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NEW CAR PRICES AND RESEARCH
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Fuel Economy: Big fuel spenders
Passenger cars with a big appetite for fuel by Brian Chee
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Let's face it: big trucks and SUVs get a bad reputation every time they pull up to the gas pump. And while some of that is deserved, big vehicles - by design -- just aren't built to sip. These are the chug-a-lug boys, and if you're driving down the road in a Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Expedition or Toyota Sequoia, you need to come to grips with the fact that your rig is not going to prance along the freeways at 30 mpg. Instead of good gas mileage, you get that King of the Road feeling, enough room inside to bus a soccer team and the power to tow a boathouse.
That's fair. You pay for it at the pump, but you get some tangible value in return.
Then there are the cars that combine smaller car sacrifices with big car gas mileage. Some are luxury-like cars. Others are older models, ready for a redesign, and some are focused on performance. And while most of these vehicles do have their charms and benefits, they lose both ways when it comes to sacrificing fuel economy for size and convenience:
Chevrolet Aveo 27/35
Judging from the size of the car and the whine of the engine (1.6-liter, I4, 103-horsepower) this car should get a mpg fuel rating in the 40s. Light on space and low on performance, the Aveo doesn't compare favorably with other small vehicles, such as the Toyota Echo - a car rated almost 10 miles per gallon better on both city roads and highway. Built by Daewoo and sold as a Chevrolet, the Aveo may look like a fuel economy car -- but look again.
Chrysler Crossfire 17/25
Granted, people who are buying the Crossfire probably don't care whether if gets 24 or 54 miles per gallon. But they will care when it's time to make yet another pit stop from their road trip, or when gas prices start to climb. Coming in with a 3.2-liter, V6, 215-horsepower engine rated at 17-mpg in the city and 25-mpg on the highway, the Crossfire gives away at least three miles per gallon to its main rivals the 350Z and BMW Z4.
Ford Mustang 20/29
Yes, it is an aged vehicle due to be reworked later this year. Yet if you're in the market for a sporty American passenger car, the Mustang is really the only four-seat alternative -- and the only one offered as a convertible. The Mustang works gas off to the tune of 20 miles per gallon in the city, and 29 on the highway. Real gas figures are probably around 18/25.
2004 Hyundai Sonata GLS 19/27
You get better gas mileage with a Ford Escape. Period. And while the Sonata -- a 4-door, 5-passenger family sedan -- is a nice vehicle, there must be a way Hyundai can improve the fuel economy they get from the Sonata and it's 2.7-liter, V6, 170-horsepower engine. At 19 miles per gallon in the city, shoppers are within 5 miles per gallon of driving an Expedition.
Kia Amanti 17/25
Kia's luxury entry is a steal at sticker, but gives some of it back with fuel economy that's worse than performance-oriented vehicles such as the Lexus IS. A 4-door, 5-passenger family sedan, the Amanti is equipped with a standard 3.5-liter, V6, 200-horsepower engine that's rated 17-mpg in the city and 25-mpg on the highway.
---Story by Brian Chee
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Source: ABT
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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