REPORT: All of Europe's 15 most fuel-efficient cars get better than 56 mpg
2009 Smart ForTwo Cabriolet – Click above for high-res image gallery
There are many European cars that can be considered very fuel efficient. However, have you ever tried to put them on a list and finding out how efficient they really are? If you follow us after the jump, you will find that list, which shows Europe's 15 most fuel-efficient vehicles.
Interestingly, the list doesn't include just city cars, either. On it, you'll find subcompacts as well as compacts. Unsurprisingly, the truth is that you'll find that most of them are diesels which, thanks to the upcoming Euro V rules, now include DPF (diesel particulate filters) as standard. Perhaps even more unsurprisingly, the Smart CDI came out on top.
Gallery: Review: 2009 Smart ForTwo
Photos Copyright ©2009 Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Auto News]
| Model | Power | Avg. cons. l/100km |
Mileage mpg U.S. |
||||
| Fiat 500 1.3 JTD Multijet 16V Pop DPF | 75 | 4.2 | 56 | ||||
| VW Golf 1.6 TDI BlueMotion DPF | 105 | 4.1 | 57 | ||||
| Skoda Fabia 1.4 TDI GreenLine DPF | 80 | 4.1 | 57 | ||||
| Opel Corsa 1.3 CDTI ecoFlex CO2 Pack DPF | 75 | 4.1 | 57 | ||||
| Audi A3 1.6 TDI Attraction DPF | 105 | 4.1 | 57 | ||||
| Toyota iQ 1.4 D-4D DPF | 90 | 4.0 | 59 | ||||
| Renault Twingo 1.5 dCi Rip Curl | 84 | 4.0 | 59 | ||||
| Volvo S40 / V50 1.6D DRIVe Start/Stop DPF | 109 | 3.9 | 60 | ||||
| Volvo C30 1.6D DRIVe Start/Stop DPF | 109 | 3.9 | 60 | ||||
| Toyota Prius 1.8 Hybrid | 136 | 3.9 | 60 | ||||
| Mini One D DPF | 90 | 3.9 | 60 | ||||
| VW Polo 1.6 TDI BlueMotion | 90 | 3.7 | 64 | ||||
| Seat Ibiza 1.4 TDI Ecomotive DPF | 80 | 3.7 | 64 | ||||
| Ford Fiesta 1.6 TDCi ECOnetic DPF | 90 | 3.7 | 64 | ||||
| smart fortwo coupé 0.8 cdi pure softip DPF | 54 | 3.4 | 69 |
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
wincros 1:19PM (10/02/2009)
Ah, very informative list, especially with the Prius on it which gives an anchor for comparison. That is the only car that is available in the US and gives an idea of the number of cars with similar fuel economy that makers refuse to make available here. I see Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris all over here. People will buy small, high mileage cars if they are provided for sale.
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Lucien 1:41PM (10/02/2009)
However remember these are all diesels except Prius and they're just not as popular in the US. Second most are pretty small vehicles and with the diesel premium making it as expensive as a midsize car or a Prius in the US I don't think those will be big sellers unless gas prices go up dramatically.
I think with new hybrids coming in Europe like Auris Hybrid, Honda CR-Z, Lexus CT and potentially Opel Corsa Diesel Hybrid this list may change a bit.
jake 1:35PM (10/02/2009)
For all the crying about diesels being a lot better than hybrids (esp on Top Gear); from the list, even though the Prius has the most horsepower out of the bunch and from what I can tell, also the biggest vehicle in the bunch, it still does very well.
Of course with the diesels you can buy them for a lot cheaper.
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meme 1:41PM (10/02/2009)
UGH!!! No, no no, no!
1. These are rated on the NEDC. This is NOT the same drivecycle we use. It gives MUCH higher numbers than the FTP and US06 drivecycles we rely on.
2. The overwhelming number of those are diesel. Diesel != Gasoline, and as a consequence, Diesel MPG != Gasoline MPG! Diesel is, quite simply, a denser fuel. If I made a fuel that was ten times as dense as gasoline, would my boasts that my car gets 250 mpg mean anything? You burn a gallon of diesel, you emit 15% more CO2 than a gallon of gasoline and a lot more of other pollutants (yes, even when comparing modern engines).
I don't know why, but I expect much better than this from this site. Quit comparing cars on different drivecycles and different fuels without compensation factors!
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joseph.hansen 3:02PM (10/02/2009)
Who care's which fuel is denser. If fuel A. costs $1 and fuel B costs $1 and you can go further on fuel B then buy fuel B. End of story. don't even need to know why fuel B is able to make you go further.
Lucien 1:53PM (10/02/2009)
They are not all cheaper though especially not for the brands available in the US. For instance Golf costs about 22K Euro's while an Insight Hybrid is about 20K and Prius around 24K in Europe (Toyota has a lower price for the Prius in the US).
The Seat is a bit less at around 16K but the Audi and Volvo's are more expensive than the Prius.
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mike 3:08PM (10/02/2009)
What you forgot is the really surprising part - which is that we as Americans are too stupid both as a government and as a purchasing body to leverage and take advantage of these existing capabilities in the short term while this whole green revolution is underway.
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Dave B 3:26PM (10/02/2009)
Just another example of how American consumers and car makers refuse to go with fuel efficient options.....
Even cost effective ones that are available today.....
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meme 5:32PM (10/02/2009)
Let me convert these figures into US-appropriate drive cycles for you (done with a conversion factor of US combined = NEDC / 1.25):
Fiat 500 1.3 JTD Multijet 16V Pop DPF 75 45
VW Golf 1.6 TDI BlueMotion DPF 105 46
Skoda Fabia 1.4 TDI GreenLine DPF 80 46
Opel Corsa 1.3 CDTI ecoFlex CO2 Pack DPF 75 46
Audi A3 1.6 TDI Attraction DPF 105 46
Toyota iQ 1.4 D-4D DPF 90 47
Renault Twingo 1.5 dCi Rip Curl 84 47
Volvo S40 / V50 1.6D DRIVe Start/Stop DPF 109 48
Volvo C30 1.6D DRIVe Start/Stop DPF 109 48
Toyota Prius 1.8 Hybrid 136 48
Mini One D DPF 90 48
VW Polo 1.6 TDI BlueMotion 90 51
Seat Ibiza 1.4 TDI Ecomotive DPF 80 51
Ford Fiesta 1.6 TDCi ECOnetic DPF 90 51
smart fortwo coupé 0.8 cdi pure softip DPF 54 55
And now let me adjust them based on CO2 emissions relative to gasoline (done with a conversion factor of gasoline = diesel / 1.15):
Fiat 500 1.3 JTD Multijet 16V Pop DPF 75 39
VW Golf 1.6 TDI BlueMotion DPF 105 40
Skoda Fabia 1.4 TDI GreenLine DPF 80 40
Opel Corsa 1.3 CDTI ecoFlex CO2 Pack DPF 75 40
Audi A3 1.6 TDI Attraction DPF 105 40
Toyota iQ 1.4 D-4D DPF 90 41
Renault Twingo 1.5 dCi Rip Curl 84 41
Volvo S40 / V50 1.6D DRIVe Start/Stop DPF 109 41
Volvo C30 1.6D DRIVe Start/Stop DPF 109 41
Mini One D DPF 90 42
VW Polo 1.6 TDI BlueMotion 90 45
Seat Ibiza 1.4 TDI Ecomotive DPF 80 45
Ford Fiesta 1.6 TDCi ECOnetic DPF 90 45
smart fortwo coupé 0.8 cdi pure softip DPF 54 48
Toyota Prius 1.8 Hybrid 136 48
While one can still readily argue that this is more efficient than the US lineup, it's also comprised of vehicles generally smaller and underpowered compared to the US lineup. For example, most in the US would consider the Prius to not exactly be large or a performance machine, yet it's easily the biggest and most powerful car on the list.
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Matt 7:43PM (10/02/2009)
Most horsepower yes, but this list does not cover torque. Modern 90bhp turbo diesel will leave a prius so far behind under acceleration its not even worth trying to compare the two. Americans seem to be obsessed about acceleration on motorway slip roads - go for diesel every time if you just care about merging into traffic because nothing beats the power of a modern diesel for a comparative engine class.
meme 7:51PM (10/02/2009)
Torque is just horsepower plus gearing.
Snowdog 12:04PM (10/03/2009)
"Modern 90bhp turbo diesel will leave a prius so far behind under acceleration its not even worth trying to compare the two."
No. HP/Weight dictates acceleration, torque has little effect. The Prius has about 134HP max combined HP. In a similar weight vehicle you would need similar HP to beat the Prius. 90HP wouldn't cut it.
For example the 140HP Jetta TDI does pull ahead, but it has more HP than the Prius has available.
Stan Peterson 4:46PM (10/02/2009)
Its no that whether auto makers refuse to offer these in the USA, they can't. These polluting pigs would never be legal to sell here. Despite th Green socialist propaganda that never admitted the EAST bloc was an environmental cesspool, the EU Greens do likewise and accept lots of European auto Maker "campaign contribution bribes" to keep the standards negligible. In effect they talk a great show, but their clean diesels promote pollution. The EU promises that by 2016 or so, the EU 6 standards will toughen their standards to about late 1970s US standards. BFD!
The CARB reports that virtually all new car models in California are achieving way below LEV II,ULEV II , the vast majority are below SULEV II. That is equivalent to federal sub-T2B2, and a simple majority are now ZERO POLLUTION VEHICLES. Each of these EU pigs produce the pollution equivalent of over 1000 cars of the genuinely clean car, types,from all including EU car makers, sold in California and the rest of the USA.
Go ahead convince me that you want to buy and drive a pollution belching pig that adds up to a 1000 cars worth of pollution.
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sato7 6:05PM (10/02/2009)
I guess its alright then to have a hemi powered cherokee to go to the supermarket and a v10 2 seater for the week ends.
I have always wondered just how much horse power do we need to drive at LEGAL speeds? certainly 200, 300, 500.. are all just bragging rights between car makers and the suckers that deem those vehicles as a NEED in regular life. The funny thing is that the Miata still sells well and if compared to any american "sports" car it is anemic... yet it sells well.......
tarmacblog 7:34PM (10/02/2009)
I'd be very interested for you to provide scientific figures to back up these cars being "1000 times more polluting" than what's available on the US market...
tomW 12:07AM (10/03/2009)
lots of good comments, esp. regarding diesel emissions, different drivecycle, vehicle size and power!
Also, I'd recommend that people reconsider their 'evil car company' comments. Car companies have one goal: maximize market share and profits by selling any cars that will be profitable. Clearly they have thought about offering small diesels in the US and figured out that, after making them emission-compliant, they would not sell at appropriate volume/price to make a profit. You may think they're simply wrong...perhaps...but it's funny how professional marketing experts at ALL the car companies are ALL wrong.
Maybe you should consider how less-than $3 / gallon gasoline and lack of other incentives affect customer preferences in fuel efficiency--Economics 101 is a pretty amazing course. Instead of blaming carmakers, we should ask why our government has not enacted any laws that would improve our country's energy security--it's the government's only job to set laws that are beneficial for the country.
I wouldn't blame the car makers--their job is to be profitable or they'll go out of business. I wouldn't blame the people either--their job is to live and enjoy themselves within the bounds of the laws.
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Brent 2:59AM (10/03/2009)
I agree with you to a degree, but why can people not hold moral and environmental ethics without being forced to. That shows a little about the egocentric capitalistic ethics, waste all I can until someone says I can't. It's a joke, these people that think this way should know, 1 your cars fumes give cancer and other respitory ailments, 2 You're killing the planet we're inhabiting, as well as bringing dangerous weather which kills, and 3 why would you not choose clean over dirty when presented without any large drawbacks(beisdes unnecessary HP). The thing is, this egocentric drone go through the paces to earn monetary worth to the point they often lack idenity, they define themselves by posessions instead of personality, it's sad and it's true. All these midlife crisis(AKA childish) activities and choices should be frowned apon by the public itself, not glorified and envied. The worlds headed in the wrong direction, as population grows, it should be the opposite, you should see how small you are in the scheme of things and live toward them, not you the spec in the mix. The egocentric ecocide needs to be put on its back. The government shouldn't have to tell you not to kill, not to steal, not to pollute, they should be herding mindless beasts, to those of you who need to be herded, do you really feel like fitting the role and term of mindless beasts?
mcclanahoochie 12:08PM (10/03/2009)
Some people buy a certain car just because a more preferred alternative is not offered (in the US), so it becomes the best available to the buyer, but not the preferred choice.
Snowdog 11:48AM (10/03/2009)
I wonder how many people complaining about the lack of such cars are already driving a Toyota Yaris? Since half the cars on the list are as small or SMALLER than a Yaris.
Next up are VW Golf size cars with about 100HP which would make them slower than just about everything else on our roads. HP directly maps to performance, torque doesn't.
There might be room for one of these cars on our market. The best bet is probably VW importing the Polo to actually have a price competetive diesel. Also VW at least knows how to meet our emissions without Urea. Even this proposition is iffy. The Polo would probably be $3K more than a comparable Fit/Yaris. Is it worth $3K to save $200 a year on fuel?
Bottom line though, these omissions are nothing to complain about, the market doesn't exist here for that many micro cars.
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tommytoyz 2:55PM (10/03/2009)
I think here that the posters are making comments about low HP and torque without first hand experience. I live in the California but I drive my brother's Golf with 60HP in Germany. Let em tell you...........you would never guess it only has 70HP unless you really want to pass on the Autobahn. As for merging, where is the traffic faster, Autobahn or Freeway? Before poopooing low hp cars, I suggest people first drive one. You will be amazed that you do not even miss the top range of the HP unless you stomp on it fully for at least 5 seconds or more. Anything below that power demand and it's exactly as my compact Honda here with 145HP.
And the statement that HP maps to performance is just silly. There is so much more to it than that. If the max power is only reached in a very narrow RPM range for instance, that will nor give good performance, where as an an engine with peak power output over a wide RPM range will accelerate the car along much quicker. The latter are Diesel characteristics. That's why Diesels seem to pull and pull from the bottom to the top, meking them feel stronger in HP terms than they really are.
Bottom line, go out and drive on of these low hp cars or Diesels before throwing them to the side of the road.
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