The previous car paradigm was all about more. More space. More power. More fuel gobbled up with each mile driven. Today, with global warming becoming a concern for an increasingly large segment of the population and fuel prices taking money from pockets that are already scantily lined because of the recession, the emphasis is on fuel economy. You don't need a gas guzzling SUV just to drive back and forth to your classes on getting a real estate licence in Ontario. Here are some tips and facts on finding a vehicle with good fuel economy.
In the United States, a car's fuel economy is measured in miles per gallon, which is a measurement of how far a car will go on a certain amount of fuel. Since odometers measure miles and fuel is bought in gallons, the measurement makes sense. Unless of course you're looking to get to team building events in Toronto, because in Canada, distances are measured in kilometers and fuel is dispensed in liters, so fuel economy is measured in kilometers per liter. Don't get the figures mixed up, as miles and gallons are larger than kilometers and liters.
When you're checking into a car's fuel economy, you need to remember that there are two figures you should be looking at: highway miles and city miles. The type of stop-and-go driving with frequent idling that is common in the city is harder on fuel than driving on the highway to the next town to pick up a fish tank filter. Therefore fuel economy in each situation is different. You can pick one if you only ever drive in the city or on the highway, or average them if you do both.
The larger the car and the more powerful the engine, the lower the fuel economy will be. Therefore SUVs, trucks, and even large sedans are usually not a good choice for people who want a cheap car to get them back and forth from work at Thermage Edmonton. The cars with the best fuel economy are the small compact cars, such as the Honda Fit and the Toyota Echo. Cars built in the early 2000s or before often have lower fuel economy since the trend for efficiency had not yet begun when they were manufactured.
The cars with the greatest fuel economy, however, are the hybrids. Hybrid cars use a combined gasoline and electric system to power their drive trains and are tremendously efficient. Buying one is more expensive than buying a regular car, so unless you've got some unemployment insurance refunds coming your way, you might not be able to afford it. But a hybrid car can go several months without a fill-up, so you save hundreds a year in gas.
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