MENU
SEARCHOWINGS MILLS, MD --- "MotorWeek," television's longest-running automotive series, and Cars.com recently teamed up for the "Power & Economy Drive" to determine which shade of green makes the most sense for consumers.
OWINGS MILLS, MD --- "MotorWeek," television's longest-running automotive series, and Cars.com recently teamed up for the "Power & Economy Drive" to determine which shade of green makes the most sense for consumers. The winning vehicle was the 2010 Toyota Prius.
"The Power & Economy Drive" is featured on the "MotorWeek" episode that begins airing on PBS Saturday, Sept.12.
We hear a lot about fuel economy these days, but we wanted to know which cars deliver fuel efficiency without compromising power and performance," said John Davis, "MotorWeek" host and executive producer. "'MotorWeek' and members of Cars.com's editorial staff got behind the wheel of three hybrids, two clean turbocharged diesels and a compact car to find out what's behind the fuel economy numbers."
MotorWeek and Cars.com took six cars with the highest government fuel economy ratings to the mountains of Western Maryland for a typical weekend family outing. The gas sippers tested were the 2010 Toyota Prius, 2010 Honda Insight, 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, 2010 Audi A3 TDI, and the 2009 Smart Fortwo.
Each car was equipped with a data recorder for monitoring driving and engine performance. The cars were put through the paces, covering 500 miles of extremely challenging terrain over three days. The team assessed overall comfort, performance, handling and of course, fuel economy.
"We found the Prius, in the end, offered a really top-notch interior, a peppy ride and great mileage," said Patrick Olsen, editor-in-chief of Cars.com. "There were several close competitors, but the Prius's new look and frugal ways won us over."
The full report airs on "MotorWeek" episode 2902. Here are the results of the "MotorWeek" and Cars.com "Power & Economy Drive" by the numbers: 2010 Toyota Prius (drive mpg of 49.2, EPA mpg of 50.0), 2010 Honda Insight (drive mpg of 40.5, EPA mpg of 41.0), 2010 Audi A3 TDI (drive mpg of 38.2, EPA mpg of 34.0), 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI (drive mpg of 36.2, EPA mpg of 34.0), 2009 Smart Fortwo (drive mpg of 35.3, EPA mpg of 36.0) and 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid (drive mpg of 32.9, EPA mpg of 39.0).
Detroit-based company says it has begun early development of a system to convert internal combustion Ram 5500 chassis-cab trucks to electric power.
Read More →
Fleet managers are done with the debate—and focused on execution. Learn how to build a practical electrification strategy that aligns infrastructure, operations, and financing while keeping costs controlled and deployment scalable with support from Blink Charging. Discover how smart planning today positions fleets for long-term performance and ROI.
Read More →
New industry group data revealed that light-duty electric vehicle sales are hitting record market share and volumes, while commercial EV volume dipped. What’s driving the fluctuations?
Read More →
For fleet managers, fuel is one of the biggest line items in the budget — and it's one hybrids can shrink without changing how your people work. Download the eBook to see the numbers, understand the technology, and get a step-by-step guide to making the switch.
Read More →
The biggest challenge lies in balancing additional equipment and accessories with EV battery capacity and range.
Read More →
With the expiration of federal incentives, EV success now hinges less on government policy and more on discounts, battery tech progress, increased range, and broader infrastructure.
Read More →
Fleet operators shared their challenges during an annual conference that embraced the latest advances across all aspects of running private- and public-sector vehicles.
Read More →
EVgo, Pilot, ChargePoint and IONNA named; goal is 35k GM-invested DC stalls by 2030, with customer-experience upgrades at sites.
Read More →
EV buyers took advantage of the final federal tax credit days, while average prices edged up for new EVs and continued to decline for used models.
Read More →
But most OEMs record low-volume sales, which means EV profitability remains a distant dream for nearly every automaker.
Read More →
