What Makes a Difference at the Pump?

At water coolers, across grocery store counters and in kitchens everywhere across the country one of the biggest subjects on people’s lips is the price of a gallon of gas. At nearly 4 dollars a gallon on average people everywhere have been forced to make a huge adjustment to their budgets in order to be able to keep up their driving lifestyles. This of course has led many to search for any way possible to save money when filling up and has been the impetus for a number of blogs here on our website.

The way we look at it however is that there can’t be much talk about saving money on gas without talking about the one thing that makes the biggest difference at the pump; the type and size car that you drive. Indeed, it’s kind of hypocritical for anyone to talk about how much gas costs when they’re driving a huge, gas sucking road monster of a car every day. It’s with that in mind that we put together a blog about the Top 5 automobiles, mileage wise, being sold today.  If you happen to already be driving one of them, good for you. You can make a fuss about gas prices while the rest of us keep our mouths closed. Enjoy.

We will admit to a bit of pride that  there’s an American car among the bunch. The Chevrolet Cruz Eco’s  excellent number 42 mpg on the highway puts it right up there at the top of the charts. One of the reasons that it ships so little gas is that, at number 70 mph and in  6^th  gear,  the Cruz’s  engine is only turning at about 2000 RPMs, a recipe for gas saving that suits its owners just fine.

The Hyundai Elantra has been described as ‘aerodynamically slick’ as far as its styling is concerned and, with a 148hp  engine and 6=speed automatic transmission it delivers an excellent 40 mpg on the highway. This car has also been described as ‘conventional done well’ with a comfortable ride and excellent handling. Put all of those together and what you have is an outstanding automobile that sips gas.

 At over 40 mpg on the highway the Honda Insight  is another top gas performer. One of the reasons is the 13hp electric motor that’s sandwiched between a 1.3-liter gas engine and the CVT. The Insight doesn’t do as well as the Toyota Prius  for the simple reason that the Insight  is not made for prolonged electric motor operation, switching on and off when the air-conditioning is running for example.  Still, if this is your ride you’re a happy camper at the gas pumps.

Audi is on our list with their Audi A3 TDI. We will admit to a fondness for this car because it feels so much more luxurious than the rest. Of course the reason for that is that it also runs about $10,000 more than the others. So, while you’ll definitely save money when you fill it up you’re going to spend a bit more to put it in your garage. If that’s a good compromise that allows you to brag a bit at the water cooler then so be it.

The latest  Toyota Prius  has a larger 1.8 L engine that gives it a good bit more horsepower but still is believed to deliver 50 mpg! If giving us a bigger, stronger engine is the way to  decrease fuel consumption we’re very excited! Even if it falls a little bit short of that number we’ll still be fine with driving the epitome of hybrid cars around town or around the country and, with mpg this fantastic, it will be a pleasure to make the occasional stop for gas.

And there you have them. These are the cars to drive if you’re keen on winning each and every argument about gas consumption. Of course, if you’re like us and aren’t big on confrontations, you can just take comfort in the fact that you’re not spending your child’s inheritance on gasoline.  See you back here soon.