Gojirra99

Vehicles tested & rated in that order :

Honda Civic
Toyota Corolla
Ford Focus
Kia Spectra
Nissan Sentra
Chevrolet Cobalt
Mazda3
Volkswagen Golf
Saturn Ion
Suzuki Aerio

Full Article HERE

biker

If gas milage is your priority you can't go wrong with a Honda engine.

XeroK00L

Good for Honda, but the Civic does have the smallest and the least powerful engine among the test cars, something that's gotta be taken into the equation.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i test drove both the civic and the corolla before, being the top two, i actually would choose the corolla for the slightly better performance

mmarshall

True, but even so, with the possible exception of the Prius, Honda has always led the auto industry in engine and drivetrain efficiency over the years. That....and slick-shifting FWD manual transmissions...has always been the company's strongest points. And even where the Prius is concerned, Honda beat Toyota in the American market ( in 2000 ) getting a hybrid for sale by almost 9 months. Even now it is the only company to have perfected the fuel-cell technology to the point that, while not offered yet across-the-board for public sale, the fuel-cell Honda FCX is leased and sold to government and specialty buyers.

The down side, of course, to that famous Honda 3 and 4-cylinder efficiency is NO TORQUE, at least at low speeds. Although the Element / CRX's new 4 has 160 ft-lbs, Honda fours in general, and especially the VTEC's, are notorious for slug-like response at low engine speeds and of having to be wound to almost insane levels to get max power. The most extreme example, of course, was the first-generation S2000's 9000 RPM redline, 8600 RPM HP peak and 7600 RPM torque peak.

LexFather

classic, this got 3 replies. Clearly, WE ARE NOT changing our habits.

redkingjoe

seriously, i'll still pick a Lexus LS

BLK13X

^ Yeah I know what you mean.

Even with these ridiculous fuel prices I still chose to buy a Soarer hehe

Ohh well... VVTi helps a little so I'm happy.

mmarshall

That's primarily because, with a couple of exceptions, they have no HP or torque until you get them up near redline. (see my earlier post)