Gee... the old 1970's Mercedes 240D that I used to have got ~28mpg city, ~36mpg highway and wasn't the size of a shoebox. How come the manufacturers could make good, sturdy, full-size cars which got great mileage but can't now? No fancy battery packs + computers + electric motors, just a straight, simple, damn-near-bulletproof diesel engine which was good for about 300,000-400,000 miles between rebuilds. I've been trying to find a good used one with relatively low mileage, but it seems people are holding onto theirs if they have them.

just another reason to key a lamborghini if you see one. yeah, that's right Jalopolinkers, I said it.

wait a sec, I thought for sure that the VW Jetta TDI's would have been on this list. Am I missing something?

How correct is this list? My mazda 3 is rated at 34mpg highway and like 28 or 29 city... which - by the way is way cooler than #10 on the list...

@FLConsumer: Just wait for VW to start making TDI Passats again. I got the last model they made (2005) and I average 37 mpg for a tank (42+mpg on the highway ride to work).

I miss my 03 VW Golf TDI, but jeeze it had so many electrical problems and fuel pump issues I finally ditched it for a Honda Element which is an absolute gas hog compared to it.

The TDIs are being updated and will be released next year as a 2009 model.

I really wish I was wise enough to make a smarter decision a couple of years ago. I made the mistake of buying a Ford Ranger, I still get about 18 mpg or so, but 30-35 in the city would be a relief.

Jeep Grand Cherokee at 11/14? One would think that Jeep could do more than 3 mpg better than the wicked Veyron.

Buy a used Ford Escort from the last decade. My '98 sedan gets 30/40.

Keep in mind that these are all updated 2008 style EPA ratings, so 2007 and earlier cars were rated by different standards and procedures (hence the Mazda3 isn't close to this list anymore).
Also hilarious that the worst car in the "Subcompact class" is the Bentley Contenental GTC, which has a 5456 pound curb weight. That's probably about twice the weight of most cars we'd think of as subcompact.

The spelling is atrocious.

Bugati? Rousch? Bently?

The VW diesels have not been tested for mileage and approval by the EPA.

@FLConsumer - Unfortunately, VW is still up in the air about importing a 2009 Passat TDI. The Jetta SportWagen TDI is coming in 2008. Are you a member of the forums over at www.tdiclub.com?

i bought a MINI Cooper this year. it's manual, but not a convertible. gets great MPG. on the list, it's 32/40.

i also own a 1974 AMC Javelin. i put in a 4-barrel carbuerator + duel exhaust. it gets about 7/8 MPG.

Now just hold on there. A Bentley Azure is a "compact" car?

My 2003 Jetta GLS TDi get around 45 on the highway on sweet, sweet B100. Suck it, Prius. (Except in the city, where I will be sucking it, just lightly.)

my 2004 hyundai elantra gt wavers between 28 and 38(as per the little reading in the dashboard)

@FLConsumer:

Diesel FTW!

The older VW diesels got better mileage than most of the hybrids listed.

@Colonel35: Yeah, and an Aston DB9 is a minicompact (same classification as the Mini)???

You know, I'd like to see a list like this that excludes the hybrid models. I love the idea of hybrids. They're great! They're just expensive. So for those of us who don't want to fork out the cash for a hybrid, what are our best choices for fuel efficiency?

Personally I love my Saturn Ion 2. It drives great and 33 mpg on the highway is nothing to sneeze at. Plus, it's an American car. They may not have the reputation of foreign models, but it's always good to support our own economy.

On first read I didn't notice the S4 Avant on the list for "Worst Mileage"... F*ck! Now I need to debadge my damn car to avoid scorn from my hippie friends and vandalism from ecoterrorists.

@Cassifras: While you're out peeing on the tires of sports cars, why not burn down your neighbor's swimming pool as well. Cause, you know, precious resources are being wasted on fun and we'll have none of that in this country.

Huh? Since when is the Accord a large car??

how about some nice formatted tables?

Seems like a good opportunity to take a shot at Saab. My Aero 93 has an average of 19 MPG. The front air damn sits so low that if I hit a chipmunk I'd bust it. Worst decision I ever made on a car.

As a 2004 Prius owner, I've gotten anywhere from 55 to 38 miles to the gallon. The difference is DRIVING STYLE. Leave early and drive calmly and your mileage will improve, regardless of the car you drive. It is just much more noticeable with a Prius.

@topgun: Sounds like something is wrong with your car (unless the engine design really IS that bad). I drive a Crown Vic and average better than that.

@JayP71:
Although the new Accords seem massive compared to my old (2001) model, which is now about the size of a Civic. Go figure.

Wow you guys have some bad cars over there if the Prius can make it into the top 10. It wouldn't get into a top 20 in Europe.

Interesting. My Mazda Protegé 5 consistently gets about 30 MPG, with about a 30/70 city/highway mix of driving. Then again, it is not a tower of power nor does it feel terribly solid on the highway. It is also true that I drive like a grandmother, at least when traffic is heavy. But it makes me feel less bad about not driving a Prius.

@JayP71:
My son's Jeep gets better. I'm guessing it's the Turbo.

2004 Kia Rio (manual)- 35 mpg, 22 mile commute, 22 stoplights. Slightly higher than the sticker calculations.

Also, had a 1983 Buick Skyhawk in 1996, which got 36 mpg with 130,000+ miles. Was still getting that mileage when the transmission went out. I miss you, Skyhawk.

@miran: "calmly" is perhaps not the right word, since I'm quite calm on open roads in the mid 90s, but I'm not getting good mileage at that pace....

@topgun: Depending on the year of your 93 Aero, it may be that thirsty turbo V6. I've looked hard at the Sportkombi and wondered if the extra oomph would be worth the crappy mileage of the V6 or if it would be better to save money on the initial purchase as well as the fuel by getting the 4.

@d4005:

Just about all of the Europeon diesels wouldn't pass US emissions standards.

It's not the fault of the diesels though - American emissions standards are built around gasoline engines, and no matter how much less CO2 your diesel emits it's still "dirty" when it comes to NOx and particulate emissions.

What we need is a bit of common sense (and appreciation for basic chemistry and thermodynamics) and maybe then diesels won't be hamstrung in the States.

Isn't it wonderful that the US doesn't get those Diesels. The standard Jetta with the 1.9 TDI has this for England:
Fuel Consumption
Urban 42.8mpg - 6.6l/100km
Extra-urban 62.8mpg - 4.5l/100km
Combined 54.3mpg - 5.2l/100km
Engine emissions 143g/km

That's not a hybrid.

We have a Honda Odyssey EX-L minivan with the variable cylinder management sytem. Essentially it drops out 3 cylinders if the computer determines you don't need them. I've never seen good data about this technology and whether or not it works. I know Honda is taking the same technology and applying it to the new 08 Accord V6 sedans.

Still, for a large car, the 4 cylinder Accord manual gets pretty good gas mileage.

Ok, for all of you scratching your heads or other body parts about the size categories: The EPA classes cars based on interior volume. The Accord has grown to "large car" status not only because it's put on many exterior inches since the trim little '78 I once drove, but because Honda's gotten smarter about how interior space is used. Something similar applies to the Bentleys and Aston Martins listed above: Large on the outside--teentsy on the inside. Thus, to the EPA they are subcompacts or smaller.

As for mileage numbers, my '99 Escort with a 5-speed does 42 in a 70-30 blend of gentle highway and city miles. It also cost only $1000, and no swaths of earth needed to be strip-mined to make a bank of batteries or large electic motors for it. So I guess what I'm saying is--suck it Prius.

I drive a 2007 Prius and absolutely love the thing. I'm averaging around 50 mpg after 5.2k miles (most of which were highway).

As Miran said, much can be determined by driving style.

The Hummer is not on the list b/c the US govt has it classified as a truck b/c of its weight. Reportedly, it gets between 8 and 12 mpg. At least a Bentley is nice to look at. For a Hummer, people are paying for a whole bunch of ugly.

"The H2 is a tax loophole. Under the current tax laws, business owners can deduct nearly half the cost of their H2s. If you are in the highest tax bracket, that's a tax savings of nearly $10,000! The government rewards you more savings for buying an H2 than you'd get for buying an electric car."

@FLConsumer:

Because nowadays we have nanny states telling us we need 500 lbs of saftey cages/airbags/traction controls/black boxes/etc in every car.

@Cassifras:

You are an idiot. So the car gets 10 MPG. Big whoop. You think someone is going to commute or take road trips in a lambo? Meaning, if he only drive it 10 miles a day, down to the golf course, who cares?

How about keying those Ford Explorers that get 15 MPG, and soccer moms are driving them 60 miles a day to run errands?

Or how about you keep your keys in your pocket and respect other people's property @sshole?

So, everyone knows that hybrids are great on gas mileage... BUT has there ever been a real study of comparable environmental impact? That nickel in the batteries has to come from somewhere. Not to mention you'd have to drive about a million miles to make up in gas savings what you forked over in up-front capital. Are they really THAT great?

I knew I should buy a Toyota Yaris; but I fell in love with the VW Rabbit. It is a pretty economic automobile as well, my Rabbit is 28 mpg on the highway. I am not very familiar with the gas/mileage but I am happy.

According to Avis, a car of comparable size to a toyota camry is full size. Ask anyone on the street and they'll tell you it's a midsize. I think the rentacar racket is trying to call cars bigger than they actually are so that they can charge more.

For all I care, I can call a camry a compact....it fits into those compact parking spaces...

HELIOSXX said the Jetta 1.9 TDI has this for England:
Urban 42.8mpg - 6.6l/100km
Extra-urban 62.8mpg - 4.5l/100km
Combined 54.3mpg - 5.2l/100km

Those MPG number come from the England, where they have Imperial Gallons that are 20% larger than US gallons. Once you correct for that, the mileage is only 45 MPG US combined. Then you account for the tougher US test, and you're probably at 40 at best.

Also, the 1.9 Jetta emits 143g/km CO2. True.
But the hybrid Civis has only 109 and the Prius is rated at 104g/km in same test in England. That's WAY lower for the hybrids (plus they are faster).

And in case you're wondering, we're getting the 2.0 TDI version of the Jetta here next May as a 2009 model.

For all those with anecdotal evidence about those old cars that get great MPG.....cars today are heavier, safer, faster, and much cleaner. That costs you some MPGs. The MPG per weight and MPG per horse power has gone up significantly in the past 10-20 years. It's our own fault that we kept wanting bigger, faster cars over the years.

Averaging 74mpg in my '06 Smart ForTwo CDI, Prius has nothin on me :D

@Cassifras:

There's lead in the paint on the Mona Lisa - you going to key that too?

On the escape and the mariner, do they figure the cost in fixing ongoing problems with them?

After all saving money on gas for $90/hr repair bills is a bonus right?

/sarcasm