mpg-o-editor

Why Does Gas Mileage Get Worse in the Winter?

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It’s no secret that the fuel economy of any given vehicle will be worse in the winter. It’s not just about the extended warm up time, as some might think. While it’s easy to blame it all on Old Man Winter, there’s a range of specific reasons why we experience lower MPGs at this time of year.

As luck would have it, I’m driving a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid this week. When the news hit the wire today about Consumer Reports failing to hit the official gas mileage estimates, I took it all with a grain of salt. They had similarly poor results with the Prius C earlier this year. Part of the reason why they fared even more poorly with the C-Max may have to do with the time of year. (I’ll address the Consumer Reports issue in a subsequent post.)

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The Ford C-Max Hybrid: An Ideal Taxi?

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While I’ve seen plenty of Prius taxis in New York City, they always seem to be greatly outnumbered by the traditional Ford Crown Victoria. Landing on the other coast last month proved to be an eye opener. I was taken aback by the sheer number of Toyota Prius taxis gliding about the streets of San Francisco. They were everywhere. Now I’ve never thought of the Prius to be well suited to taxi work from a passengers standpoint, but it’s easy to see the appeal from the fleet owner’s perspective. It comes down to dollars and cents. The drastic improvement in fuel economy between a gigantic sedan with a V8 engine and a (relatively) smaller and lighter vehicle with a hybrid drive train is undeniable.

Will the Ford C-Max Hybrid replace the Crown Victoria as Taxi of Choice?

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2013 Ford Mustang V6 Premium Review

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MPG-o-Matic 2013 Ford Mustang V6 Review Summary: With a starting price of $22,200, the base 2013 Mustang V6 delivers a whopping amount of punch for the dollar and great gas mileage, given the muscle that rumbles under the original pony car’s hood.

With a remarkably deep option list, you can easily increase the sticker price by a good fifty percent or so, as our test unit’s MSRP of $35,100 clearly shows. We found that some options may lead to a loss of fuel economy as a trade-off to increased performance that is not reflected by the window sticker.

2013 Ford Mustang V6 Premium - Gotta Have It Green - front view from above

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Top 20 Best MPG Turbocharged Cars – 2012

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Turbocharging is one of the best ways to make horsepower and torque without a negative impact on fuel economy. Our list of the most fuel-efficient turbocharged vehicles of 2012 is dominated by European manufacturers. With little surprise, the top spots go to the Volkswagen and Audi TDI turbo-diesels. The roomy Volkswagen Passat TDI leads the list at 31 city / 43 highway / 35 combined miles per gallon (MPG). You’ll find just one entry each for the American and Japanese manufacturers, with the Chevrolet Cruze ECO and Nissan Juke landing in the top ten. The spunky Fiat 500 Abarth earns a spot in the top ten, as well. On the other side of the coin, the Bugatti Veyron earns the Thirstiest Turbo of 2012 award with ratings of 8 city / 15 highway / 10 combined (not that it matters to the typical Veyron owner).

Volkswagen Passat TDI

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2013 Ford C-Max Energi Plug-In Hybrid First Drive

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With California the most important domestic market for electrified vehicles, it came as no surprise that Ford chose San Francisco and the Northern California coastline as the backdrop for the C-Max Energi Plug-In Hybrid media drive.

The crossover-esque C-Max has been available in Europe since 2003 and comes to our shores for the first time. The C-Max rides on the Focus platform. It’s only available in America in hybrid or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) form.

The standard C-Max hybrid is rated at 47 city / 47 highway miles per gallon (MPG). The C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid uses a larger lithium ion battery to deliver up to 21 miles of pure electric driving, at speeds up to 85 miles per hour, before it switches to conventional hybrid mode.

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