Money Mag Tests Fuel-Efficient Cars

photo credit: Dan4th

We recently looked at the most economical used cars to buy as gas prices rise; now Money magazine has done a test on four fuel-efficient vehicles that you can buy new, figuring out which one is the most economical overall. Four cars were tested: the Ford Focus, the Smart for Two, the Volkswagen Jetta and the Toyota Prius. And the results turned out like this:

• Ford Focus: Not a bad car, but on back roads, highway and city driving tests, it just came out to be less fuel-efficient than the other three.
• Smart For Two: Performed especially well for inner-city driving (and it’s easy to park!) but doesn’t do so well for higher speeds.
• Volkswagen Jetta: This uses diesel to improve its fuel efficiency (but this makes it a bit more expensive to run, with the high cost of diesel) and was the most efficient for back roads and highway driving.
• Toyota Prius: On average, the most fuel efficient of the four cars - and especially economical for city driving.

Volkswagen is bringing out a new Jetta soon but it still isn’t expected to match the efficiency of the Prius. Of course, the Prius is more expensive to buy than the other cars on the list, but if you’re concentrating on city driving in particular, you should win back that cost with reduced fuel consumption.

Tags: Cars | Economy & Business News | Gas Prices | Hybrids