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[Phoenix]

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The Honda Insight, a gas-electric hybrid car, edged out the Toyota Prius as the most fuel-efficient vehicle in the U.S., according to new mileage ratings from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.

Both get an estimated 60 miles per gallon in city driving.

The Insight, a two-seat car, gets an estimated 66 miles an gallon on the highway, though, while the Prius gets 55 miles per gallon.

The Prius, a car that's classified as mid-sized, uses a different hybrid system that delivers better mileage in stop-and-go driving than in steady highway cruising.

The EPA's fuel economy figures are based on laboratory tests. Drivers in real-world conditions generally report lower actual mileage.

Mileage estimates for the redesigned 2006 Honda Civic hybrid are not yet available. The 2005 version ranked fourth overall last year, behind two versions of the Insight and the Prius.

The Prius is the most efficient "mid-sized" sedan by a wide margin. The Hyundai Elantra is listed as the most efficient non-hybrid mid-sized sedan. It gets an estimated 34 miles per gallon on the highway and 27 in the city.

Diesel-powered cars from Volkswagen took the top spots in the "compact" and "sub-compact" car categories. The diesel VW Beetle with manual transmission is the most efficient sub-compact and the VW Golf diesel, which is built on the same vehicle structure as the Beetle, is the most efficient compact. Both get an estimated 44 mpg on the highway and 37 in the city.

The Beetle and Golf tied for third in overall mileage rankings.

Among SUVs, the Ford Escape hybrid is the most efficient. It gets 36 mpg in city driving and 31 on the highway.

The Mercury Mariner hybrid and Mazda Tribute hybrid are very similar and get the same mileage. All tied for eighth in overall mileage rankings.

Top 10 vehicles overall:

(City/Highway)

1. Honda Insight (hybrid) -- 60/66
2. Toyota Prius (hybrid) -- 60/51
3.Volkswagen New Beetle and Golf (diesel, manual) -- 37/44
4. Volkswagen Jetta (diesel) -- 36/41
5. Ford Escape Hybrid FWD -- 36/31
6. Volkswagen New Beetle and Jetta(diesel, automatic) -- 35/42
7. Volkswagen Golf (diesel, automatic) -- 33/44
8. Ford Escape Hybrid 4WD (Also Mazda Tribute and Mercury Mariner 4WD hybrids) -- 33/29
9. Lexus RX 400h 2WD and Toyota Highlander Hybrid 2WD -- 33/28
10. Toyota Corolla (manual) -- 32/41

Note that vehicles in bold are SUVs, so there are 4 SUVs in the top 10 now. Getting interesting

 

[Tarazet]

It blows my mind that a car that has been in production for 6 years, and which has barely been updated, is still the most fuel-efficient vehicle on the road. I still want my Element hybrid.

 

[Manics]

Talk to me when cars can go 500 km per litre.

 

[mCACGj]

It blows my mind that a car that has been in production for 6 years, and which has barely been updated, is still the most fuel-efficient vehicle on the road. I still want my Element hybrid.

The Element is the ugliest car ever. I'd rather have a horse and carriage than be seen even riding in one of those.

 

[fart]

all these heavy hybrids have pretty unrealistic EPA ratings. testing thta's closer to average duty cycle gives lower results and makes the 40/30 compact gas sedans much more attractive (especially given the price difference). the lesson is not that hybrids aren't good buys (they can be, for HOV lane access for example), but that the average person should be buying a high quality fuel efficient compact sedan, and not a less fuel efficient mid-size or SUV, since the average person just doesn't tend to need a larger car than that.

of course i'm exempted from all of this because i'm so awesome

 

[GG-Duo]

fart, what are your recommendations for a "high quality fuel efficient compact sedan"?

 

[SteveMeister]

Woo hoo, I have #3

And we got 48MPG on a trip once, drove from Key West up 95 to about 20 miles south of the North Carolina border on one tank of gas!

 

[Phoenix]

all these heavy hybrids have pretty unrealistic EPA ratings. testing thta's closer to average duty cycle gives lower results and makes the 40/30 compact gas sedans much more attractive (especially given the price difference). the lesson is not that hybrids aren't good buys (they can be, for HOV lane access for example), but that the average person should be buying a high quality fuel efficient compact sedan, and not a less fuel efficient mid-size or SUV, since the average person just doesn't tend to need a larger car than that.

of course i'm exempted from all of this because i'm so awesome

Well I know for certain that the Lexus RX400h driven by actual people gets 29/25 in normal Atlanta driving.

 

[ForzaItalia]

I'm buying a 2006 version of #4 in a couple of weeks.

 

[fart]

fart, what are your recommendations for a "high quality fuel efficient compact sedan"?

the corolla listed above (~30/40), 8th gen civic (2006) civic (30/40), scion xa/b, yota yaris, honda fit, etc. it's possible to get an extremely reasonable amount of power from a small displacement engine while still getting around 30-35mpg combined these days. furthermore, i would guess that the only thing that's keeping the cars listed above out of the 45mpg combined zone is their weight/size. if car manufacturers in the US had incentive to market more truly small cars (subsidies, regulation, or people buying them), average mileage would shoot up, and the fact is the cars that are driven most often are commuters with an average occupancy of about 1. another fact is that the average US market car is getting bigger and heavier, because that's what people are buying. the 8th gen civic is about as big as the 3rd gen accord was (probably bigger).

also, the prius does not get 60/50. it's more like 45 combined. the only way to get 60mpg is to do a synthetic epa test where you charge the battery then drive 10-20mph for 15 minutes, extrapolating out to an entire tank. this goes for the mk2 prius. the mk1 prius is even worse. the insight is the only hybrid i know of that gets near manufacturer claims. conveniently it's also the only hybrid built with weight savings in mind (-> least practical to manufacture, unfortunately).

 

[GG-Duo]

cool beans... i am thinking about something entry-level for January 2006. Don't think the Fit will be available then, but I'm glad there are some good options out there too.

but yeah, one thing i really hate is the continual "fattening" of the North American cars. what the hell is up with that...