Check out this Drivel from US News & World Report
#1
04-03-2008, 01:37 PM
Check out this Drivel from US News & World Report
Cars With the Most Thrill Per Gallon
Cars With the Best 'Muscle Per Gallon'
By Rick Newman
Posted April 2, 2008
The Toyota Prius, not surprisingly, is one of the "greenest" vehicles on the market. Chevy boasts that its Cobalt coupe gets 33 miles per gallon. A thrifty threesome—the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, and Nissan Versa—each average better than 25 mpg and start at less than $15,000.
But are these cars any fun?
Americans certainly want to pinch pennies at the pump, especially with gas creeping toward $4 per gallon and the economy turning soft. But that doesn't mean they're willing to give up the joy of motoring. So while others offer lists of cars that are merely fuel-efficient, we prefer cars that are efficient and muscular both—and thus, score high on our "muscle per gallon" index.
We kept our methodology simple: For each car in the U.S. NewsBest Cars database, we multiplied the horsepower rating by the city mpg number, then divided by 100 to create an easy-to-follow index number. We ranked the cars by that number, in eight of the most popular categories. Our results reveal the wimpiest misers, the sloppiest gas hogs, and the cars that offer the best mix of performance and fuel economy.
On our list of small cars, for instance, there are 11 models that get city mileage of 25 mpg or better. But only one of those, the Honda Civic Hybrid, ranks in the top 10 on our muscle-per-gallon index. The Fit, Yaris, and Versa, by comparison, end up near the bottom—which means they're thrifty but not very sporting. Hybrids occupy the top spots in several categories, but they're usually pricey; not far behind, however, are relative bargains like the Nissan Rogue or Toyota RAV4.
Even among staid old minivans, there's a stark difference in horsepower and mileage. The Toyota Sienna, which tops the muscle-per-gallon list in the category, comes with a saucy V-6 engine that churns out 266 horsepower, with city mileage of 17 mpg. At the bottom of the list, the entry-level Chrysler Town & Country gets the same mileage—but from an engine that offers just 170 horsepower.
As for the Prius, there's still plenty to love. Among midsize cars, it ranks No. 5—and it's one of the cheaper cars on the list. But the top car—the Nissan Altima Hybrid—is more of a looker, with impressive mileage of 35 mpg, a zesty 198 horsepower, and a reasonable starting price of less than $26,000. That's the kind of all-around performance drivers love.
Here are the best and worst performers in eight categories; to see the entire list, click on the category name.
Cars With the Best 'Muscle Per Gallon'
By Rick Newman
Posted April 2, 2008
The Toyota Prius, not surprisingly, is one of the "greenest" vehicles on the market. Chevy boasts that its Cobalt coupe gets 33 miles per gallon. A thrifty threesome—the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, and Nissan Versa—each average better than 25 mpg and start at less than $15,000.
But are these cars any fun?
Americans certainly want to pinch pennies at the pump, especially with gas creeping toward $4 per gallon and the economy turning soft. But that doesn't mean they're willing to give up the joy of motoring. So while others offer lists of cars that are merely fuel-efficient, we prefer cars that are efficient and muscular both—and thus, score high on our "muscle per gallon" index.
We kept our methodology simple: For each car in the U.S. NewsBest Cars database, we multiplied the horsepower rating by the city mpg number, then divided by 100 to create an easy-to-follow index number. We ranked the cars by that number, in eight of the most popular categories. Our results reveal the wimpiest misers, the sloppiest gas hogs, and the cars that offer the best mix of performance and fuel economy.
On our list of small cars, for instance, there are 11 models that get city mileage of 25 mpg or better. But only one of those, the Honda Civic Hybrid, ranks in the top 10 on our muscle-per-gallon index. The Fit, Yaris, and Versa, by comparison, end up near the bottom—which means they're thrifty but not very sporting. Hybrids occupy the top spots in several categories, but they're usually pricey; not far behind, however, are relative bargains like the Nissan Rogue or Toyota RAV4.
Even among staid old minivans, there's a stark difference in horsepower and mileage. The Toyota Sienna, which tops the muscle-per-gallon list in the category, comes with a saucy V-6 engine that churns out 266 horsepower, with city mileage of 17 mpg. At the bottom of the list, the entry-level Chrysler Town & Country gets the same mileage—but from an engine that offers just 170 horsepower.
As for the Prius, there's still plenty to love. Among midsize cars, it ranks No. 5—and it's one of the cheaper cars on the list. But the top car—the Nissan Altima Hybrid—is more of a looker, with impressive mileage of 35 mpg, a zesty 198 horsepower, and a reasonable starting price of less than $26,000. That's the kind of all-around performance drivers love.
Here are the best and worst performers in eight categories; to see the entire list, click on the category name.
#3
04-03-2008, 01:47 PM
Ive learned that anyone who writes about cars for a newspaper or news magazine is generally a moron
#5
04-03-2008, 03:12 PM
Cars With the Most Thrill Per Gallon
Cars With the Best 'Muscle Per Gallon'
By Rick Newman
Posted April 2, 2008
The Toyota Prius, not surprisingly, is one of the "greenest" vehicles on the market. Chevy boasts that its Cobalt coupe gets 33 miles per gallon. A thrifty threesome—the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, and Nissan Versa—each average better than 25 mpg and start at less than $15,000.
But are these cars any fun?
Americans certainly want to pinch pennies at the pump, especially with gas creeping toward $4 per gallon and the economy turning soft. But that doesn't mean they're willing to give up the joy of motoring. So while others offer lists of cars that are merely fuel-efficient, we prefer cars that are efficient and muscular both—and thus, score high on our "muscle per gallon" index.
We kept our methodology simple: For each car in the U.S. NewsBest Cars database, we multiplied the horsepower rating by the city mpg number, then divided by 100 to create an easy-to-follow index number. We ranked the cars by that number, in eight of the most popular categories. Our results reveal the wimpiest misers, the sloppiest gas hogs, and the cars that offer the best mix of performance and fuel economy.
On our list of small cars, for instance, there are 11 models that get city mileage of 25 mpg or better. But only one of those, the Honda Civic Hybrid, ranks in the top 10 on our muscle-per-gallon index. The Fit, Yaris, and Versa, by comparison, end up near the bottom—which means they're thrifty but not very sporting. Hybrids occupy the top spots in several categories, but they're usually pricey; not far behind, however, are relative bargains like the Nissan Rogue or Toyota RAV4.
Even among staid old minivans, there's a stark difference in horsepower and mileage. The Toyota Sienna, which tops the muscle-per-gallon list in the category, comes with a saucy V-6 engine that churns out 266 horsepower, with city mileage of 17 mpg. At the bottom of the list, the entry-level Chrysler Town & Country gets the same mileage—but from an engine that offers just 170 horsepower.
As for the Prius, there's still plenty to love. Among midsize cars, it ranks No. 5—and it's one of the cheaper cars on the list. But the top car—the Nissan Altima Hybrid—is more of a looker, with impressive mileage of 35 mpg, a zesty 198 horsepower, and a reasonable starting price of less than $26,000. That's the kind of all-around performance drivers love.
Here are the best and worst performers in eight categories; to see the entire list, click on the category name.
Cars With the Best 'Muscle Per Gallon'
By Rick Newman
Posted April 2, 2008
The Toyota Prius, not surprisingly, is one of the "greenest" vehicles on the market. Chevy boasts that its Cobalt coupe gets 33 miles per gallon. A thrifty threesome—the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, and Nissan Versa—each average better than 25 mpg and start at less than $15,000.
But are these cars any fun?
Americans certainly want to pinch pennies at the pump, especially with gas creeping toward $4 per gallon and the economy turning soft. But that doesn't mean they're willing to give up the joy of motoring. So while others offer lists of cars that are merely fuel-efficient, we prefer cars that are efficient and muscular both—and thus, score high on our "muscle per gallon" index.
We kept our methodology simple: For each car in the U.S. NewsBest Cars database, we multiplied the horsepower rating by the city mpg number, then divided by 100 to create an easy-to-follow index number. We ranked the cars by that number, in eight of the most popular categories. Our results reveal the wimpiest misers, the sloppiest gas hogs, and the cars that offer the best mix of performance and fuel economy.
On our list of small cars, for instance, there are 11 models that get city mileage of 25 mpg or better. But only one of those, the Honda Civic Hybrid, ranks in the top 10 on our muscle-per-gallon index. The Fit, Yaris, and Versa, by comparison, end up near the bottom—which means they're thrifty but not very sporting. Hybrids occupy the top spots in several categories, but they're usually pricey; not far behind, however, are relative bargains like the Nissan Rogue or Toyota RAV4.
Even among staid old minivans, there's a stark difference in horsepower and mileage. The Toyota Sienna, which tops the muscle-per-gallon list in the category, comes with a saucy V-6 engine that churns out 266 horsepower, with city mileage of 17 mpg. At the bottom of the list, the entry-level Chrysler Town & Country gets the same mileage—but from an engine that offers just 170 horsepower.
As for the Prius, there's still plenty to love. Among midsize cars, it ranks No. 5—and it's one of the cheaper cars on the list. But the top car—the Nissan Altima Hybrid—is more of a looker, with impressive mileage of 35 mpg, a zesty 198 horsepower, and a reasonable starting price of less than $26,000. That's the kind of all-around performance drivers love.
Here are the best and worst performers in eight categories; to see the entire list, click on the category name.
#7
04-03-2008, 03:38 PM
This is aggravating. Some mouth breathing knuckledragging moron judges "fun" based on HP numbers? I've driven minivans and with a strong motor the fun ends as soon as you deviate from a straight line. There are so many cars already on the road with more power than is really sensible that it's not funny.
It's so much more fun to drive a car where you can actually *use* all of the engine if you want in a greater variety of situations. Slow cars driven fast are more fun than fast cars driven slow by orders of magnitude. It's much more fun to drive a car that turns well and doesn't wallow like Rosie O'Donnell on a donut bender.
I'm too lazy right now but a power to weight comparison of the models mentioned would be a nice reply to that ignorant article.
It's so much more fun to drive a car where you can actually *use* all of the engine if you want in a greater variety of situations. Slow cars driven fast are more fun than fast cars driven slow by orders of magnitude. It's much more fun to drive a car that turns well and doesn't wallow like Rosie O'Donnell on a donut bender.
I'm too lazy right now but a power to weight comparison of the models mentioned would be a nice reply to that ignorant article.
#8
04-03-2008, 09:36 PM
A few things:
The Chevy Cobalt does not get 33 MPG. More like 23. They are crappy beyond compare. That's why consumer reports show they only have a 40% buy over rate. The Fit got 80% by the way, number two on the list. I think number one with 82 was a Civic, but I could be wrong there.
Second, HP does not = fun. What's horsepower when the car is designed like crap, uncomfortable, and ugly. Case in point, see the Charger. The whole interior looks as if it was made from ground up tooth brush handles.
Third, I thought the Prius would be top stuff. I found one on our lot at work, and I can say the interior dash was very ugly. It's size is comparable, slightly bigger than, the Fit. Of course it's MPG is godly, so it's cool. But for almost 28xxx or so MSRP, it's not on top of my "to buy" list.
But I can only say good things about the Camry Hybrid. It looks good, drives nice and is an MPG champ.
Next, the Prius. The four door prius I'm cool with. The 2 door hatch? I'll pass. Not feeling the design. I'd just get a Smart.
The Chevy Cobalt does not get 33 MPG. More like 23. They are crappy beyond compare. That's why consumer reports show they only have a 40% buy over rate. The Fit got 80% by the way, number two on the list. I think number one with 82 was a Civic, but I could be wrong there.
Second, HP does not = fun. What's horsepower when the car is designed like crap, uncomfortable, and ugly. Case in point, see the Charger. The whole interior looks as if it was made from ground up tooth brush handles.
Third, I thought the Prius would be top stuff. I found one on our lot at work, and I can say the interior dash was very ugly. It's size is comparable, slightly bigger than, the Fit. Of course it's MPG is godly, so it's cool. But for almost 28xxx or so MSRP, it's not on top of my "to buy" list.
But I can only say good things about the Camry Hybrid. It looks good, drives nice and is an MPG champ.
Next, the Prius. The four door prius I'm cool with. The 2 door hatch? I'll pass. Not feeling the design. I'd just get a Smart.
#11
04-03-2008, 10:32 PM
Also, I couldn't understand why the Charger had 4 door, because there was zero leg room in the back, I mean I couldn't even sit in the back with the driver seat in my normal driving position. But it was good to have the extra HP when needed.
#13
04-19-2008, 10:02 PM
Hmm well lets see I own a honda fit and my parents own a honda civic hybrid.
IMO the fit is ten tims more fun than the civic hybrid.
Fit is more agile and handles alot nicer while the hybrid just does its job as being a fuel efficient car.
IMO the fit is ten tims more fun than the civic hybrid.
Fit is more agile and handles alot nicer while the hybrid just does its job as being a fuel efficient car.
#14
04-19-2008, 10:41 PM
From my experience, I find the power and fun meters usually run side by side. There are exceptions to every case, but I do enjoy a fun burst to 80mph a lot more than a leisurely coast to 80mph any day.
Where I live, roads are straight, and we turn to change direction. It make more sense to be able to enjoy myself on a straight-a-way while still being fun in the corners. -by this comparison the Fit is more fun than a Charger, but an SRT-8 Charger would absolutely blow the Fit out of the water in my book (not that comparing a Fit to an SRT-8 is fair, just for argument's sake)
Where I live, roads are straight, and we turn to change direction. It make more sense to be able to enjoy myself on a straight-a-way while still being fun in the corners. -by this comparison the Fit is more fun than a Charger, but an SRT-8 Charger would absolutely blow the Fit out of the water in my book (not that comparing a Fit to an SRT-8 is fair, just for argument's sake)
