Fuel economy winners cars - Fuel Saving Devices

These vehicles are tops in fuel economy. Whether you drive a car, truck

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, minivan or sport utility vehicle, choosing the most fuel-efficient model can go a long way in cutting your fuel costs.

Here's the Environmental Protection Agency's breakdown of the most fuel-efficient vehicles in each major vehicle class. Remember that vehicles rarely, if ever, actually meet the EPA numbers. But they are useful in comparison shopping.

Two-seater cars
Honda Insight
Engine size: 3 cyl, 1 L
Transmission: manual
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 61/66

Honda Insight
Engine size: 3 cyl, 1 L
Transmission: automatic variable
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 57/56

Minicompact cars
Mini Cooper
Engine size: 4 cyl, 1.6 L
Transmission: manual
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 28/36

Mini Cooper
Engine size: 4 cyl, 1.6 L
Transmission type: automatic
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 26/34

Subcompact cars
Volkswagen New Beetle (diesel)
Engine size: 4 cyl, 1.9 L
Transmission: manual
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 38/46

Volkswagen New Beetle (diesel)
Engine size: 4 cyl, 1.9 L
Transmission type: automatic
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 36/42

Compact cars
Honda Civic Hybrid
Engine size: 4 cyl, 1.3 L
Transmission type: automatic variable
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 48/47

Honda Civic Hybrid
Engine size: 4 cyl, 1.3 L
Transmission type: manual
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 46/51

Midsize cars
Toyota Prius (hybrid)
Engine size: 4 cyl, 1.5 L
Transmission type: automatic variable
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 60/51

Hyundai Elantra
Engine size: 4 cyl, 2 L
Transmission type: manual
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 27/34

Large cars
Chevrolet Malibu MAXX
Engine size: 6 cyl, 3.5 L
Transmission type: automatic
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 22/30

Small station wagons
Volkswagen Jetta Wagon (diesel)
Engine size: 4 cyl, 1.9 L
Transmission type: manual
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 36/47

Volkswagen Jetta (diesel)
Engine size: 4 cyl, 1.9 L
Transmission type: automatic
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 32/43

Midsize station wagons
Volkswagon Passat Wagon (diesel)
Engine size: 4 cyl, 2 L
Transmission type: automatic
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 27/38

Ford Focus Station Wagon
Engine size: 4 cyl, 2L
Transmission type: manual
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 26/35

Cargo vans
Chevrolet Astro 2WD
Engine size: 6 cyl, 4.3 L
Transmission type: automatic
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 16/22

GMC Safari 2WD
Engine size: 6 cyl, 4.3 L
Transmission type: automatic
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 16/22

Minivans
Honda Odyssey
Engine size: 6 cyl, 3.5 L
Transmission type: automatic
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 20/28

Dodge Caravan
Engine size: 4 cyl, 2.4 L
Transmission type: automatic
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 20/26

Passenger vans
Chevrolet Astro 2WD
Engine size: 6 cyl, 4.3 L
Transmission type: automatic
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 16/21

GMC Safari 2WD
Engine size: 6 cyl, 4.3 L
Transmission type: automatic
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 16/21

Sport utility vehicles
Ford Escape Hybrid
Engine size: 4 cyl, 2.3 L
Transmission type: automatic variable
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 36/31

Toyota Rav4 2WD
Engine size: 4 cyl, 2.4 L
Transmission type: manual
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 24/30

Standard pickup trucks
Ford Ranger Pickup 2WD
Engine size: 4 cyl, 2.3 L
Transmission type: manual
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 24/29

Ford Ranger Pickup 2WD
Engine size: 4 cyl, 2.3 L
Transmission type: automatic
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 22/26

Mazda B2300 2WD
Engine size: 4 cyl, 2.3 L
Transmission type: manual
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 24/29

Mazda B2300 2 WD
Engine size: 4 cyl, 2.3 L
Transmission type: automatic
Miles-per-gallon city/highway: 22/26

Source: Fueleconomy.gov
Please note that many vehicles come in a range of engine sizes and trim lines, resulting in different fuel economy values.

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Benefits and Drawbacks of Hybrid Cars - Fuel Saving Devices

Today i want to discuss about Benefits and Drawbacks of Hybrid Cars. If you just listen to the car manufacturers, hybrid cars are the best and innovative invention since slice bread. Although, there many reasons to purchase an electric car, it is of great help to have the understanding of its benefits and drawbacks of hybrid electric cars and in owning these new "green vehicles.

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Benefits of hybrid cars are normally fuel efficiency because they are composed of two motors, a gasoline motor and an electric powered motor. It is also equipped with special system to catch braking energy and store it on an onboard battery.

The main reason for two motors is both the strength and weakness of the two types. Distinctively, electric motors are not energy during idle times, they turn off and utilizes lesser at low speeds compared to gas motors. On the other hand, gas motors function better at high speeds and can generate more power for a specified motor weight. This simplifies, that in rush hours stop and go driving, electric motors work great and additionally, it helps in reducing smog levels because it does not produce any toxic exhaust. At higher speeds, typically above 40mph, the gas motor sets in and gives that bouncing feel making car owners go forward on driving on highway.

Another benefits of hybrid cars are the point for having gas motor, it charges the battery while the engine is on and is running. There are cases of electric car owners that have been stranded with just out extension cord of an outlet. Hybrid owners can neglect this annoyance because the gas motors starts automatically in replacement when the battery gets low and then goes forward to charge the battery, without the need to be plugged into the outlet.

On the contrary, drawbacks of hybrid cars are complex and expensive. It contains two motors and ancillary systems to handle them, a heavy battery and a regeneration system that will be used to generate electricity during breaking.

All of the systems need to work together, that is adding complexity, making it one of the drawbacks of hybrid electric cars. Although an ordinary car, as controlled by computers are getting more reliable, but they still suffer from inevitable failures. As, expect owners of hybrid cars have more time in repair shops and pay larger bills.

Indeed, benefits of hybrid cars include being the most gasoline efficient, getting 48 to 60mpg. It is only about 20% to 35% better than a gasoline powered vehicle. Let's take Honda Civic for instance that gets 36mpg. When

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comparing prices, the hybrid costs from the range of $19,000 to $25,000 and the ordinary gas saver car costs $13,000 to$17,000. The justification to buy an electric hybrid car becomes less clear.

So, in calculation of this benefits of hybrid cars, the discrepancy in the average annual fuel bills, $405 for a hybrid Honda Insight compared to the $635 for an ordinary Honda Civic means you can never compensate the added initial cost of a hybrid electric car. For the span of ten years, owning a hybrid will just save you only $2,300, much lesser than the cost difference for equipped cars. These benefits of hybrid electric cars just came from the improvements in aero dynamics, smaller gas engine and weight reduction. As a matter of fact, any car will have considerably better mileage by just reducing the engine size.

In other cases, car manufacturers are producing hybrid vehicles that use added energy as provided by the hybrid systems to cause the vehicle to boost its power, rather than improve the fuel efficiency. Boosting the power may then add as one of the benefits of hybrid cars.

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