MotorWeek TV and Cars.com Feature Fuel Economy Face-Off
Prius, Insight, Fusion, Jetta TDI, Audi A3 TDI and Smart ForTwo Put to the Test

OWINGS MILLS, Md., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- MotorWeek, television's longest running automotive series, and Cars.com, a leading online automotive shopping destination, have teamed up for the Power & Economy Drive to determine which shade of green makes the most sense for consumers. The Power & Economy Drive is featured on MotorWeek episode 2902 which begins airing on PBS Saturday, September 12 (check local listings).

"We hear a lot about fuel economy these days, but we wanted to know which cars deliver fuel efficiency without compromising power and performance" said John Davis, MotorWeek host and executive producer. "MotorWeek, and members of Cars.com's editorial staff, got behind the wheel of three hybrids, two clean turbocharged diesels and a compact car to find out what's behind the fuel economy numbers."

MotorWeek and Cars.com took six cars with the highest government fuel economy ratings to the mountains of Western Maryland for a typical weekend family outing. The gas sippers tested were the 2010 Toyota Prius, 2010 Honda Insight, 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, 2010 Audi A3 TDI, and the 2009 Smart ForTwo.

Each car was equipped with a data recorder for monitoring driving and engine performance. The cars were put through the paces, covering 500 miles of extremely challenging terrain over three days, with one car reigning supreme in terms of overall comfort, performance, handling and of course, fuel economy.

"We found the Prius, in the end, offered a really top-notch interior, a peppy ride and great mileage," said Patrick Olsen, editor-in-chief of Cars.com. "There were several close competitors, but the Prius's new look and frugal ways won us over."

The full report airs on MotorWeek episode 2902. Here are the results of the MotorWeek and Cars.com Power & Economy Drive by the numbers:

Car Type Drive mpg /EPA mpg
--- ---- --------- -------
1. 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid 49.2 /50.0
2. 2010 Honda Insight hybrid 40.5 /41.0
3. 2010 Audi A3 TDI diesel 38.2 /34.0
4. 2009 VW Jetta TDI diesel 36.2 /34.0
5. 2009 Smart ForTwo gasoline 35.3/ 36.0
6. 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid 32.9 /39.0

http://sev.prnewswire.com/auto/20090...8092009-1.html

 

New Prius tops once again ... contrary to critical belief, no midsize car that competes with the Prius can currently match it in fuel economy.

 

Fusion's showing was a bit of a bummer, but the A3 TDI is looking good! I saw one on the road with some large TDI decals on the road a few weeks back and it looks good in person

 

I'd take a 33 MPG Fusion.

 

The Fusion is a bigger car than the Prius, if I want a family sedan, the Fusion would be my choice too. If I wanted a personal fun car that gets good mileage, then the A3 is a much better choice than the prius, and dont forget, the Prius is useless in the snow.

 

Im not sure that A3 will be much more fun than the Prius, and AWD is optional on the Audi.

 

I think a tricycle is more fun than the Prius If you ever drive a A3, you will agree with me that it’s a lot of fun to drive. You can really tossed the A3 around a corner, much like the mini cooper.

 

I haven't driven the new prius, but if its in any way handles similar to the HS250, you will be surprised. The HS I drove had amazing handling.

 

Just checked the Audi website and there is no quattro available with the A3 TDI, FWD only. Are they going to be bringing it over later?

 

IMO, there's NOTHING bummer about a Fusion Hybrid. It is a superb car......one of the best I've reviewed recently, although the bright-colored circus dash-instruments are a little gaudy. Considering the Fusion's size and weight (much larger than a Prius or Insight), that's excellent mileage.

 

I'm not taking anything away from the build quality of the Fusion. I recently test drove one (I-4 SEL) and it was a solidly built car. But Ford keeps pushing the "hey we get 41 MPG" and on most of these tests they're "only" getting low/mid 30s

 

If Motorweek could get 39 MPG with a Fusion in their tests, I'm sure that a feather-foot could get 41 MPG or more. On the highway, I can often do better than the EPA figures myself.

(I know Motorweek's John Davis, BTW, but just casually; not as a close friend or anything like that. I see him at local auto shows, and we chat).

 

It's a bit difficult to see with the formatting but they got 32.9 with the EPA estimate at 39.0

 

I havent driven the HS yet but we have 2 08 Prius at work and they pretty much drive like a Corolla, so I dont expect the new one to drive much differently.

 

Really? I guess you haven't seen/read the reviews for the Gen 3 Prius over in Europe. European car mags and car shows actually *like* the handling of the new Prius, so that should tell you how much of an improvement it is over the Gen 2 in terms of being fun.

Useless in snow? Not so sure about it. The new Prius has more torque than the old model, and torque always helps in snow. I can't imagine the Prius being any more useless in snow than a typical 4 cylinder Honda. I've driven torque-less Hondas in snow, and they are quite close to useless.