Affordable Cars, Fantastic Fuel Economy

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Front: “Absolutely Red” Toyota Yaris hatchback; 34/39 mpg for $12,570. Back: “Pacific Blue Metallic” Yaris sedan; 34/39 mpg for $13,270. MATTHEW T.STALLBAUMER

Fuel economy is back and better than ever. Among the new cars, there are improved perennial standouts, a growing number of hybrids and a crop of affordable, fuel-efficient small cars. Of course, much more progress needs to be made with energy-efficient vehicles and sustainable fuels, but fuel economy is finally in focus for automakers, and the 2006 and 2007 lineups show that we’re moving in the right direction.

Perhaps most exciting are three new cars that are small but practical, fun but not funky, and fuel-efficient without high price tags: the Honda Fit, the Nissan Versa and the Toyota Yaris. Their prices range from about $12,000 to $16,000; their miles per gallon stats reach into the high 30s. Then there are the longtime favorites for reliability and fuel economy — the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla — which are as good as ever, if not better. Ditto for the best-selling hybrid Toyota Prius; in its wake automakers are improving hybrids and developing new models. Honda put new spark into its Civic Hybrid, and Toyota hybridized the best-selling family car in America, the Camry. Both have earned rave reviews.

The road ahead also looks bright: The 60-mpg Smart car that’s popular overseas will finally be available in the United States in 2008, perhaps even in an all-electric version; Honda is at work on an all-new hybrid that it says will be affordable and family-friendly; Mitsubishi says it will bring an all-electric car to the United States in the near future; many of the major automakers are working on plug-in hybrids; and Tesla Motors and other small start-up companies are proving that all-electric cars are not only possible, but feasible — if they can build them, you know the major automakers can.

We’ve also had more good news in the sharp decline of gas prices over the late summer and early fall of 2006, when average costs at the pump fell nearly 40 cents per gallon. But unfortunately we remain in an unsustainable equation over the long term, with rapidly rising demand pitted against rapidly declining supply. Tight supply and demand also creates a fragile foundation for gas prices over the short term — the slightest disruption could send prices back toward $3.00 a gallon and beyond. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), 2007 world oil prices will be at best only slightly less than in 2006. The DOE also projects 2007 U.S. gasoline prices will average $2.51.

Fuel-efficient Car Buyer’s Guide

To help you prepare for whatever the future brings, you’ll find information about the best of the best 2006 and 2007 vehicles in this chart. There are 30 models, and each has a combined fuel economy rating of at least 30 mpg. Other data listed in the chart includes price, annual fuel cost and scores that reflect the cars’ impacts on air pollution and global warming. And to give you a sense of how these cars handle and feel on the road, there are drive scores and comments from Todd Kaho, senior editor of Green Car Journal, who has the enviable job of driving green cars for a living. (See “Keys to the Data,” below, for explanations of each score, as well as resources for more information, including safety and reliability ratings.)