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Canada's top fuel economy champs
A clutch of cars that are your most efficient choices over the long haul
By Bob English
Thursday, December 18, 2003
You could describe Canada, with its vast distances and generally good highways, as the land of the road trip. With that in mind, we're presenting those of you who are in it for the long haul with the 25 most fuel frugal, long-range cars available in the country.
The longest-legged of these fuel sippers will, theoretically, cover 1,212 kilometres between gas stations, and even the thirstiest puts an impressive 806 kilometres of distance between fill-ups.
Initially we planned on using Transport Canada's annual EnerGuide fuel consumption manual to determine the top 10 most highway fuel efficient cars in Canada, but then discovered there were some ties involved. So instead we are presenting a "top 10" that actually includes 25 vehicles.
We then figured out how far each would go based on its fuel tank capacity.
The hands-down highway mileage and range champ is Honda's 2-seat Insight hybrid, a neat little high-tech car powered by a 1.0-litre, 67 horsepower gasoline engine and an electric motor. It boasts a highway fuel economy rating of 3.3 L/100 km and, with its 40-litre tank, the Insight's overall range, based on the ratings, would be 1,212 km. The 40 litres of fuel you'd use covering that distance (based on an average cost of 70 cents per litre) would set you back a mere $28.
Close behind are two more gasoline/electric hybrids, the 4.2 L/100 km rated Toyota Prius and the 4.6 L/100 km rated Honda Civic Hybrid. Both are 4-door sedans that, unlike the Insight, are a practical proposition for highway touring, since they'll carry five passengers and a reasonable amount of luggage (though fully loaded they won't achieve the fuel economy numbers presented here, of course). The Honda will actually take you further down the road, as its 50-litre tank gives a range of 1,086 km versus 1,071 km for the 45-litre capacity Prius.
The Civic shares third place with a trio of Volkswagens, the latter arguably even more practical as they rely on proven and fairly simple diesel technology rather than high-tech hybrid componentry. The Golf TDi, Jetta TDi and New Beetle TDi all draw their power from a 1.9-litre turbodiesel engine that provides decent performance, along with high fuel economy, and all three are practical everyday cars. With their 55-litre fuel tanks, they have a theoretical range of 1,195 km, and covering this would cost you only about $10 more than the Insight.
In fourth place is Toyota's Echo subcompact sedan and hatchback; each powered by a 1.5-litre gasoline engine. They each receive a highway rating from Transport Canada of 5.2 L/100 km, and with 45-litre tanks will cover 865 highway kilometres.
In fifth and sixth places are two eminently practical compact class automobiles, Toyota's Corolla and Honda's Civic. Both are reasonably priced, well equipped, 5-passenger family machines with impeccable credentials. The Corolla takes fifth place with a rating of 5.3 L/100 km, and its 50-litre tank will cover 943 km. The sixth-ranked Honda with economy of 5.7 L/100 km and a 50-litre tank will let you travel 877 km between refills.
Next up, at 5.9 L/100 km, is the MINI Cooper. Not quite as practical perhaps with only two doors, but it has tons of character and is lots of fun to drive. It has a range of 847 km.
From eighth to tenth place the economy ratings range from an even 6.0 to just 6.2, and this group encompasses no less than 16 vehicles.
Eighth place is shared by 10 contenders, each with ratings of 6.0 L/100 km. The long-ranger in this bunch is Oldsmobile's Alero, one of the nicer small cars GM builds, which manages about 900 km with its 54-litre tank. Also from the GM stable are the Pontiac Grand Am, Sunfire and Vibe, the Chevrolet Cavalier and the Saturn ION, which will travel between 833 km and 883 km down the road.
The eighth place group also includes a trio from Japan: the Acura 1.7 EL, the new-for-2004 Honda Civic Si and Toyota's Matrix. All three are lively performers and comfortable enough highway cruisers. They also have 50-litre tanks that could take you 833 kilometres. Ranked ninth are Ford's Focus, Nissan's Sentra, the new Suzuki Swift+ and Chevrolet Aveo (essentially clones) with ratings of 6.1 L/100 km. The Focus and Sentra compacts offer reasonable performance with decent levels of comfort and equipment and, with 49- and 50-litre tanks respectively, have a potential range of 803 km and 818 km. The Swift+ and Aveo are brand new sub-compact offerings for 2004. These Korean-built cars (by the joint venture company owned by GM and Suzuki that emerged from the demise of Daewoo) are surprisingly good highway machines, despite their small size. They are reasonably quiet, capable of holding four people and some cargo, and buzz along effortlessly. Their 45-litre tanks give them a range of 737 km. But you'd want to get out and stretch by then anyway.
In tenth spot in fuel economy terms, rated at 6.2 L/100 km on the highway, is Mitsubishi's compact Lancer and Mazda's all-new replacement for the Protegé compact, the Mazda3. Both are competent 4-door sedans, capable of meeting the needs of most Canadians and fully capable of coast-to-coast highway trips. The Mazda3 in particular is getting a lot of attention. The Lancer has a 50-litre tank and a range of 806 km while the Mazda3's 55-litre tank capacity allows it to travel 887 km.
I would set out on a coast-to-coast trip in any of these vehicles, although some would obviously make the trip more comfortable and pleasant than others would. If I had to choose, I'd pick the Mazda3 or perhaps the Acura 1.7 EL or Honda Civic Si. But if I had to carry two people and a lot of stuff, the Pontiac Vibe or Toyota Matrix would be a good choice.
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