gas mileage

Super Cheap High MPG Cars: 1978-1981

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Looking for a car that gets crazy great gas mileage but don’t want to spend a lot of cash? This list of knuckle-busting (can we call them classic?) small cars from 1978 through 1981 haul down some impressive gas mileage figures and can be had for chump change … if you’re handy.

It’s not just that they’re cheap … these cars are past the magic 25-year point that may actually make them qualify as antique cars, dependent on state regulations. While the thought of a rusty old Dodge Omni or Plymouth Horizon with historic plates might lead to hysterics, the owner can take solace in those remarkably high gas mileage figures.

The possibilities run from wannabe exotics to the work-a-day. Imagine finding a Dodge De Tomaso, under a tarp in a barn … only to realize that it’s not only "the Italian sports car from Detroit," it’s worthy of a 50 mile per gallon highway rating. Need to haul around some stuff? How about a 1980 Chevy Luv pickup truck that pulls down 53 miles per gallon on the highway? We sure could use some of those small diesel pickup trucks today …

Partsgeek Volkswagen Parts

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Dodge Ram Gas Mileage: 1994 – 2012

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While the Dodge Ram is America’s third most popular full-size pickup, the truck enjoys a enthusiastic fan base. Much of this enthusiasm is due to the medium- and heavy-duty Dodge Ram’s gas mileage figures when outfitted with a fuel-efficient diesel engine option. The word on the street is that fuel-efficiency may eventually spread throughout the line.

The 2010 half-ton Dodge Ram 1500 is available with three engine choices, a 3.7 liter V6, a 4.7 liter V8, and a 5.7 liter HEMI V8. (While a diesel is not currently available in the Ram 1500 series, one is in the works … see below.)

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Chevy Silverado Gas Mileage: 1999 – 2013

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Chevrolet’s Silverado is not only the second-best selling truck in America, it’s the second-best selling vehicle, overall. With over 630,000 sold in 2006, Silverado sales were only exceeded by Ford’s ever-popular F-series pickup trucks. Due to the massive numbers sold, the Silverado’s gas mileage figures have a considerable impact on the nation’s rate of gasoline consumption. A 25- or 30-percent rise in the Silverado’s MPG average would have significantly positive implications.

While a nice jump in the Silverado’s gas mileage is coming, we’ll have to wait a bit.

Silverado Engine Options

Chevrolet currently offers a slew of engine options in the half-ton Silverado 1500 range. The most fuel efficient conventional choice is the 2WD 2010 Silverado XFE that delivers 15 city/22 highway miles per gallon.

The 2WD 6.0-liter Silverado Hybrid is rated at 21 city/22 highway, while the 4WD Silverado Hybrid is rated at 20 city/20 highway.

  • Vortec 4.3 liter V6
  • Vortec 4.8 liter V8
  • Vortec 5.3 liter V8 (iron-block, Active Fuel Management, with or without FlexFuel)
  • Vortec 5.3 liter V8 (aluminum-block, Active Fuel Management, with or without FlexFuel)
  • Vortec MAX 6.0 liter V8 (Active Fuel Mangement)

Although Chevy offers diesel engine options for the Silverado, the diesels are only available in the 2500 and 3500 range trucks. The 2500 and 3500 come standard with the Vortec 6.0 liter V8, with the Duramax Diesel 6.6 liter turbo V8 available as an option. Chevrolet does not publish official mileage figures for the Duramax diesels, which are produced by a joint venture between GM and Isuzu.

We recently put a 6.6 liter, V-8 Duramax-equipped Silverado to an exhaustive road test. Be sure to check out our 2011 Silverado 2500HD review …

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Ford F-150 Gas Mileage: 1980 – 2013

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What would the consequences be if Ford raised the half ton F-150’s gas mileage by 30%? How much fuel would America save every year? How much money would every owner save, due to the reduced cost of fueling their trucks?

To date, Ford’s most visible efforts to increase the F-150’s gas mileage figures have focused on the new EcoBoost V-6 engine. We recently reviewed the F-150 EcoBoost and while we found it to be quite formidable, we’d like to see even more MPGs.

The introduction of a diesel engine under the F-150’s hood would be a game changer. The Ford F-Series has long been the biggest selling pickup truck in America, but diesel engines have only been available in F-250 and larger trucks … not in the half-ton F-150 (for the most part). This has caused F-150 gas mileage figures to languish.

Rumor had it that Ford was to begin offering a diesel engine in the F-150 as soon as 2009. The engine in question was to be a 4.4 liter V8 based on a twin-turbo 3.6 liter that’s currently offered in the Range Rover, overseas. The existing 3.6 liter Rover engine is no slouch … it propels the (not lightweight by any means) Range Rover from 0-60 MPH in 8.6 seconds and delivers 19.3 urban (city)/31.4 extra urban (highway) British miles per gallon … that’s roughly 16/26 American MPG, with a shade under 270 horsepower (if the calculations are correct).

If all worked well, F-150 gas mileage could have risen from a ballpark average of 15 to 20 or so.

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