When the ‘eco’ in EcoBoost is so low that gas-guzzler taxes apply

New Ford GTSince Ford launched its line of downsized EcoBoost engines in 2009, the "eco" part of that name has often required an asterisk. That's because some owners have found that real-world fuel economy results don't always live up to the vehicles' official EPA ratings. The phrase "you can have Eco, or you can have Boost, but you can't have both at the...

Real-world new-car fuel economy in 3-year plateau

Fuel gaugeFor nearly a decade, the average fuel economy of new cars sold in the U.S. steadily increased—but that moment has stalled in recent years. Low gas prices and increased consumer interest in SUVs has caused new-car average fuel economy to plateau and, in the case of 2016's figures, decline slightly. The average fuel economy of new cars sold in...

2017 Mitsubishi Mirage G4: gas mileage review

2017 Mitsubishi Mirage G4 SE, Catskill Mountains, NY, Nov 2016The Mitsubishi Mirage is the underdog of small cars: slow, loud, and archaic, but scrappy. And it's been a much bigger sales success than Mitsubishi expected, given the small numbers of minicars and subcompacts sold in the U.S. these days. For 2017, Mitsubishi added a four-door sedan model dubbed G4 to the existing five-door hatchback, and gave...

Fuel-economy rules not the cause of rising auto prices: analysis

Fuel gaugeLobbyists for big automakers, both domestic and foreign, make no secret about their desire for lower fuel-economy standards. One argument presented to support a lowering of standards is that the cost of compliance with current rules will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher new-car prices. Carmakers must implement efficiency-boosting...

Flurry of green-car rules as Obama administration departs

President Barack Obama sits in 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car at Detroit Auto Show, Jan 2016When it comes to regulations governing the auto industry, the Obama administration does not plan to go gentle into that good night. The outgoing administration has pushed through a number of new regulations, some related to fuel efficiency, before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month. The move is likely a hedge against the incoming...

NHTSA delays penalty rise for carmakers who miss CAFE levels

Fuel gaugeCurrent Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards require automakers to achieve a fleet average of roughly 54.5 mpg by 2025. That's actually closer to 40 mpg in the real world, as presented on new-car window stickers, but it still represents a major increase over the next few years. The auto industry has argued that it is too large an...

2017 Toyota Prius Prime: gas mileage, electric range review

2017 Toyota Prius Prime, Catskill Mountains, NY, Nov 2016The 2017 Toyota Prius Prime turned out to be a better plug-in hybrid than we had expected when we drove it around sunny Ojai, California, on the press launch in October. It's a viable competitor to the second-generation Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, though the Volt has an EPA-rated 53 miles of electric range to the Prime's 25 miles. Now we've had...