The Top 10 in Gas Mileage

The top 10 list of vehicles with the best gas mileage are dominated by hybrids and diesel engines.  To increase your gas mileage, the best cars for getting the best gas mileage tend to be smaller, but not necessarily so.  Hybrid or diesel engines tend to offset the need to decrease weight, just look at the Ford Escape Hybrid, which shows up ninth on the list.

			MPG
Ranking	Category	Vehicle	City	Highway	Combined
1	Family Sedan	Toyota Prius 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	51	48	50
2	Small Car	Honda Insight 4 cyl, 1.3 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	40	43	41
3	Family Sedan	Ford Fusion Hybrid FWD 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	41	36	39
3	Family Sedan	Mercury Milan Hybrid FWD 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	41	36	39
4	Small Car	Chevrolet Cobalt XFE Coupe 4 cyl, 2.2 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular	35	37	36
5	Small Car	Volkswagen Jetta 4 cyl, 2 L, Automatic (S6), Diesel	30	42	35
5	Hatchback	Volkswagen Golf 4 cyl, 2 L, Automatic (S6), Diesel	30	42	35
5	Hatchback	Volkswagen Jetta 4 cyl, 2 L, Automatic (S6), Diesel	30	42	35
5	Station Wagons	Audi A3 4 cyl, 2 L, Automatic (S6), Diesel	30	42	35
5	Station Wagons	Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen 4 cyl, 2 L, Automatic (S6), Diesel	30	42	35
6	Small Car	Volkswagen Jetta 4 cyl, 2 L, Manual 6-spd, Diesel	30	41	35
6	Hatchback	Volkswagen Golf 4 cyl, 2 L, Manual 6-spd, Diesel	30	41	35
6	Hatchback	Volkswagen Jetta 4 cyl, 2 L, Manual 6-spd, Diesel	30	41	35
6	Station Wagons	Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen 4 cyl, 2 L, Manual 6-spd, Diesel	30	41	35
7	Upscale Sedan	Lexus HS 250h 4 cyl, 2.4 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	35	34	35
8	Family Sedan	Toyota Camry Hybrid 4 cyl, 2.4 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Hybrid, Regular	33	34	33
9	SUV	Ford Escape Hybrid FWD 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	34	31	33
9	SUV	Mazda Tribute Hybrid 2WD 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	34	31	33
9	SUV	Mercury Mariner Hybrid FWD 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	34	31	33
10	Small Car	Toyota Yaris 4 cyl, 1.5 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular	29	36	32
10	Hatchback	Toyota Yaris 4 cyl, 1.5 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular	29	36	32

Diesel fuel has its drawbacks, of course, but so do hybrids. Mostly the issues these days come down to cost, given the nature of 'clean' diesels. Which is why the combination of hybrid and diesel, while it would get very high in gas mileage, is usually considered too costly for mass production.