New-car profiles
For our complete test results on over 200 new vehicles, Subscribe now.
June 2008
send to a friend printable version
Fuel economy vs. performance
You don't always have to give up engine performance in return for good fuel economy. To prove this, Consumer Reports compiled this list of vehicles that provided the best combination of fuel economy and acceleration in our tests. Vehicles are ranked within each category based on the overall miles per gallon (mpg) and 0-to-60-mph acceleration times they achieved in our tests. Both were weighted equally.

BEST FUEL ECONOMY & ACCELERATION BY CATEGORY
BASED ON CR TESTS

Make & model Fuel Economy overall mpg Acceleration 0-60 mph (sec.)
BUDGET CARS Overall mpg = 32 or higher; 0-60 mph = 12.5 or less
Toyota Yaris (base, MT) 34 9.3
Honda Fit Sport (MT) 34 9.9
Toyota Yaris (base) 33 11.4
Honda Fit (base) 32 12.4
SMALL CARS Overall mpg = 30 or higher; 0-60 mph = 12.0 or less
Honda Civic Hybrid 37 11.7
Toyota Corolla LE 32 9.9
Honda Civic EX (MT) 31 8.6
Mazda3i (MT) 30 8.6
SPORTY CARS/ROADSTERS Overall mpg = 25 or higher; 0-60 mph = 7.5 or less
Mini Cooper S 30 7.2
Lotus Elise 29 4.6
Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring 27 6.7
Honda Civic Si 27 7.0
BMW Z4 3.0i 26 6.0
Scion tC (TRD) 26 7.2
Honda S2000 25 5.8
Volkswagen GTI 25 6.7
FAMILY CARS Overall mpg = 24 or higher; 0-60 mph = 10.5 or less
Toyota Prius Base 44 10.5
Toyota Prius Touring 42 10.6
Toyota Camry Hybrid 34 8.5
Nissan Altima Hybrid 32 7.6
Nissan Altima 2.5 S 25 8.1
Volkswagen Passat 2.0T 24 7.7
Toyota Camry LE (4-cyl.) 24 9.6
UPSCALE/LUXURY CARS Overall mpg = 23 or higher; 0-60 mph = 9.5 or less
Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec 29 8.0
Lexus IS250 24 7.7
Lexus GS450h 23 5.9
Lexus ES350 23 6.4
Acura TL 23 6.7
BMW 328i 23 6.9
Saab 9-3 2.0T 23 8.0
Audi A4 2.0T 23 8.3
SMALL SUVS Overall mpg = 20 or higher; 0-60 mph = 11.0 or less
Toyota RAV4 (base, 4-cyl.) 23 9.8
Toyota RAV4 Limited (V6) 22 6.7
Nissan Rogue SL 22 8.9
Jeep Compass Sport 22 10.1
Honda Element EX 21 10.4
Honda CR-V EX 21 10.6
Jeep Patriot Limited 20 10.8
MIDSIZED SUVS Overall mpg = 18 or higher; 0-60 mph = 9.5 or less
Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited 24 8.2
Lexus RX400h (Hybrid) 23 7.4
Lexus RX350 19 7.3
BMW X3 3.0si 19 7.9
Acura RDX 18 7.4
Infiniti FX35 18 7.4
Toyota Highlander Limited 18 8.0
Mazda CX-7 Grand Touring 18 9.1
LARGE SUVS Overall mpg = 14 or higher; 0-60 mph = 10.0 or less
Saturn Outlook XR 16 8.8
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class GL450 15 7.4
Chevrolet Tahoe LT 14 9.0
Chevrolet Suburban LT3 14 9.1
MINIVANS Overall mpg = 19 or higher; 0-60 mph = 9.0 or less
Toyota Sienna XLE (FWD) 19 7.8
Honda Odyssey EX 19 8.6
PICKUP TRUCKS Overall mpg = 15 or higher; 0-60 mph = 10.0 or less
Toyota Tacoma (base, V6) 17 7.6
Chevrolet Colorado LS 16 9.6
Toyota Tundra SR5 (5.7, V8) 15 6.7
Nissan Frontier LE 15 7.9
Honda Ridgeline RTS 15 8.6
WAGONS/HATCHBACKS Overall mpg = 23 or higher; 0-60 mph = 11.0 or less
Scion xD 29 9.7
Mini Cooper Clubman 29 10.5
Toyota Matrix S 27 8.3
Audi A3 2.0T (FWD) 25 7.3
Mazda3 s Grand Touring 25 9.5
Saturn Astra XE 25 11.0
Volkswagen Rabbit S 24 8.5
Dodge Caliber SXT 24 10.5
Chevrolet HHR LT 23 9.2
Scion xB 23 9.4
Subaru Impreza Outback Sport 23 9.8
Mazda5 Touring 23 10.3