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Is performance or fuel economy more important?
Some automakers are getting better at squeezing more power out of smaller engines, so family sedans such as the Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Camry, have four-cylinder engines that are more than adequate. Turbocharged cars, such as the Volkswagen Passat deliver more power from a small engine.
In general, we recommend that you first decide which type of vehicle is right for you and then look for one that gets good fuel economy for its class. If you want a 3-row SUV, for instance, you can save about $560 a year by choosing a 20-mpg Kia Sorento V6 instead of a 15-mpg Nissan Pathfinder V6 (assuming gasoline is $2.80 a gallon and you drive 12,000 a year).
Some of the best fuel-economy figures we've achieved have been with gasoline/electric hybrid and diesel models. They tend to provide better fuel economy than a similar-sized conventional vehicle. Hybrid models that have achieved the most miles per gallon in our tests include the Toyota Prius (44 mpg) Honda Civic Hybrid (37 mpg), Ford Fusion Hybrid (34 mpg), Toyota Camry Hybrid (34 mpg overall) and the Nissan Altima Hybrid (32 mpg). The Ford Escape Hybrid and Lexus RX 450h (26 mpg) provides the best fuel economy of any SUV we've tested. But hybrids don't necessarily save you money overall in the first few years.
Diesel cars usually get about 30 percent better fuel economy than similar gasoline-powered vehicles. Volkswagen has provided diesel versions of many of its models for years. Ultralow-sulfur fuel went on sale starting in October 2006. This allows automakers to lower nitrous oxide and particulate (soot) emissions.
Mercedes-Benz has recently introduced clean diesel versions of some of its models. The Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTec we tested got 19 mpg overall, compared with the 15 mpg we got in the V8-powered GL450 gasoline version. Volkswagen currently offers diesel Jetta sedans and wagons. The Jetta TDI wagon with manual transmission we tested got 36 mpg overall, compared with the 23 mpg that we got in the 2.5-liter gas version. Mercedes-Benz has new diesel versions of its E-Class sedan, GL- ML-, and R-Class SUVs. Audi has introduced a diesel version of the A3 hatchback, and BMW has diesel versions of its 3 Series and X5 models. Models from other manufacturers may be offered for sale in the future.