The 40-MPG Challenge

Edmunds.com

The 40-MPG Challenge

Edmunds.com tests six cars that claim to get 40 mpg: Chevy Sonic, Ford Focus, Hyundai Veloster, Kia Rio, Mazda 3 and VW Passat TDI. Can you get 40 mpg in the real world?

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bodyshopboy

I sure hope they come out with a Passat TDI wagon! I love my jetta TDI wagon but sometimes wish for some of the luxuries, like power memory seats, that come with the higher trim level.

Yet another reason why diesel should be considered as part of our energy savings regime.

The emissions and green house gasses are even quite good - lower than the the 2.5 ltr Passat according to feuleconomy.gov.

A win all around!

canddmeyer

This would be much easier to read if the traveling facebook login spam would disappear

dg0472

I DOES matter which Rio (or Sonic) you buy. Every time CR tests a sedan and hatch version of the same car with the same powertrain, the sedan does better on the highway. It's just much harder to get the same aerodynamics with a hatch.

importfreak

I have a 2012 Passat with the 2.5 5 cylinder.....I average 35 to 38 on the highway and 28 in the city.........far better than EPA estimates......I do not regret not getting the diesel. Although diesel was the same price as gas here in Ohio yesterday :-)

bpizzuti

Interesting how all of these cars are rated similarly on the EPA test, but on a different test there is quite a bit of variance...

gilchy

Go for the Golf TDI, for even better results!

aviboy97

I really wish there was an Elantra in this test. That is one car that has gotten a lot of flack for the 40 mpg rating.

Not surprised by the TDI or the Mazda3 Skyactiv, those have an established track record of great economy. Obviosuly, the two best choices of the group.

woochifer

These results are similar to what I've been getting with the Mazda3 Skyactiv. My overall fuel economy is around 35 MPG with about 25% city driving, and I just logged a 40 MPG tank fill with 90+% highway driving.

The Golf TDI was very tempting, but adding the diesel engine boosted the price by $4k for a comparably equipped car.

And we have yet another fuel economy test where the Hyundai/Kia models come in well under their EPA-rated fuel economy. Even on the EPA's fuel economy site, the Hyundai Elantra shows a "real world" combined mileage barely higher than city rating. By comparison, the "real world" ratings for the Mazda3 and Ford Focus are at or above the combined EPA rating.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=yourMpgVehicle&id=31216

It seems that the shenanigans continue, as their new Elantra GT and Veloster Turbo models also sport flashy EPA fuel economy ratings. It's high time that the EPA do its own independent testing with Hyundai (the EPA only tests ~20% of car models, the rest of the tests are done by the manufacturers and submitted to the EPA). It happened with the BMW 3-series, which saw its original highway rating revised down from 36 MPG to 33 MPG after the EPA did its own validation test.

yamahr1

Given that lots of people just skip to the final ranking, don't you think it's a bit irresponsible to put the Sonic in 6th just because you messed up a fuel fill? Obviously it would have been more mid-pack, but instead it seems you found another lame reason to put GM in last place on the tally sheet.

peralta

From fueleconomy.gov, actual owner input.

Chevy sonic 5 = 36.8 mpg, sample size = 5
Hyundai Veloster = 40 mpg, sample size = 4
Kia Rio = 33.3 mpg, sample size = 8
Mazda 3 = 37.5 mpg, sample size = 2
Ford Focus SFE = 31 mpg, sample size = 7
VW Passat tdi = 41.5 mpg, sample size = 8

The passat is the most fuel efficient and the most expensive, plus it has the biggest and most luxurious interior. However for the same price you can also get a camry hybrid with same consumption and the same class but more efficient in the city driving.

lucien4

What is the logic of including larger TDI while not including a cheaper to operate hybrid? Especially in mixed driving.

lt1boy

Thank you for reinforcing what Europe has known for decades, and what the average US consumer is still struggling to figure out.

Diesel engines are more efficient than gas engines.

rush7

This article fails in more ways than one...
1) A Passat? Really? Why not a similar sized, lower priced Jetta or Golf TDI? Sorry, but whatever reason you may give, is simply not valid.
2) A Mazda 3 i Grand Touring 3 instead of a i Touring? Could have saved $4K and maybe keep it close to $20K
3) Sorry but the Sonic MPG reading is suspect at best...Most drivers, when they do the math at the gas station, find out that the readings are a bit optimistic, maybe by 2 to 3 mpg.
4) The fact that non-diesel engines are at or near 40 mpg, which is diesel territory, albeit a smaller class of cars, makes diesels less appealing. The nextgen Altima will take it one step closer at 38 MPG Highway. Maybe that's the car that the Passat TDI should be compared to.
5) If there is one thing that Mazda should do pronto would be to make the Skyactiv engine standard....This would send a message to all competitors: Mazda, who has NEVER been known for excellent fuel efficiency, is now a leader in the field.
6) Should have included the Cruze Eco as well.

rush7

List Price 2013 Altima S = $23,280, 12K mi/38 mpg = 315.78 gal x diesel $/gal (3.53)= $1,114
(source: Edmunds.com)
List Price 2012 Passat TDI= $28,665, 12K mi/43 mpg = 279.06 gal x diesel $/gal (3.73) = $1,040
(source: Carsdirect.com)
Yearly cost fuel difference = $74
Cost per vehicle difference= $5,385
If you follow the article's guidelines on fuel operating costs alone, it would take 72 years for the Passat TDI to gain an advantage with today's prices.....A bit lofty. You think the VW has an advantage in maintenance? Those fuel injectors cost 5 times more to replace and the high pressure fuel pump costs 10 times more to replace!
http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/

rachel81

40 mpg is NOT a new thing! I got 40+ mpg with my '99 Chevy Metro Lsi Sedan - I got about 45 mpg when I was driving mostly highway. That was a good, dependable, affordable car that got discontinued shortly after Chevy bought out Geo..

motordog100

My 2003 Jetta tdi 5 speed will get me 53 ( w/ ac on)- 58 ( no ac) mpg on road. 40 MPG is not that good.
My city all around MPG is 46.

I guess the trade off in new cars is performance as 9 or 10 sec to 0-60 is too slow for marketing to consumers.

bwall2

Just so you know - the GMC Terrain - says it gets 32 mpg. I have been having a debate with GMC so they did a "consumption test." They drove 86 miles (real consumption test?) and said our Terrain, combined city & highway, did 38.88 mpg! After hearing that, I have decided to throw out my hybrid Toyota Camry - only gets 39-41 mpg. I really love GM - they are so honest and trustworthy!

38.88 mpg in a 2011 GMC Terrain!!!!

rocky100

Why would you not test the Jetta TDI? that is more comparable and would of beat the other cars worse due to reduced weight, Need to test again when the new Mazda 6 Clean Diesel comes out. Also just test mid sized, and test Mazda diesel and Passat diesel to Toyota and Honday Hybrid and show total cost of ownership with the expensive lifetime cost of a Hybrid.

billsmith3

There is another, less well known side to the diesel MPG story.

Here is the story most of us know. There are two reasons to buy a fuel-efficient car: financial (saving money on fuel) and environmental/political (lowering your emissions and lowering your consumption of crude oil). If you compare a Golf TDI to a gasoline-powered Golf, diesel comes out ahead. To put it another way, if you use MPG as a proxy for your fuel costs per distance traveled, diesel is better than gasoline, at least for the Golf.

The environmental side more of a mixed bag. CO2 emissions per distance traveled are lower for diesel than gasoline. There are other diesel emissions whose health impacts are more controversial.

Emissions aside, though, here is a fact most people don't know: according to the United States Agency for Energy Information, it takes almost twice as much crude oil to produce a gallon of diesel as it does to produce a gallon of gasoline (http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=oil_refining). One barrel of crude produces 19 gallons of gasoline and about 10 gallons of diesel. If all cars ran on diesel, we would need almost twice as much crude as we would if cars were to run on gasoline. (Yes, it's possible to make diesel from agricultural products too, but never enough to satisfy a significant part of the demand, and doing so means lowering food supplies.)

So if you want a high MPG car because you are concerned about the environmental and destabilizing influence of pumping crude oil out of the ground, diesel is worse than gasoline. That's one reason I didn't buy a Golf TDI.

brsender

Hi, I regularly get over 40 mpg, usually about 42 - 44, in my 2009 Honda Fit Sport (automatic with navigation) on interstate rides between NJ and Boston and NJ and Baltimore. Around town, plus three round trips a week that includes about 5 miles of highway each way, I get around 31 mpg. Please note that I get far better mileage at 65-70 mph than I do at 45-55 mph.

jimvolt

Diesel is only 20 cents more expensive than gas? Come on. Most of time here in the East and Midwest, it is 70 cents more expensive than gas. So for Passat, it is the last in terms of gas cost.

tornadored

The cost of ownership includes more than just fuel and maintenance; it also includes depreciation.

Diesel engines are well known for longevity and reliability, and this leads to excellent resale value compared to other drivetrain configurations.

So, just because the Passat TDI has a higher price tag than the other cars in the test, does not mean that it will cost more to own.