Cars Getting 30 mpg or better ~ Hybrid Car Review

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Cars Getting 30 mpg or better

I was curious about the fuel economy numbers released by the EPA and how GM was spinning them, so I tried tabulating some of the results. What I found surprised me. And yet, after a few moments of thought, it all started to make sense.

For instance, I had supposed that the smaller the car, the better the mileage. Of course, I had totally disregarded how small performance cars are. Of the 37 minicompact cars listed, only 2 of them (the VW Beetle) get 30+ mpg. But that number becomes less surprising when you consider Porsche accounts for 24 of the 37 since each powertrain is considered separately.

And when you look at class of cars, the small station wagon actually has the highest percentage (24 of 41 models for 59%) of cars getting 30+ mpg or better highway. Compact cars are right behind at 53%.

What follows is the number (and percentage) of models getting 30+ mpg highway for each manufacturer and class. Keep in mind that some manufacturers will have several lines (Toyota and Lexus; Ford and Mazda, etc..)

	Models getting 30+		All Models
Manufacturer	n	%	All Models
ACURA	2	25%	8
ASTON MARTIN	0	0%	5
AUDI	10	29%	35
BENTLEY	0	0%	6
BMW	8	16%	49
BUICK	1	9%	11
CADILLAC	0	0%	22
CHEVROLET	26	20%	127
CHRYSLER	2	6%	32
DODGE	3	6%	49
FERRARI	0	0%	6
FORD	8	13%	63
GMC	0	0%	79
HONDA	13	52%	25
HUMMER	0	0%	2
HYUNDAI	7	37%	19
INFINITI	0	0%	13
ISUZU	0	0%	5
JAGUAR	0	0%	12
JEEP	0	0%	30
KIA	5	33%	15
LAMBORGHINI	0	0%	8
LAND ROVER	0	0%	2
LEXUS	2	10%	20
LINCOLN	0	0%	3
LINCOLN-MERCURY	2	14%	14
LOTUS	0	0%	2
MASERATI	0	0%	1
MAZDA	9	32%	28
MERCEDES-BENZ	0	0%	44
MERCURY	0	0%	10
MITSUBISHI	4	17%	24
NISSAN	7	19%	37
PONTIAC	10	45%	22
PORSCHE	4	12%	34
ROUSH PERFORMANCE	0	0%	2
SAAB	7	39%	18
SATURN	8	47%	17
SUBARU	2	7%	30
SUZUKI	11	58%	19
TOYOTA	17	35%	48
VOLKSWAGEN	17	68%	25
VOLVO	8	22%	37

	Models getting 30+		All Models
Class	n	%	All Models
COMPACT CARS	63	53%	118
LARGE CARS	7	11%	61
MIDSIZE CARS	43	35%	122
MIDSIZE STATION WAGONS	5	17%	29
MINICOMPACT CARS	2	5%	37
SMALL STATION WAGONS	24	59%	41
SPEC PURP VEH - MINIVAN - 2WD	0	0%	19
SPEC PURP VEH - S.U.V. - 2WD	8	6%	131
SPEC PURP VEH - S.U.V. - 4WD	0	0%	155
STANDARD PICKUP TRUCKS 2WD	0	0%	91
STANDARD PICKUP TRUCKS 4WD	0	0%	75
SUBCOMPACT CARS	29	37%	78
TWO SEATERS	12	19%	63
VANS, CARGO TYPE	0	0%	26
VANS, PASSENGER TYPE	0	0%	12