New Cars Less Fuel-Efficient

Fewer than 6% of the 2002 model cars and trucks arriving in showrooms get better than 30 miles per gallon, and new cars on average get slightly less gas mileage than the 2001 models.

America’s love affair with gas-guzzling sport-utility vehicles and pickups again held down the overall numbers for the 865 cars, trucks and vans listed in the annual fuel economy statistics released Tuesday by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Just 48 models, led by two hybrid gas- and electric-powered vehicles, get 30 mpg or better in combined city and highway driving. More than a third--330 models--get less than 20 mpg. The majority --487 models--get 20 to 30 mpg.

Overall, new passenger vehicles average about 21 mpg. Last year’s weighted average, based on sales for all new passenger cars and trucks, was 20.4 mpg--a 21-year low.

Average fuel economy for the 491 cars is 23.9 mpg, a slight decrease from 24.2 mpg in 2001. That compares with 17.9 mpg for 374 models or variations of SUVs, vans and pickup trucks, a modest increase from 17.3 in 2001.

The hybrids, Honda Motor Corp.’s two-seat Insight coupe and Toyota Motor Corp.’s five-seat Prius sedan, topped the list of fuel misers for the third straight year, at 64 mpg and 48 mpg, respectively. They are followed by four Volkswagen diesel cars, the Honda Civic HX and Toyota Echo, all 37 mpg or better.

By class, the best achievers are compact cars at 25.8 mpg, followed by small station wagons and subcompact cars at almost 25 mpg and mid-size station wagons at 23.7 mpg. Cargo and passenger vans and standard-size four-wheel drive pickup trucks are the fuel spendthrifts at 16 mpg.

King-size SUVs such as Ford Motor Co.’s Expedition and Lincoln Navigator account for 13 of the 35 vehicles on the list with the worst gas mileage, all 14 mpg or less combined.

The luxury sport import Lamborghini L-147 Murcielago is the biggest guzzler, at 10 mpg, followed by the Ferrari 360 Modena/Spider, at 12 mpg.

EPA Administrator Christie Whitman said more fuel-efficient vehicles could save owners more than $1,500 a year. An increase of just 3 mpg industrywide could reduce carbon dioxide emissions blamed for global warming by 140 million metric tons, EPA said.

But the agency reported last week that the fuel economy of new passenger vehicles is as poor as it has been in the last 20 years because auto makers are trading mileage gains for larger, more powerful vehicles.

Safety, emission and fuel economy rankings for model year 2002 vehicles are available at https://www.fueleconomy.gov, a Web site operated by the EPA and Energy Department.

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Mileage Winners and Losers

Mileage Winners and Losers

The government’s annual ranking of the 12 best and worst vehicles for fuel efficiency:

BEST MILEAGE

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Name MPG Honda Insight 64 Toyota Prius* 48 Volkswagen Jetta Wagon 45 Volkswagen Jetta 45 Volkswagen Golf 45 Volkswagen New Beetle 45 Honda Civic HX 39 Toyota Echo 37 Toyota Corolla 36 Honda Civic 36 Chevrolet Prizm 35 Mitsubishi Mirage 35

*--*

WORST MILEAGE

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Name MPG Lamborghini L-147 10 Ferrari 360 12 Bentley Azure* 13 Bentley Continental SC* 13 Bentley Continental T* 13 Rolls-Royce Corniche* 13 Bentley Continental R* 13 Bentley Arnage* 13 Bentley Arnage LWB* 13 Ford F-150* 13 Dodge Dakota* 13 Dodge Ram 1500* 13

*--*

*Automatic transmission

Sources: Reuters, Associated Press