech features.

For the last five years the Toyota Prius has been equipped with a 1.5 litre gas engine but many users were unhappy with the acceleration of the vehicle. The 2010Prius has a bigger 1.8 litre engine creating 73kW. The electric motor coupled to it is almost as powerful as the gas engine, generating 60kW. An electric motor as powerful as this is unusual for a hybrid. The Prius is still not quick from stand still when only powered electrically, but when the petrol engine comes to life acceleration is similar to other standard family cars.

Not only is the new 1.8 litre engine more poweful but its also more economical on fuel than the old smaller engine. How did they do this? It must certainly be in part because the new engine doesn't need to rev as hard as the old one. It also has a continuously variable automatic transmission which keeps the engine in a narrow rev band suited for maximum fuel efficiency. The Prius is quite simply the best gas mileage family car you can buy. It has superb fuel mileage ratings - achieving 51 mpg in the city and 48 on the highway. Tiny cars with tiny engines can beat it... but they're tiny! And they don't beat it by anything substantial. Not only do these mileage figures sound impressive but they're achievable in day to day driving conditions too. The car's emissions are also class leading at only 89 grams of CO2 per km.

The ride of the Prius is very smooth, which is great... however they've overdone the suspension. Its too soft and as a result there's noticeable body roll in corners. Steering feels good but tire grip won't be as good as some other cars because of very skinny tires (which increase fuel economy!). The car has a small turning circle making it practical for city streets. The brakes on the car are fairly sensitive. Overall the 2010 Toyota Prius isn't a bad car to drive but its not outstanding either. Don't expect it to excite you.

The 2010 Prius has a range of hi tech features, none better than those included in the optional Advanced Technology Package. Radar cruise control will alter the speed of this best gas mileage car depending on what the traffic ahead is doing. You don't need to brake or accelerate as the speed of the car in front changes. The Prius detects its getting closer to the vehicle in front, brakes, and then speeds up again once there is enough room. Another neat feature of the Advanced Technology Package is automatic lane keeping. This prevents the Prius from wandering from its lane by steering the car for you. The reverse parking assist function performs a parallel park for you after you've lined the car up next to a space thats big enough. All you need to do is apply the brakes. An illuminated head up display allows you to keep your eyes on the road while you look at the vehicles instrument readings.

Another new feature of the latest Prius is the optional solar roof panel which powers an internal fan when the car is parked to keep it cool. You also get remote air conditioning with this option, which is cools the car for a few minutes before you get in it. Other options on the 2010 Prius include an ionizing air cleaner, LED headlights, voice activated GPS system, rear reverse camera and leather seats complete with seat heaters. The base model is fairly cheap but has few features while the more expensive Prius models are very well equipped but this is reflected in a very large price increase. The logic for the big price variation is that Toyota wanted to create a well priced base model in order to make their hybrid appealing to a wider audience.

Considering how green Toyota like us to think the Prius is, I'm a bit shocked that they've included the remote air conditioner that runs when there's nobody even in the car and the seat heaters. Both of these use a lot of electricity it seems like an unnecessary waste of energy.

Inside the car five people can fit surprisingly comfortably. The interior is a very pleasant place to be. All is laid out well for the driver. A large screen shows the power transfer map between the gas engine and electric motor and also displays climate information, reverse camera and navigation maps. There are lots of buttons on the steering wheel which looks confusing at first but they are really easy to use and allow you to control functions hands free. Visibility out of the front is very good due to the large windows but rear visibility is not so good because of the sloping car shape.

This best gas mileage car is also very safe too. It got 5 stars in crash testing, has 7 airbags and antilock brakes. You pay extra for stability control. If you also opt for the Advanced Technology Package then you'll have a very safe car.

The 2010 hybrid Toyota Prius still leads the way in hybrid technology. Its the best gas mileage car of its class, is practical and full of useful features. The latest incarnation of the Prius is the best yet.

High Fuel Mileage Car: Hyundai Getz

2009-09-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

The Hyundai Getz was first launched in 2002 and since then it has proven to be a very popular high fuel mileage car. The mixture of budget motoring, reliability and good looks has been a winning combination for Hyundai who are now only outsold by Toyota's Yaris in this category of car.

The fuel-efficient Getz has recently had a facelift but apart from some minor cosmetics very little has changed. Hyundai must be followers of the saying 'if it ain't broken, don't fix it'. Its competitors in the small car market are coming up with increasingly futuristic designs but Hyundai has chosen to stick with the conservative but neat styling of its Getz. It is a good looking little car.

Sales of this high fuel mileage car have undoubtedly been helped by a rise in quality of Hyundai over the last five years. The company is slowly but surely reversing its image of cheap, unreliable and bad quality cars to one of reliability, good build quality, but still inexpensive. The Yaris is the only competitor in the small high fuel mileage car market that sells in greater numbers but Hyundai's Getz is slowly gaining ground on Toyota.

Lets take a closer look at this car. Its just about the ultimate in budget motoring. If you want the most bang for your buck nothing beats it. Its economical, practical, quite spacious for a car of its type and drives well. The negative is this car really is no-frills motoring. Features are very basic especially on the base model.

There are two models of the Hyundai Getz available. Both come in 3 and 5 door variants. The base model is the 'S' which is powered by a 1.4 litre petrol engine delivering 70kW of power. The premium model of this high fuel mileage car is the 'SX' which has a 1.6 litre 78 kW engine. Both models are available with either a 5 speed manual or 4 speed auto box. The 1.4 litre engine is pretty good around town but starts to struggle on freeways especially if you're carrying any kind of load. The manual gearbox gets the best out of this engine. The 1.6 litre engine is a lot more eager even though it only has 8kW more power.

The Hyundai Getz S with manual gearbox returns a fuel mileage of 6.1 litres/100km and the auto has a fuel economy of 6.9 litres/100km. The larger engine in the SX is hardly any less efficient, returning 6.2 litres/100km for the manual and 7.0 litres/100km for the automatic. This high fuel mileage car will cost you very little in gas and the above figures are very achievable in normal driving.

The Getz falls down a bit on safety. The 'S' model only has two airbags (fronts) and extra airbags aren't available as an option. You also only get rear drum brakes (I did say this was no-frills motoring!) and no anti-lock brakes as standard. The 'SX' is better equipped with rear disc brakes and anti-lock brakes as standard, but side airbags are still only an option. Hyundai really should address this because many of its competitors are offering 6 airbags on similar cars. With the side airbags fitted the SX gets a 4 star safety rating but some of its competitors have a 5 star rating.

The list of features on this fuel efficient car is a bit sparse - you get a CD player, air conditioning, an alarm and remote central locking. There also aren't many extras you can add on. Inside the cabin theres pretty good rear legroom for a car of this size and the trunk is also quite roomy. The front seats felt a little small though. The car drives quite well and the steering is good but the suspension can sometimes feel a bit rough.

Overall the Hyundai Getz is still a major force as a small high fuel mileage car. Its amazing value for money and has proved itself to be reliable. I would recommend the 'SX' model over the 'S' - it has a better engine with hardly any drop in efficiency, and is a safer car.

High Mileage Cars - Kia Soul

2009-08-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

Korean car maker Kia has released a new vehicle to join the growing competition of high mileage cars. The Soul is an odd looking small car designed to compete in the cool micro car category against other high mileage cars such as the Fiat 500.

Kia have historically given us quite uninspiring offerings that gave us a lot of value but generated little excitement in us. The car maker is making an attempt this year to make its image cooler. The Cerato released earlier in the year suggested this and the new Kia Soul continues the trend.

The Soul is a radical looking car, however this kind of styling has been around for a while in some Asian local markets (most notably Japan). This high mileage car has a very boxy design, wrap around glass and SUV elements. Its styling is bold and Kia hopes young people will like it. Its looks can be customised, in a similar way to the Mini, with lots of paint, chrome and plastic exterior options as well as adhesive graphics. Kia thinks customers will check out the colours and accessories before the price tag.

The Kia is powered by a 1.6 litre 4 cylinder petrol engine, producing 91 kW. It is combined with either a 5 speed manual or automatic gearbox. The 5 speed manual version of the car returns a fuel mileage of 6.5 l/100km and CO2 emissions of 154 g/km. This gas mileage is pretty high. One of the Soul's big competitors will be the Fiat 500, another of the cool looking high mileage cars. The 500 has similar mileage figures of 6.3 l/100km and 149 g/km. The auto Soul is slightly less fuel efficient with at 7 l/100km and 167 g/km of CO2.

The Kia Souls engine feels quite sprightly around town thanks largely to short gearing. The flipside of short gearing is clear at freeway cruising speeds though where the engine is noisy and revs hard. You need to take it easy on the freeway to get high mileage from this car. The brakes feel ok but the manual gearbox is a disappointment. It has vague shifts and is combined with an imprecise clutch.

Body roll is controlled pretty well around corners. This could easily have been a bad point considering the car is so tall but Kia have done a good job to control it. Overall handling is only average though - the Kia Soul has vague steering and rough, noisy suspension.

Three models of the Soul are available. The base model is simply named Soul and the mid and upper models are called Soul2 and Soul3 respectively. The base model, importantly for its target market, has USB and iPod connectivity. Other standard features are limited to air conditioning and electric windows. The base model is pretty basic but its also very cheap. The two models above it have more extensive features and are the most customisable. Options such as a sunroof, better audio and rear view camera are only available on the Soul2 and Soul3. The default trim offered on all models is black and different trim colours are only available on the Soul3.

The interior of this high mileage car looks quite conventional considering the cars unconventional exterior looks. The cabin also contains a lot of cheap looking plastic and its design doesn't appear to be very well thought out. That said, interior space for passengers is excellent thanks to the cars tall box design. Rear passengers have both good leg room and good head room for such a small car. The trunk is quite small but theres good luggage space with the rear seat folded down.

This is a safe vehicle considering its size. It has a 5 star NCAP rating and 6 airbags - fronts, sides and curtains. Stability control is optional but isn't available on the base model. Anti lock brakes are standard.

Looks wise this high mileage car is a good attempt by Kia to revive its mundane image but the car is let down by its mechanics and handling on the road. Also, considering the target market its surprising that the base model isn't very customisable. Kia got some things right - the large interior space is great and the cars modern looks will appeal to some. There are better high mileage cars out there though.

Best Mileage Cars - Suzuki Alto

2009-08-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

The tiny Suzuki Alto is one of the best mileage cars to be released. It is also one of the cheapest new cars you can buy, so saves you money in two ways.

Car makers these days are desperately trying to convince us that they've always been green companies and Suzuki are no different: 'Weaved throughout the rich 100 year history of Suzuki is the story of a company that has dedicated itself to environmental awareness and sustainability'. I'll let you decide whether you believe them or whether you think their interest in best mileage cars is because theres money to be made in them. Its interesting how car manufacturers have never previously told us about their devotion to the environment, but suddenly they're all saying they're green companies. Don't get me wrong I think its good news if they start being friendlier to the environment, just don't try and feed us junk that you've always been environmentally friendly.

Anyway, thats my rant out of the way, lets get back to the new economical car - the Suzuki Alto. Interesting name for a car. I don't think it exactly rolls off the tongue and is it supposed to be pronounced 'Al' as in 'Altitude' or 'Al' as in 'All'? Suzuki say their primary target market for this best mileage car is the over 45's. This is interesting because I, like most people, thought that mainly young people bought these cheap, small and fuel efficient cars. However Suzuki says that although the advertising themes are young, most buyers are over 45 years old. The remaining buyers are split between 18 to 25 year olds who want a practical city car and cost conscious buyers who would otherwise be thinking about purchasing a used car. Within all these groups there will be a percentage of people who will be buying an economical car for the planets sake (hence Suzuki's claim of green credentials).

As far as fuel efficiency goes the Alto is certainly one of the best mileage cars. It returns a fuel mileage of only 4.8 litres per 100km and kicks out just 113g of CO2 per km. These fuel efficiency and emissions figures are very low indeed. Although not quite as good as the Prius figures, the Suzuki Alto is a third of the price and this will be a big selling point in its favour. The fuel economy and emissions jump by 15% if you opt for the automatic gearbox which is a shame however the figures are still pretty low. Suzuki claim the lowest total running costs of any vehicle on the market (big claim!). One disadvantage in terms of running costs though is that the Alto requires premium fuel. It won't damage the car straight away if you use standard fuel, but performance and fuel economy will suffer and the engine will wear out quicker if you continue to use standard fuel. Suzuki have said that you may also void your warranty.

The base model Alto includes air conditioning, electric windows, MP3 compatible stereo, remote central locking, anti lock brakes and 6 airbags. Pretty good for a budget car. Although its a very small car it does have 5 doors, but only 4 seatbelts. The Alto is not able to carry 5 adults so if this is important to you, you should look elsewhere. Stability control is an optional extra, as are alloy wheels and fog lights.

The car itself, while not as fun to drive as some other best mileage cars, such as the Mini, has perfectly acceptable driving dynamics. It feels solid and the handling is good. The engine is an eager 1 litre 3 cylinder petrol unit that can be noisy at times but is lively. Considering it only produces 50 kW of power it doesn't feel slow although if you're carrying 4 adults you'll need to keep the revs right on their optimum level or you'll be falling behind the traffic. Gearbox options are either a 5 speed manual or 4 speed auto. The manual gearbox does feel a bit clunky.

The Alto is only 3.5 metres long and weighs just 880kg. Its a pretty car that should appeal to buyers. Build quality is neither the best or the worst - its probably somewhere in the middle. Theres enough luggage space for two good sized bags but if you need more space than this the rear seats fold quickly and easily. Theres no glovebox in the front.

Overall the new Suzuki Alto should be good competition for its rivals - other small and cheap best mileage cars, such as the Hyundai Getz. You should definitely consider taking the Alto for a test drive if you're in the market for an efficient car of this size.

Best Mileage Cars - Are they the most environmentally friendy?

2009-07-30T16:04:00.000-07:00

Should you simply go out and buy the newest best mileage cars to be environmentally friendly? Which car is the most environmentally friendly?

To be as environmentally friendly as possible its not just a case of purchasing the car that uses the least fuel. New vehicles use huge amounts of resources to build and subsequently transport to dealers to be sold. This energy use can take years for even the best mileage cars to repay to the environment by way of their better gas mileage.

The best way to be environmentally friendly is to consume less of everything. This means driving less and not buying new products as often, such as cars. The most environmentally friendly thing to do of course is not own a vehicle and use public transport, a bike, or walk instead. Lots of the journeys driven in a car could be replaced by one of these other modes of transport, especially if you live in a city.

If you do need your own personal vehicle you could opt for a scooter which uses less resources to manufacture and is far more fuel-efficient than even the best mileage cars. Scooters are rapidly becoming very popular in crowded cities as a quicker and cheaper way of getting around. Their only disadvantage is safety, and its a big disadvantage. You have no protection in the event of crashes at all apart from your helmet and leathers. Not the best if you impact an SUV.

Needless to say there are lots of journeys which can only practically be done in a car, but you don't always need to own a car to do them. You could take part in a car share scheme either with friends or through a car share company. Car share businesses are expanding quickly throughout the world. They offer the benefits of car ownership through the use of cars situated in local "pods". Car share businesses usually buy the best mileage cars to save on their fuel costs, which is great news for the planet. By using a car share scheme you save thousands over owning your own car and the environment benefits enormously since 100 people can share 10 cars instead of having 1 car each. You usually pay by the hour to use a car.

If you do want to purchase your own vehicle its probably better for the environment to buy a fuel-efficient used car rather than one of the brand new best mileage cars. A used car that is 20% less economical than a new vehicle will still probably be better for the environment because of the resources required to build a new car. You can pick up a 5 year old car that has very good fuel consumption.

The worst thing you can do for the planet is buy a new vehicle every couple of years even if it is the latest fuel-efficient hybrid. If you do want a new car you should plan on keeping it for between 5 and 10 years. Todays cars will be reliable for longer than this so there's no need to keep buying new cars. We need to stop thinking of cars as fashion accessories. Car makers don't help here. They bring out new designs every couple of years and spend a lot to advertise them as the next cool thing you must own.

Making things more complicated is the fact that manufacturers are now pushing their green credentials by claiming usage of renewable power or carbon offsetting during the production of new vehicles. Don't get me wrong this is a welcome step forward, but beware of their claims. It would be pretty much impossible for them to make cars while having absolutely no environmental impact, and even if they could there would be no profit left for them.

In summary, the question of whether the most efficient cars are also the most environmentally friendly is not an easy one to answer. However if you do want to buy a brand new car, make it one of the best mileage cars and keep it for as long as possible.

Best Mileage Cars - Smart For Two

2009-07-19T04:24:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest best mileage cars is the Smart For Two whose revolutionary car design has stood the test of time and been highly successful. A lot of people thought this car would come and go as quick as some other odd designs in the past. Its a rear engined, two seater with interchangeable body panels and is only 250 cm in length which allows its party trick of parking lengthways in a parallel parking space.

The Smart For Two is manufactured by Smart GmbH, a subsidiary of car maker Daimler AG, based in Boblingen, Germany. Smart's logo is a combination of the letter "c" and an arrow denoting "compact" and "forward thinking" respectively. The fuel efficient little Smart car entered production in 1998 and is currently still in production in a second generation design since 2006.

The original first generation car had a turbocharged 3 cylinder 599cc petrol engine, but this was quickly changed to a 698 cc engine which was available in either 37 kW or 45 kW forms. A 799cc turbodiesel engine was also available putting out 30 kW of power.
There have been several special editions of the Smart For Two, such as the sporty Brabus, which has 72 kW of power and 0 to 100 km/h figures of 9.9 seconds. Its top speed is limited to 155 km/h (96 mph). There have also been many concept designs, such as the Forfun2 Concept, which was an off-road version of the car unveiled at the 2005 Athens Motor Show by Greek 4x4 Rally Champion Stefan Attart. The forfun 2 Concept combined the body of a fortwo with the chassis and drivetrain of a Unimog. It sported monster truck-like 26-inch wheels wrapped in 140 cm diameter tires and winding keys where the fortwo's rear wheels were supposed to be.

The main changes in the second generation Smart For Two car were an increase in overall length from 250 to 269 cm and improved crash performance. Styling remained very similar to the original.
A new 53kW 999 cc engine produced by Mitsubishi was introduced. As far as fuel efficiency goes, the Smart For Two remains one of the best mileage cars. The European Union rates the Smart at 4.7 L/100 km (60 mpg-imp; 50 mpg-US) for the gasoline model and 3.4 L/100 km (83 mpg-imp; 69 mpg-US) for the diesel version. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rates the vehicle at 36 mpg-US (6.5 L/100 km; 43 mpg-imp).
The Smart For Two is one of the lightest cars on the market, with a weight of only 730kg, however its rigid steel frame, marketed as the "Tridion" frame, surrounds and protects the passenger compartment very well.

In 2007 Smart launched a mild hybrid version of the Smart For Two. It is claimed to provide an increase in fuel efficiency from 50 miles per US gallon (4.7 L/100 km; 60 mpg-imp) to almost 55 miles per US gallon (4.3 L/100 km; 66 mpg-imp), making this one of the truly top best mileage cars.

There are also plans for an all electric version of the car, called the Smart ED. Production is planned to begin in 2010. Power output will be 30 kW (40 hp), top speed 70 mph (110 km/h) and 0-30 mph (48 km/h) in 6.5 seconds. The electric Smart can travel up to 72 miles (116 km) between charges and will take around 8 hours for a full charge. The sports car manufacturer Tesla Motors has signed an agreement to initially supply the battery packs.

The Smart For Two has been a legendary economical car. It has introduced revolutionary design features to the market. With its new hybrid and electric versions it is set to continue as one of the best mileage cars.

Best Mileage Cars

2009-07-13T21:42:00.000-07:00

Best mileage cars are all mini or subcompact cars with very small engines. Some of them have clever diesel engines while others have 3 or 4 cylinder petrol engines. The best mileage cars do not weigh very much and tend to have narrow tires providing little rolling resistance.

These economical cars can return gas mileage figures in excess of 60 mpg compared to some large V8 engines which return less than 20 mpg. This means that these efficient vehicles will cost you less than a third of the fuel costs of some V8's. In addition, running costs will of course be a fraction of the cost too.

Good gas mileage cars will no doubt save you a lot of money and these days they are also surprisingly rewarding to drive. Many of them don't feel as small as they actually are. They often handle very well and have the feel of a larger car. You can also get very good fuel mileage from some midsize cars which have plenty of room to seat 4 passengers in comfort and can fit 5 passengers if required. Although not as fuel efficient as the the best micro cars, such as the Smart Car, these midsize cars return very respectable gas mileage.

The best mileage cars are also very inexpensive (except for hybrids and electric cars), however they don't have a cheap image. In fact, the best mileage cars have a green, intelligent and cool image, especially with younger people living in cities. Their size of course also offers many advantages in crowded city streets.

Overall theres a lot going for the best mileage cars.