Top 10 Fuel Efficient Cars

What the consumer wants? I want a car that kicks ass and is fun to drive. The performance stats for the vehicles listed are dismal. Until efficiency and performance can get together in the same room I'll just pay more for fuel.

It would be nice if US companies could overcome the performance/mpg barrier. My wife and I both drive imports. (Mazda RX8 and a Subaru WRX) They both have great acceleration characteristics and handle like they are on rails. The downside is of course, they both use premium and are fuel hungry monsters. Still the thrill factor is worth it.

Love my Prius!!!!

I drive an "old" 2002 Prius. I hear people telling me that the latest models tend to get worse MPG than the 2002 model, which implies that the cars were more designed for the test than for the real road. Currently I'm getting an average of 45-50 MPG depending on the various conditions and where I have to drive.

You don't need an Act of Congress to get cars the consumer wants to buy, you need an Act of Congress to force consumers to buy what they don't want to buy.

If American consumers want high mileage, there are companies more than willing to provide high mileage.

Toyota also makes some big engine trucks and SUVs that are making inroads into American sales. Compare these two news stores that hit on the same day ...

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co. (F.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Friday U.S. May vehicle sales fell 6.8 percent from a year earlier as higher gas prices and a weaker housing market hurt consumer demand and the automaker cut back on fleet sales.

Okay, so now that we know that high gas prices and a weaker housing market (?) hurt consumer demand for Fords ...

DETROIT (AP) - Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday its U.S. vehicle sales jumped 14.1 percent in May as double-digit percentage gains in both passenger cars and light trucks helped the automaker to its best monthly sales ever.

For the month, Toyota outsold Ford Motor Co., which saw sales fall 6.9 percent as it continued to cut low-profit sales to rental companies. Nissan Motor Co.'s sales gained 7.4 percent and DaimlerChrysler AG's sales rose 3.9 percent with help from a 20 percent jump in its Jeep brand.

Toyota, which has been gaining market share in the U.S., sold 269,023 Toyota and Lexus vehicles in May, topping its previous monthly record of 242,675 set in March. Car sales rose 16.2 percent to 168,270, while light truck sales, including the Tundra, rose 10.9 percent to 100,753.
Toyota said its sales gains came as rising retail gas prices were met by increasing consumer confidence.

"Despite the industry's shift toward passenger cars, Toyota's all-new Tundra hit an all-time high in May," Jim Lentz, executive vice president of Toyota's U.S. division, said in a statement. "As for hybrids, the market's appetite continues unabated, with Prius also establishing an all-time record."

PS: While Subaru cars do not get the greatest gas mileage, their 91 octane turbos have very low emissions, and their station wagons frequently lead that group in green ratings.

Christopher- I have a 2006 Prius and my overall lifetime average is 44 mpg. On longer trips I average around 50 mpg, but a lot of my trips are super short where I don't get it warmed up so my mileage is bad on those trips, pulling down my average. So it sounds like I get around the same averages as you with your 2002.

My 1997 Civic gets 37mpg driving around the hampton roads area, and i only paid $3000 for it... Top that with an new car!