Gas Mileage Comparison

With current concerns about gas prices, we are all trying to compare vehicles to find the best deals in long term maintenance of fuel economy. Anyone can compare two or more vehicles side by side with a gas mileage comparison chart. Using that feature one can find that the Ford Focus and Toyota Camry are both good auto choices, but the Ford Focus does have more advantages.

The new EPA mpg on the two cars has the Ford at a combined 28mpg and the Toyota at 25mpg. However, when the average was taken on 6 Fords and 5 Toyotas, drivers reported and average of 32.7mpg for the Ford and 25.2mpg for the Toyota. That would be a significant difference for someone who does a great deal of driving.

Gas Mileage Comparison

The basic economics of fuel use is also broken down in the chart used in the side by side comparison. The Ford gets 340 miles on its 13.5 gallon tank while the Toyota gets 416 miles on its larger 18.5 gallon tank. Over the course of a year, the Toyota would cost an average of $220 more in fuel than the Ford Focus. That is based on driving a little over half of the time in the city and little less than half on the highway. If you do most of your driving on the highway, the mpg of both vehicles would be better and the savings would vary somewhat.

Another concern to watch is the impact that the car has on the environment through its emissions. This impact is called the carbon footprint on www.fueleconomy.gov. The Ford Focus has a rating of 6.6 with 3.5 being the best rating available. The Toyota Camry has a rating of 7.3 as its carbon footprint.

Of course the size of the two cars plays a major role in all of these factors. The Ford Focus is considered a compact car with only a 2 liter engine while the Toyota Camry is a mid-sized car with a 2.4 liter engine. A bigger engine offers more power but in turn uses more fuel and creates more emission. Given the extra space that a family might need, the small differences in the cost to operate the Toyota Camry might be worth it.

Other available options are vehicles that are hybrids, meaning they use electricity part of the time and gasoline part of the time. Finding an affordable vehicle with decent gas mileage is a must for most of us now days, but using a gas mileage comparison chart can take out the guessing and the leg work involved when shopping for a new car. Do your homework before leaving the house so that you dont get trapped by the looks or other conveniences offered instead of focusing on the long term impact that the gas mileage might have on you finances.