Fuel Economy Leaders

[Mat]

They were announced yesterday by the EPA (2010 Model Year):

Rank - Model - MPG city/highway
1 - Toyota Prius (hybrid) - 51/48
2 - Ford Fusion Hybrid FWD Mercury Milan Hybrid FWD - 41/36
3 - Honda Civic Hybrid - 40/45
4 - Honda Insight (hybrid) - 40/43
5 - Lexus HS250h (hybrid) - 35/34
6 - Nissan Altima Hybrid - 35/33
7 - Ford Escape Hybrid FWD Mazda Tribute Hybrid 2WD Mercury Mariner Hybrid FWD - 34/31
8 - Smart fortwo Cabriolet (automatic) Smart fortwo Coupe (automatic) - 33/41
9 - Toyota Camry Hybrid - 33/34
10 - Lexus RX450h (hybrid, 2WD) - 32/28

[The General]

I love and hate these numbers 'cause they only tell part of the story... In fact, they're great because they can be used as a comparison tool between the real world and the EPA's world (same for Natural Resources Canada) and they're useless because they next to never tell you what you can really expect from the car you just bought... Essentially, these numbers should only be used as a guide and no more than that.