Want fuel economy? Don't buy American

[jenk]

Spotted in the WSJ:

Hybrids, Diesel Cars Top List Of Fuel-Efficient Vehicles

Associated Press / October 12, 2005 5:19 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen swept eight of the top 10 fuel-economy rankings for 2006 vehicles in the U.S. Ford Motor Co.'s hybrid SUV was the only American auto maker to crack the top 10.

The manual version of the hybrid Honda Insight tops the list, with 60 miles per gallon in the city and 66 mpg on the highway, and the hybrid Toyota Prius is second with 60 mpg in the city and 51 on the highway, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy said Wednesday.

The Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen vehicles were mostly hybrid electric-gas or diesel-powered. Ford Escape hybrid SUVs, two-wheel and four-wheel drive, round out the list.

The only gas-only vehicle to make the top 10 is the manual Toyota Corolla.

I do know our Prii don't get 60 MPG, but they get better than our gas-only cars did. More info is at http://www.fueleconomy.gov/. In particular they have a nice list of factors that decrease fuel economy. I was surprised that "vigorous driving" reportedly has a bigger affect than AC, but I'd say the biggest "yeah, like THAT's realistic" on the list is "The EPA test assumes vehicles operate on flat ground."