mpg-o-editor

Does a New High Gas Mileage Vehicle Make Sense?

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Are you thinking about replacing your gas guzzler with a fuel-efficient vehicle that gets more miles per gallon (MPG)? Not sure how much money you can expect to save every week, month, or year? MPGomatic to the rescue!

Cost justifying the purchase of a high gas mileage vehicle starts with some basic numbers. Thankfully, it isn’t a complicated process. You’ll begin by comparing the real-world gas mileage of your existing vehicle with the official government estimates for the new vehicle(s) that you have in mind.
2012 Ford C-Max Hybrid - 3/4 front view

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Why Do I Get Less MPGs on the Way to Work?

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One of the most important steps in MPG enlightenment* is measuring your efficiency over routes you travel most frequently while keeping a running record. You don’t have to go all out and pencil every segment into a notebook (or your smartphone). All it takes to get started is a mental note to your self that says, “hey, I just scored 35.3 MPG on the way to work.” When you travel that same route the next day, try to improve your results. If you do better, you reset the bar. If you fall short, the bar remains in place.

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Custom Paint With Rattlecans?

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As the ever-thriving automotive aftermarket industry proves, cars, trucks, and vans are more than just transportation … they’re an expression of individuality. When a vehicle rolls off the dealer’s lot, it’s a blank canvas, waiting for its new owner to make a personal statement through customization. This is never more the case when the vehicle is over-sized and wearing a plain-vanilla white paint job.

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Mitsubishi i-MiEV Review : A NJ Electric Car Adventure

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Remember Apple Computer’s “Think Different” advertising campaign, back in 1997? With photographs of Muhammad Ali, Jim Henson, the Dali Lama, and Albert Einstein, among others, Apple urged us to reconsider our computer purchases in a world dominated by computers running Microsoft’s DOS text-interface operating system. The idea of Apple, with the Macintosh, a computer running a graphic operating system, becoming the most dominant force in the industry was a huge leap of faith.

Steve Jobs may have passed on, but we’re in a similar place now, with regard to electric vehicles. Fifteen years later, we’re faced with far too many closed-minded Luddites, that refuse to see what’s roaring (quietly) down the highway.

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2013 Mazda CX-5 Sport Review

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MPG-o-Matic 2013 Mazda CX-5 Review Summary:
The 2013 Mazda CX-5 SKYACTIV is the most fuel efficient crossover sold in America, with a rating of 35 miles per gallon (MPG) on the highway in the front-wheel-drive base model. But it’s about so much more than just the MPGs. Unlike many of its competitors, the CX-5 can be equipped with a manual transmission. The shifter is top notch, adding a dimension to the CX-5 that’s simply uncommon. Leave it to Mazda to create a small roomy crossover that’s actually fun to toss about. While it’s no speed demon, this little critter has sufficient pep, handles well and absolutely begs to be driven.

The 2013 Mazda CX-5 is powered by a 16-valve DOHC 2.0-liter four-cylinder SKYACTIV-G engine that produces 155 horsepower (HP) and 150 foot pounds of torque. The inline four can be mated to either a six-speed SKYACTIV overdrive manual or automatic Sport transmission. The automatic has a manual-shift mode. While the CX-5 is available in front-wheel- (FWD) or Active Torque Split all-wheel-drive (AWD), the manual transmission is only available in the FWD version.

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