Toyota Prius and 3 Ford Hybrids Top EPA's 2011 Fuel-Economy Rankings
By Scott Doggett November 4, 2010
By Danny King, Contributor
The Toyota Prius hybrid-electric mid-size car topped the Environmental Protection Agency's best fuel-economy list for the 2011 model year, while three Ford-produced hybrids tied for second place.
Additionally, Volkswagen-produced clean-diesel wagons and the Hyundai Sonata headed their respective classes' fuel-economy ratings, while the Bugatti Veyron ultra-sports car was the biggest gas-guzzler, according to the EPA.
The Prius, the world's best-selling hybrid, gets 51 city miles per gallon, making it the most fuel-efficient production car in the U.S. That's at least until the EPA grades the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and Nissan Leaf battery-electric - neither had been tested by the time the just-released list was compiled.
Ford Motor Co.'s Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ hybrids all came in at No. 2 by getting 41 city miles per gallon, while Honda's Civic Hybrid and Insight hybrid each get 40 city miles per gallon. The top 5 was rounded out by the automatic version of Honda's CR-Z hybrid and the Lexus HS 250h hybrid, which each get 35 MPG city.
With the exception of the Smart ForTwo two-seat minicar, all of the vehicles on the EPA's Top 10 fuel economy list were hybrids.
Ford's efforts to boost its fleetwide fuel-economy were recognized last month by Green Car Journal, which put both the Lincoln MKZ and gas-powered Ford Fiesta on its short list of 2011 Green Car of the Year Finalists. The 2011 Fiesta SFE, which debuted in the U.S. mid-year and led the EPA's subcompact class, gets an EPA-rated 40 MPG highway and 29 MPG city.
The automaker appears to be responding to the Obama administration's efforts to boost fuel economy and cut emissions from light-duty vehicles. Earlier this year, the federal government hiked fuel-efficiency standards by 40% by 2016 for passenger cars and light-duty trucks - to a fleetwide average of 34.1 mpg.
Meanwhile, Volkswagen AG made its mark in the EPA's small-station-wagon class, as the VW Jetta Sportwagen and the A3 diesels from VW's Audi unit topped that list by getting 30 MPG city and 42 MPG highway.
The Hyundai Sonata's 24 MPG city rating make the vehicle the most fuel-efficient "large car," while hybrid versions of the Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute are the most fuel-efficient SUVs, at 34 MPG city.
On the other end of the spectrum was the 8.0-liter, 1,000-horsepower Bugatti Veyron, which gets 8 MPG city.
General Motors was also prominent in the proverbial Hall of Shame, placing the Chevrolet K2500 and C2500 Suburban SUVs, GMC Yukon SUV, and Chevrolet and GMC G3500 vans on the EPA's Top 10 list of lowest fuel economy. Those vehicles all get either 10 or 11 miles per gallon city.
The EPA also said it was publishing a version of the 2011 fuel-economy guide for mobile devices, possibly so that car showroom shoppers can compare numbers on their iPhones and BlackBerry devices. The link to that site was not functioning this morning.
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