Oct 17, 2006 3:39 pm US/Eastern
3 On Your Side: Best Gas Mileage Cars
by Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
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The Nissan Versa hatchback, $13,250, comes with a voice activated memo pad.
CBS
Even with the recent drop in gas prices, many want a high-mileage car that's not a gas guzzler. Good Housekeeping took a look at the latest models that aren't hybrids for a test drive.
3 On Your Side's Jim Donovan has the winners.
For decades, Europeans have been driving smaller sized cars to maximize gas mileage and now the trend is catching on here. The Good Housekeeping Institute tested the newest small cars that get big mile per gallon ratings.
"When you buy a car, the EPA gives it two Miles-Per-Gallon numbers: one for the city, one for the highway. We looked for cars where that combined number was 30 miles per gallon or above," said Stacy Genovese, Engineering Director Good Housekeeping Institute.
Toyota Yaris $12,550"This car's combined M.P.G. is 36, which is very good for any car of any size," Genovese said.
It was the least expensive, but has an odd dashboard.
"All of the gauges aren't above the steering wheel as in a traditional car they're in the center of the dashboard. So it does take a little while to get used to looking over there to see how fast you're going or what your fuel gauge is," Genovese said.
KIA Rio $13,545The KIA Rio was best in performance with excellent traction and great pick-up.
Toyota Corolla $14,905The Toyota Corolla, a long-time leader in high mileage cars, had the most trunk space of all the sedans tested.
Nissan Versa Hatchback $13,250"This is the Nissan Versa. It is a great car that gets 31 combined Miles Per Gallon according to the EPA. It has Bluetooth compatibility so you can talk hands free with your cell phone and has a voice activated memo pad," Genovese said.
Good Housekeeping said there are only 11 cars that have a combined EPA gas mileage of 30 or greater and most of them are small cars. Good Housekeeping eliminated models that didn't seat four people comfortably.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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