Debt Free

As gas prices keep shooting upwards, the question of what is the highest gas mileage car is on more people's minds than not. Most people have a limited budget and there's only so much in there for gas, so naturally the search is on to find cars with high gas mileage that can fulfill all the functions people need in their automobiles.

That is a big key when searching for cars that return high gas mileage figures. Not everyone can live with a go cart sized transportation appliance. It might be nice, but the realities of daily life intrude. People need to transport their families, luggage, athletic equipment, lawn fertilizer, tools, bags of groceries, cases of beer, and all manner of other things that must be moved in the course of our daily lives. In addition, we've been spoiled now that it's easier to find cars loaded with power windows, air conditioning, C/D players and 6 speaker stereos, and central locking, than not. People expect their cars to be well put together, and exhibit minimal rattling, buzzing, and humming as they drive down the road. First and foremost, drivers today expect their cars to start instantly, every time they turn the key or push the start button, and do so for many years.

That means that high gas mileage isn't the only thing to consider. With that in mind, I assembled the first annual Debt Free Blog’s  List of the 10 Best Cars (IMHO) for These Times of $4.00 a Gallon Gas. Feel free to disagree if you must. Keep in mind that it's not only the great gas mileage that the cars get, but their actual fuel cost that you'll pay that makes a difference. So, remember that while many diesel cars get fantastic fuel mileage, their actual fuel economy is somewhat lower, as diesel fuel currently costs about 17% - 20% more per gallon than regular gas. Amenities, handling, general driveability, performance and safety were all considered as well. If I haven't personally driven these vehicles, I looked to published road test and comparison reports from various industry and consumer publications.

NOTE: All mileage figures are from the EPA combined fuel economy ratings published May 16, 2008, and I chose only vehicle that use regular grade gas.

The Highest Gas Mileage Car – 10
Coming in at number 10 on my list of highest gas mileage cars that you can drive everyday is the 2008 Nissan Altima with the CVT automatic and the 2.5 liter 4 cylinder engine, with an EPA combined rating of 26mpg. One of the few cars on the road to showcase the wonders of the continuously variable transmission, the 2008 Altima is fairly stylish, holds a family of 5 with a modicum of comfort, gives you a real trunk to hold your stuff, and is a pleasure to drive. It gives brisk acceleration, and the CVT helps combine very respectable gas mileage with the aforementioned acceleration. The base price of the 2008 Altima with the 2.5 liter 4 cylinder engine and the CVT is $20,970.

The Highest Gas Mileage Car – 9
Hitting the number 9 spot on the Debt Free list of highest gas mileage cars was a Toyota. No, not the hybrid darling of the Hollywood / green set, the pioneering hybrid Prius; it’s the Camry. Although Toyota has delivered to drivers a hybrid version of their bread and butter sedan, I chose the 2.4 liter, 4-cylinder version instead. Why? Well, because as in many other hybrid vehicles, the incremental cost will take quite a long time to pay off, given the improvement in gas mileage. I want to see the payoff in less than 100,000 miles, and the Camry Hybrid can’t make that happen.

Besides, the 2.4 liter is a great family car. I should know; my mother in law drives a 4 cylinder SE version. This car hasn’t gotten to be one of the top selling cars for the last 5 years for nothing. It brings those attributes and combine them with its 25mpg EPA combined rating to earn its number 9 ranking. The base price for the LE, the least expensive 2008 Camry available with an automatic, is $22,085.

The Highest Gas Mileage Car – 8
At number 8 on the Debt Free list is the Mazda 3i sedan. I handles like a go cart, stops on a dime, has room for all your stuff (although not as much as the much more expensive 5-door version), and returns an impressive 26mpg on the EPA combined test. It's a bit tight for a family of 5, but if yours has only 4, you're in! Mazda makes the 3S, which offers a larger engine, but only a little more power and torque, plus some more standard features. The 3s costs more however and gets worse gas mileage though, so I stayed with the 3i. You get alot for your money, it gets good mileage, and it's high on the fun to drive scale. With A/C (an $880 option!!) and the ABS / side airbag safety package ($395), the 3i tickets for a modest $16,820.

The Highest Gas Mileage Car – 7
Busting into the high mileage 10 at position number 7 is the Volkswagen Jetta, and the back-for-2009 TDI engine. I actually did an analysis of the older version of this vehicle, and determined it wasn’t worth the extra money VW charges over the base car, but that was when gas was only about $3.00 a gallon. Obviously, things have changed for the worse on that score. Returning a stellar 33mpg for the EPA combined rating, it stretches to 40mpg on the highway. Those mileage figures are with the automatic transmission, too. Some reports have this car getting up to, sit down now, 60mpg on the highway. The new diesel sets bench marks for refinement in small diesel auto engines, being smooth, relatively quiet, and offering new environmentally friendly, clean diesel technology.

VW, like corporate cousin Audi, has a well deserved reputation for making top-notch, high grade  interiors, and the ’09 Jetta TDI continues that tradition. The Jetta cockpit is a great place to spend your commute. German cars have vehicle dynamics bred from years of having a national highway system with no speed limits. The just have a great way of feeling composed as they go down the road, and their steering seems to always go right where you point it. Jettas were getting a bit wallowy in the early part of this decade, but at least some of that great feeling is back. The driving dynamics and first rate interior, combined with enough room for 5, decent trunk space, and that stellar fuel mileage combine to earn the 2009 Jetta diesel the number 7 spot on my list. The base price for the Jetta with the diesel engine is estimated to be in the mid $22,000 range when it hits our shores in mid summer.

The Highest Gas Mileage Car – 6
At the number 6 position is the new 2009 Hyundai Sonata, with a 25mpg combined fuel economy rating. Hyundai was once the poor stepchild of the automotive world, competing only on price, because lord knows they couldn't compete on quality or any other aspect of automotive desirability. As did the Japanese 20 years before however, the Koreans figured out how to make a pretty damn good car, and now Hyundai is well regarded as a maker of quality vehicles that are on par with any of the better offerings from Japan, Europe or the USA, often at a lower price. The 2009 Sonata is their bread and butter sedan, competing in the crowded niche along with the Camry, Accord, and the two cars above, although the Chevy Malibu is a bit larger than the others.

They put in a ton of work in the place you'll spend your time, the interior. It looks great! The outside received some styling tweaks as well, but overall it pretty much blends in to the crowd. The engines were revised as well. Take note that last year a Sonata with the 6 cylinder engine was clocked by speed cameras in Scottsdale Arizona traveling at 143 (that's one hundred and forty three) miles per hour, but that's not the engine that I'm recommending. In today's times of gas that cost's nearly as much per gallon as bottled water, you'd better stick to the newly revised, 2.4 liter 4.

One place the Korean cars have done well is in the content for the dollar game. They give a good value. The Sonata comes with a full complement of safety features, including front, side seat curtain, and side airbags, ABS, traction control and electronic stability control (ESC has been shown to be much better at improving safety than has ABS). It has an MP3 jack in the stereo, XM satellite radio, and a USB input for your iPOD so you can see your iPOD’s info and control it from the controls on your stereo. With a 5 speed automatic and the 2.4 liter 4 cylinder engine, the Hyundai sells for $19,320, complete with power windows, cruise control, power heated mirrors, power locks, A/C, and a tilt wheel. The high content, decent size, good quality, luxo interior, and high gas mileage, at a sub $20K price are what get the Sonata to within spitting distance of the top 5.

The Highest Gas Mileage Car – 5
Breaking into the top 5 is the 2008 Honda Fit, which hits the EPA combined chart at 29mpg. Although it looks like one of those too-small cars, its small size belies the astounding space available inside. That’s a great feat of packaging by the engineers at Honda. Although the interior has copious space, even for the over 6 foot crowd, you can only do so much with a 157.4” overall length, and there’s not tons of luggage space for long trips if you bring 5 people. The sport version, with alloy wheels, a 5 speed automatic transmission, 200 watt stereo with MP3 jack, A/C, cruise control, anti lock brakes and power everything is barely over $16,000. Although the fit only has 109hp, by all reports it handles great, and is really fun to drive. For 2009, Honda is adding 11hp and more torque for added drivability, but they promise no decrease in gas mileage.

The Highest Gas Mileage Car – 4
At number 4 on the countdown is the all new for 2009 Toyota Corolla, in particular the S model. It looks like the Camry’s smaller sibling, which in fact it is. A ’09 Corolla S with option package A will suck $19,655 from your wallet, but the automatic tranny version will deliver a highly respectable 29mpg combined. The S is powered by a 1.8 liter 4 cylinder, part of the reason it’s no speed demon, but also the primary reason for it’s great gas mileage. Toyota offers a 2.4 liter (the some one as is found in the Camry) in the upper XRS model, but the price and fuel economy penalties are too severe for my blood. Stepping up to the 2.4 liter will cost you an additional $2,800 at the bank, and 4mpg at the pump; too rich for me.

The Highest Gas Mileage Car – 3
At number 3 position is the 2008 Chevy Malibu with the 2.5 liter, Ecotech 4 cylinder and 6-speed automatic tranny. What, no hybrid? Well, Chevy does offer a nice, mild hybrid version of this vehicle, but it only shows a 2mpg improvement on the EPA combined scale, hitting at 27mpg, while the traditional 4-cylinder power train combo gives 25mpg.

That 2mpg improvement in gas mileage will set you back about $4,000 more at the local Chevy dealership, probably more with the obligatory hybrid 2^nd sticker found at so many dealers these days. I don't know about you, but that's a pretty large incremental cost for a 2mpg improvement in my book. Even at $4.00 a gallon, that’s 1,000 gallons of gas you'll have to save before the hybrid drive train pays for itself. At the 2mpg difference, you're looking at 336,700 miles of driving before that day comes. I'd venture to say that most people just won't put that many miles on their new Malibu, no matter how well it drives.

This Malibu is not to be confused with the car of the same name Chevy has been foisting on the driving public for the last few years. The new one is based upon GM's Epsilon platform, as is the Saturn Aura, but the Malibu seems to be a better car. It certainly looks better than the Saturn (and any previous Malibu) inside and out in my eyes. It seems like American car companies have finally (it only took 30 years) deciphered the code to designing decent looking interiors. The Malibu's plenty large enough for a family of 5, and most of their gear too. The new 6 speed auto has gotten pretty good reports from the field when mated to the 2.5 liter 4-cylinder engine, too. Anytime you can have a car return 25mpg combined and 32mpg on the open road that’s this big, that drives this well, that's a pretty good thing.

The Highest Gas Mileage Car – 2
Well, you knew it would be on here somewhere. Yes, the number 2 position is taken by the Kleenex and TiVO of hybrids, the Toyota Prius. Far better than the original Prius, the current version debuted in 2004, when Toyota turned it into a real, usable car. It beats everything in the country with its 46mpg EPA combined rating, has good interior space, and decent power, although an acceleration champ it’s definitely not.

Although the electric portion of the drive train boasts a healthy 295 lb-feet of torque, that’s not the Prius’s raison d'etre. No, the main motivation to wait in line for one is that big number 46 on the window sticker; the EPA sticker, not Toyota’s, although some dealers are slapping healthy 2^nd stickers on them (reports have had ADM stickers at the $3,000 level). If you live for the open road, this isn’t the car for you, but if you spend much of your time commuting in urban traffic, and taking a 30 mile jaunt to grandma’s on weekends, this is the car for you.

The Highest Gas Mileage Car – 1
Okay, this is it; the highest gas mileage car on the Debt Free list. Another Honda, the Civic Hybrid, occupies the number 1 spot on the Debt Free list of highest mileage cars (that you could actually use for your family). It earned its ranking by virtue of its outstanding 42mpg, refinement, and fairly low price. Hondas are known for their jewel like power plants, and this one’s no different, except it really sips gas, and is backed with a CVT, instead of a traditional transmission. I vacillated between the traditional Civic with the closest level of equipment to the hybrid, the LX, and the hybrid. The LX is no slouch itself, achieving a 29mpg combined score, at a substantial, $3,900 discount. With the hybrid you get an additional 13mpg, alloy wheels, automatic climate control, and a better stereo with a CD/MP3/WMA Player, 6 Speakers and XM Ready ®  as standard equipment, that’s not on the LX version, so the $3,900 is buying more than just added fuel economy.

If you plan to keep the car for a while, you’ll probably see a return, especially if gas gets even more expensive. At $4.00 a gallon, you’re looking at 975 gallons you’ll have to save before you see that return, which will happen at about 90,000 miles. 90k miles is attainable for many drivers, while some hybrid differentials don’t seem to be. It handles better than a Toyota Prius and looks better on the inside as well, and you know how I feel about nice car interiors.

So that’s the 1^st annual Debt Free list of the Highest Gas Mileage Cars (that you can really use for your family). I hope you find yours on there. One note: I left off the Smart ForTwo car on purpose. It’s just too small, and at 36MPG combined, doesn’t get nearly the gas mileage you can get from some of the real cars on the market. Sure it’s cheap, but just not enough a smart choice for me.

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I did a post last month on the real reasons why gas prices are so high, if you want to know about such things. 

Thanks, and have a great weekend!