Did you know that you don’t have to spend the extra money on a hybrid or electric vehicle to get the best fuel economy?
We fully believe that electric vehicles, if people can get over their limitations, are going to be the future of transportation. On the other hand, we recognize that the internal combustion engine is not dead. There has been more advance in power and efficiency of ICEs in the last ten years than in the last fifty. Most might come to the conclusion that the best fuel economy would have to come from a hybrid vehicle, but you’ve actually got some pretty nice choices in the pure ICE-driven segment.
Actually, if you look at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Fuel Economy website, the vehicles that dominate the top of the fuel economy charts are all hybrid electric vehicles and electric vehicles. Look a little further down, and you’ll find a number of pure ICE-driven vehicles, such as these five best fuel economy vehicles that are neither hybrid nor electric. Of course, they’re all small cars, so soccer moms and buffalo herders need not apply…
Powered by a tiny 1.2ℓ i3 and a CVT (Constant Velocity Transmission), the Mitsubishi Mirage CVT ranks first on our list of best fuel economy ICE vehicles, at 40 mpg (miles per gallon). Following closely behind, the Scion iQ, BMW 328d, and Ford Fiesta all rank at 37 mpg. The Scion iQ with it’s 1.3ℓ i3 & CVT combination, the BMW 328d with an efficient 2.0ℓ turbodiesel and eight-speed automatic transmission, and the Ford Fiesta its tiny 1.0ℓ i3 turbocharged engine. The Smart ForTwo rounds out the top five, at 36 mpg, also running a 1.0ℓ i3 and a five-speed automatic transmission.
You could spend more on a hybrid electric vehicle, whose fuel economy ranks as high as 50 mpg, in the case of the Toyota Prius c, or an electric vehicle, whose fuel economy ranks as high as 119 mpge, in the case of the Chevy Spark EV. How about we keep things simple, as the ICE is not dead, and stick with a high-mpg conventional vehicle?
Image © FreeDigitalPhotos.net
