2008 Woodie Awards
The Right Car Will $ave You Gas
Chester Klimek
Issue date: 12/12/05 Section: Life & Leisure
- Page 1 of 1
As prices of gasoline soared this semester, it made many of us leave our trusted car at home and hit up public transportation instead. Some people probably thought of getting a fuel-efficient vehicle like the Prius. But, most likely, other uninformed people didn't have any idea of what's out there in the area of vehicles that get over 40 miles per gallon.
Being a car enthusiast myself, I tend to know a thing or two about cars. So here's my own opinion on three fuel-efficient cars that are both fuel friendly AND in the mid 20 mpg range: the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, and the Volkswagen TDI.
The Honda and the Toyota are based on the idea of an electric motor working to around 20 mph, and after that, the small four-cylinder under the hood begins to kick in, saving you excess gas money because the car, for the most part, is running off its own electric energy.
But how do they feel? After giving these cars a test whirl, I must say I wasn't impressed. They were slow, especially the Prius, and I wanted to kick myself for being seen in such an ugly-looking car.
The Civic had a nicer layout than the Prius, making it feel more like a typical Civic.
But the Prius, no matter how ugly it looks, still has the most open feel to it. It's like a small minivan/SUV in terms or interior space. And lest we forget about the TDI, the lesser-known frugal fuel user.
The TDI is like driving injected diesel, and it whizzed around town at 42 mpg. The TDI was my favorite car out of the three. It had style, a great sound from the turbo-powered engine, and it resembled the standard Jetta.
The performance is pretty much the same with all three cars.
All the cars are pretty much similar, but unlike the others are the TDI innards. With its flat torque line accelerated at a standard pace, you can enhance the motor with an exhaust or chip to give you more power and more mileage. It also has leatherette interior, not cloth like the others.
All of these cars are built for achieving the highest mpg, but unlike the trusted TDI, which powers a third of the diesel cars in Europe, hybrid technology is new and expensive. And at the dealer, they won't tell you that at 100,000 miles you should replace the battery at a current cost of over $3,000, whereas the TDI will run for 200,000 miles with no problems if you do the maintenance.
If you want an efficient car and can afford it, go with the TDI at $22,900. It looks better, feels better and also has leatherette, not cloth like the others.
Being a car enthusiast myself, I tend to know a thing or two about cars. So here's my own opinion on three fuel-efficient cars that are both fuel friendly AND in the mid 20 mpg range: the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, and the Volkswagen TDI.
The Honda and the Toyota are based on the idea of an electric motor working to around 20 mph, and after that, the small four-cylinder under the hood begins to kick in, saving you excess gas money because the car, for the most part, is running off its own electric energy.
But how do they feel? After giving these cars a test whirl, I must say I wasn't impressed. They were slow, especially the Prius, and I wanted to kick myself for being seen in such an ugly-looking car.
The Civic had a nicer layout than the Prius, making it feel more like a typical Civic.
But the Prius, no matter how ugly it looks, still has the most open feel to it. It's like a small minivan/SUV in terms or interior space. And lest we forget about the TDI, the lesser-known frugal fuel user.
The TDI is like driving injected diesel, and it whizzed around town at 42 mpg. The TDI was my favorite car out of the three. It had style, a great sound from the turbo-powered engine, and it resembled the standard Jetta.
The performance is pretty much the same with all three cars.
All the cars are pretty much similar, but unlike the others are the TDI innards. With its flat torque line accelerated at a standard pace, you can enhance the motor with an exhaust or chip to give you more power and more mileage. It also has leatherette interior, not cloth like the others.
All of these cars are built for achieving the highest mpg, but unlike the trusted TDI, which powers a third of the diesel cars in Europe, hybrid technology is new and expensive. And at the dealer, they won't tell you that at 100,000 miles you should replace the battery at a current cost of over $3,000, whereas the TDI will run for 200,000 miles with no problems if you do the maintenance.
If you want an efficient car and can afford it, go with the TDI at $22,900. It looks better, feels better and also has leatherette, not cloth like the others.