MPG IN CAR AND DRIVER JUNE 2009

Prefer speed to fuel sipping ability? Click over to GoodCarBadCar.net to find the quickest cars in Car & Driver's June issue. If you want to distinguish between the thirsty guzzlers and the sippers, keep reading. Remember, these aren't EPA numbers - this is from Car & Driver's testing.

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Chevrolet Camaro LT: 19 miles per gallon

Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8: 20 miles per gallon
Toyota Venza 2.7: 26 miles per gallon
Acura TL SH-AWD: 21 miles per gallon
Audi A4 2.0T Quattro: 23 miles per gallon
BMW 328i: 25 miles per gallon
Infiniti G37 Sport: 19 miles per gallon
Dodge Grand Caravan SXT: 20 miles per gallon
Suzuki Equator Crew Cab Sport 4WD: 16 miles per gallon
Audi TTS: 21 miles per gallon

MPG IN CAR AND DRIVER MARCH '09

AutoEnergy didn't die after all. The speed factor will be taken care of at GoodCarBadCar.net. For fuel economy as measured by the folks at Car & Driver in their March issue, keep reading.

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Chevrolet Corvette ZR1: 12 miles per gallon

Dodge Viper SRT10: 13 miles per gallon

Lamborghini Murcielago LP640: 10 miles per gallon

Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black: 12 miles per gallon

(In the four-car comparo between the cars mentioned above, the ZR1 beat the Lambo, followed by the Benz and Viper in last.)

Honda Insight: 46 miles per gallon

Scion xB: 26 miles per gallon

BMW M3: 17 miles per gallon

Subaru Impreza WRX STi: 20 miles per gallon

Pontiac G8 GXP: 14 miles per gallon

Hyundai Genesis V6: 20 miles per gallon

Mercedes-Benz GLK350 4Matic: 16 miles per gallon

Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster: 15 miles per gallon

(The Ram was first in the truck comparo; Chevy finished third.)

Chevrolet Silverado LTZ 5.3L 4x4: 18 miles per gallon

Dodge Ram Laramie 5.7L 4x4: 14 miles per gallon

Ford F-150 King Ranch 5.4L 4x4: 15 miles per gallon

HONDA FIT 5-SPD AUTOMATIC vs HONDA FIT 5-SPD MANUAL - North Miami Beach to West Miami

Who'd've thunk it? Most licensed drivers remember a day when a 4-speed automatic was the norm and if you were stupid enough to buy a subcompact with an automatic you weren't stupid enough to expect more than a 3-speed auto. Therefore, the typical buyer opted for the manual transmission; likely a 4-speed and possibly a fiver. 

Then came a day when BMW and Mercedes-Benz and Lexus began to up the typical automatic transmission to 6-speeds. Along came seven and before long; eight. At the same time, many Euro diesel hatches were obvious candidates for a 6-speed manual.

And we're all excited that, for the second generation Honda Fit, the planet's preeminent engine builder has decided to retain its excellent transmissions. Whether you want a manual or automatic, you get 5 gears. Vunderful. More surprising are the economy figures provided by the EPA, suggesting that a basic Fit with an automatic is more efficient than the same car equipped with the U-shift. Here's the financial layout.

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1.26 - total gallons of gasoline required by the automatic-transmission 2009 Honda Fit to complete its commute between West Miami and North Miami Beach

1.33 - total gallons of gasoline required by the manual-transmission 2009 Honda Fit to complete its commute between West Miami and North Miami Beach

4.60 - total cost for the automatic Honda Fit for one day

4.85 - total cost for the manual Honda Fit for one day

23.00 - total cost for the automatic Fit for one week

24.25 - total cost for the manual Fit for one week

1,127 - total cost for the owner of a Honda Fit with an automatic transmission to commute between North Miami Beach and West Miami, Florida five times a week, 49 weeks per year

1,188.25 - total cost for the owner of a Honda Fit with a manual transmission to commute between North Miami Beach and West Miami five times a week, 49 weeks per year

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With relatively high gas prices, a Miami driver doing just under 10,000 miles per year would save only $61.25 annually by choosing a Honda Fit with an automatic transmission. A mighty automatic it may be, but in order to save that $61.25 each year, s/he'd first have to spend $800 to upgrade from the manual tranny. 31.5 miles per gallon is better than 30 miles per gallon, but not when achieving it costs $800 and takes the fun out of driving a small urban runabout like the Good 12-winning Honda Fit.

AUDI Q7 V12 TDI vs AUDI Q7 4.2 - Gyor, Hungary to Ferto-Hansag Nemzeti National Park

Like contrasting the hybrid Lexus LS600h L with the regular gasoline-only Lexus LS460, the Audi Q7 V12 TDI will never offer up financial compensation for the tens of thousands of extra dollars required to purchase the 500 horsepower beast. On the other hand, we did just mention "500 horsepower", didn't we? There's your compensation, hand-in-hand with 738 lb-ft of torque, helping the Q7 to 60mph in 5.5 seconds and on to a governed 155mph top speed. For more on the Q7 V12 TDI, follow this link to GCBC.

The Q7, in 6.0L diesel form, could be priced as high as $100,000. Its competitor in today's fuel efficiency comparison is the run-of-the-mill Q7 4.2, a gasoline-powered V8 Audi with plenty of zip and plenty of consumption. Here's how the finances of the fuel play out. 

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3.36 - total gallons of diesel required by the Audi Q7 V12 TDI to complete its daily round trip commute between Gyor, Hungary (where its V12 is built) to Ferto-Hansag Nemzeti National Park

4.52 - total gallons of premium gasoline required by the Audi Q7 4.2 V8 to complete its daily round trip commute between Gyor and Ferto-Hansag Nemzeti National Park

14.01 - total cost, at Detroit diesel prices, for the diesel-powered Audi Q7 for one day

17.36 - total cost, at Detroit premium gas prices, for the gasoline-powered Audi Q7 for one day

23.52 - total cost, in USD at Hungarian diesel prices, for the Q7 V12 TDI for one day

31.64 - total cost, in USD at Hungarian petrol prices, for the Q7 4.2 V8 for one day

70.05 - total cost, at Detroit diesel prices, for the Q7 V12 for one week

86.80 - total cost, at Detroit gas prices, for the Q7 V8 for one week

3,432.45 - total cost, in USD at today's Detroit diesel prices, for the Audi Q7 V12 TDI's owner to travel between Gyor Hungary, where the V12 diesel is built, to Ferto-Hansag Nemzeti National Park five times a week, 49 weeks per year

4,253.20 - total cost, in USD at today's Detroit premium gas prices, for the Audi Q7 4.2 V8's owner to travel between Gyor and Ferto-Hansag Nemzeti National Park five times a week, 49 weeks per year

820.75 - total savings, in USD and Detroit prices, for the owner of the Q7 V12 

1,989.40 - total savings, in USD and Hungarian prices, for the owner of the Q7 V12 TDI