Can these cars really get 40 MPG?

Volkswagen Passat / Volkswagen of America

(MoneyWatch) Automakers seem certain that there is marketing magic in gas mileage of 40 MPG, touting it constantly in TV ads. But can the cars with a 40 MPG rating by the EPA for highway driving really hit that benchmark?

Two publications, Motor Trend and Edmunds.com, set out to test that proposition this month. Each one tested six gas and diesel cars (no hybrids) with minimal overlap. But they did agree on one conclusion: Volkswagen diesels can meet and exceed 40 MPG in highway driving.

Edmunds, which tested a mix of compacts, subcompacts and one mid-size sedan, was quick to point out that whether a car hit the 40 MPG mark or merely came close didn't make a huge difference to real-world drivers. "Whether a car achieves 35 MPG or that all-hallowed 40 MPG, the difference won't have as much impact on your wallet as you might expect," says James Riswick, Edmunds automobile editor. "Any one of these vehicles would be a tremendous fuel efficiency upgrade if what you are trading in is a 20 MPG gas guzzler." The difference between the winning midsize 45 MPG Volkswagen Passat TDI diesel and the last-place, 37 MPG Chevrolet Sonic turbo would be $194 in annual fuel costs for a typical driver, according to Edmunds' calculations.

In addition to the Volkswagen diesel, the Mazda 3i (42.5 MPG) and the Ford Focus SFE (41.4) topped 40 MPG in highway driving. In a portion of the test driven only on interstate highway -- more mileage friendly than the approximated route in the EPA testing -- the VW Passat diesel registered a startling 51.7 MPG. The Edmunds testers drove the route again just to double-check it.

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Over at Motor Trend, a Volkswagen diesel -- in this case the smaller Jetta TDI -- also topped the mileage derby with an average 41.6 MPG. The other 40-plus entrant among the compacts tested was the Chevrolet Cruze Eco, averaging 40.4. The Eco is a special, more expensive version of the Cruze with a wide range of tech tweaking to improve the mileage.

Mazda 3

/ Mazda

Like all auto enthusiast magazines, the staffers at Motor Trend care a lot about drivability -- especially how a car accelerates and handles if you drive it hard. To that end, they ranked their test cars by which ones they would most like to own and drive. The Jetta TDI finished third and the Chevy Cruze Eco second. The winner was the Mazda 3. Its 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine with the company's new SkyActiv technology averaged 38.4 MPG in highway driving. But mostly the testers just loved to drive it. "Great-handling car with quick steering and very good feedback," said one of them.

The Mazda 3 has been getting a lot of love recently. It also made Kelley Blue Book's list of coolest cars for under $18,000, starting at $14,766.

Having an achievable 40 MPG rating is a good recommendation for any new car. But as these publications point out, typical car owners will be driving mostly in a mix of city and suburban settings. So you need to check out the combined mileage ratings, lower than 40 MPG for all these vehicles, at the government web site fueleconomy.gov.

[FerdFerkle]

I think MPG highway is not as important than urban commutes to and from work in stop & go traffic. They never tell you about those MPG's. More people drive that way than highway.

[MattBear24]

You're correct. Thats why I drive the best of them all. 84 Diesel Rabbit. 43mpg CITY. - and thats after sitting IDLE in a garage for 11 years. Sure its no racecar, but it handles better than a new car, its lighter and cheaper to insure and run. and It was built WELL, not shoddily like new cars.

[RosieWho48]

2002 VW Golf TDI - 50 mpg on the highway
In the 60's, I had a Renault, then a VW Beetle, but then gas was so cheap I was never interested in checking the mileage. :-}

[ameliarad]

My first car was a 1970 VW bug. I got a library book on tweeking bugs and it suggested using "hotter" spark plugs. Sure enough, I got 45 MPG with the 1.6 liter bug engine! I now drive an 08 Toyota Yaris 2dr hatchback and get exactly 40 MPG on the hwy. (I should see if "hotter" plugs would increase it!) I don't know why those tiny "Smart" cars only get about 32?

[thefatcat2]

I have a 2012 Honda Civic Sedan. I just come back from a trip.
Going in the Day time I averaged 44 MPG.
Coming Back at night I averaged 41 MPG.
You would think Day/Night would be just the opposite.

[Yes_ABWH_Fan]

I hate it when these reviews leave out specifics, e.g., driving in flat, warm Southern U.S. is not the same as driving in cool hilly Pa.
I have a 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer that, tank-to-tank, ALWAYS averages over 36 mpg in hilly Pa, I usually get over 40 on trips, and once down south, I got 44 mpg on 3 consecutive tanks. Winter kills mileage by about 2-3 MPG, as does running A/C.
The Evo version of this car was the fastest production car of 2004, and my stock version is none-too-shabby off the line either.
Mitsubishi's MiVec engine is the most powerful, efficient, and trouble-free ever made, IMO.

[Ulgnud]

Had a 1984 Diesel Rabbit. No problem going over 40 MPG.

[tryingtodogoodwork]

It's insane we're not all driving plug-ins.

[Ulgnud]

Typical short sighted view. Where do you plug it in on long trips or when the battery goes flat unexpectedly?

[enlightenu]

Where do you think all the electricity comes from? If you live near a coal fired plant, you'd be insane to drive a plug-in.

[nohater]

more concerned about whether the vehicle can take a rear ender, head on collision, or being t-boned at an intersection and all at varying speeds. i care about driver and passenger safety then mpg. every accident seen involving small cars, the car looks like a pile of plastic and metal. it seems if they catch fire they burn quickly and wonder if it's due to plastics.

[sucori]

the Corola is extrordinary in both the gas mileage, and the great ride it provides on the low end of the car market. I'm skeptical as to claims of 40 gallons per mile on the hwy. I get consistently between 35-36 mpg on a 2009 Corolla on the hwy which convinced me it's the best car on the lower cost end of th e market. We have an even more phenom Prius but it does costs a good bit more. I was surprised by the roominess of the back seat in both.

[enlightenu]

When you break about 40,000 miles in the Corrolla, the mpg will improve.

[Hverhoog]

Excuse me but, why is this "news"? Don't European cars get up to 52 mpg for quite some time now? And haven't Japanese been hitting these numbers since the late 1990's?

[sjc_1]

Japanese, Europeans and the U.S. have different methods for measuring mileage. Small diesels can get 40 mpg easily on the highway and hybrids can around town. If gasoline continues to go up and down around $4 per gallon people will think about mileage.