From the Detroit Free Press:
Ford Motor Co., with its hybrid SUVs, is the only American automaker to crack the top-10 fuel economy list for 2006 vehicles.
***
Honda Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and Volkswagen AG make eight of the top 10 cars, mostly hybrid electric-gasoline or diesel-powered. Ford Escape hybrid SUVs, two-wheel and four-wheel drive, round out the list.
By classes of vehicles, the most fuel-efficient SUV is the Ford Escape, with 36 m.p.g. in the city and 31 on the highway.
Here’s the actual chart from the EPA:
|
Fuel Economy Leaders: 2006 Model Year
|
||
|
Rank
|
Manufacturer/Model
|
MPG
city/highway |
| 1 | Honda Insight (hybrid-electric, manual) |
60/66
|
| 2 | Toyota Prius (hybrid-electric) |
60/51
|
| 3 | Volkswagen New Beetle and Golf (diesel, manual) |
37/44
|
| 4 | Volkswagen Jetta (diesel, manual) |
36/41
|
| 5 | Ford Escape Hybrid FWD |
36/31
|
| 6 | Volkswagen New Beetle and Jetta (diesel, automatic) |
35/42
|
| 7 | Volkswagen Golf (diesel, automatic) |
33/44
|
| 8 | Ford Escape Hybrid 4WD Mazda Tribute Hybrid 4WD Mercury Mariner Hybrid 4WD |
33/29
33/29 33/29 |
| 9 | Lexus RX 400H 2WD Highlander Hybrid 2WD |
33/28 |
| 10 | Toyota Corolla (manual) |
32/41
|
Now, my red Ford Escape Hybrid is a 2005 model (just like the one pictured above), and I find that I am getting 32.8 mpg. Which is outstanding. And it drives great. You wouldn’t know it was a hybrid, except for the fact that when you stop at a traffic light, it is totally silent (except for the radio and/or air conditioning). I mean, it’s like sitting in parked car.
I bought American.
I bought "green".
And I bought it before the gas price crisis, so (for once) my timing was good.
So allow me to toot my own horn.