Title: 
Top 10 cars with good gas mileage

Word Count:
389

Summary:
Gas prices jumped right past $3 last year without warning and could do so again anytime.  With so many great fuel-stingy cars out there, why take a chance?


Keywords:
New cars, Used Cars, Car reviews, auto reviews, New cars, Used cars, car


Article Body:
Gas prices jumped right past $3 last year without warning and could do so again anytime.  With so many great fuel-stingy cars out there, why take a chance? Below are the ten 2006 cars whose mileage numbers will best protect you from a pinch.  Note that this is EPA’s estimated mileage, which comes with the fine print of “results may vary” thanks to its archaic testing procedures.  Still, the tests are consistent from car to car, so the finishing order of the cars can be expected to hold up in the real world, even if the exact numbers don’t.

						City	Freeway	Average

1.	Honda Insight			60	66		63
2.	Toyota Prius	automatic		60	51		55.5
3.	Honda Civic Hybrid			49	51		50
4.	Volkswagen Beetle TDI		37	44		40.5
5.	Volkswagen Golf TDI		37	44		40.5
6.	Volkswagen Jetta TDI		36	41		38.5
7.	Toyota Corolla			32	41		36.5
8.	Scion xA				32	37		34.5
9.	Honda Civic automatic		30	40		35
10.	Kia Rio / Hyundai Accent		32	35		33.5

(The Rio and Accent are the same car.)  Except for the Prius and two Civics, all figures are for cars with manual transmissions, which by nature of their more efficient design tend to squeeze out 1-2 extra MPG.  But even with an automatics-only rule, the same ten models still comprise the list in only a slightly altered order – no surprise there.

Hybrids of course take the top three spots, largely thanks to the ability to turn off their engines.  Other reasons include shrunken engines, improved aerodynamic tricks, and harder tires.  Don’t think that mileage comes for free; hybrids cost a couple thousand more at the outset.  Diesel-powered cars occupy the next three spots, though not everyone is comfortable with the technology (mostly due to outdated generalizations of 1980s diesels) or having to find gas stations that carry the fuel.

For those who prefer to tread in familiar waters, let’s hack off the top six entries and redo the list.  This time, just normal gas-powered cars:

						City	Freeway	Average

1.	Toyota Corolla			32	41		36.5
2.	Honda Civic automatic		30	40		35
3.	Scion xA				32	37		34.5
4.	Kia Rio / Hyundai Accent		32	35		33.5
5.	Toyota Matrix / Pontiac Vibe	30	36		33
6.	Scion xB				30	34		32
7.	Mini Cooper				28	36		32
8.	Nissan Sentra 1.8L (tie)		28	35		31.5
Mazda 3 2.0L (tie)			28	35		31.5
10. Mitsubishi Lancer (tie)		27	34		30.5
Hyundai Elantra (tie)		27	34		30.5
Chevrolet Aveo (tie)			26	35		30.5
Acura RSX (tie)			27	34		30.5

Yes, there are plenty of cars that get an [EPA estimated] 30 MPG on average, and it’s a pleasant surprise that perennial favorites Corolla and Civic lead the pack.  Presence of the Mini Cooper and Acura RSX serve as proof that mileage need not come at the cost of fun or performance.