The ten most economical cars on sale for British drivers
One of the most noticeable aspects of driving is the ever increasing amount of money that motorists are having to pay in order to fill up with fuel at the petrol pumps. While there may be disputes between the government, the oil producers and the motorists when trying to apportion blame for the increasing forecourt prices, there is an alternate way to negate the spiralling fuel costs. Automotive firms are creating ever more economical cars for the consumer to purchase and combined with the current climate it seems a good time to examine the top ten economical cars available on the market.
With a choice of either manual or automatic steering and a remote central locking system the car offers more for the consumer than just its economical value. However the alloy wheels, air conditioning and power windows are only added as optional extras onto the vehicle.
While the car does not look like it is economical on first viewing, on closer inspection there are special panels fitted. However, for the environmentalists there is bad news; the car misses the 100g/km C02 target which means road tax must be paid on the model. Priced from £13,685, the Mlada Boleslav firm’s car is towards the lower end of the market and comes with a three cylinder engine.
The ‘Bluemotion’ in the title refers to the philosophy employed by Volkswagen which is put to use in trying to make the Volkswagen models as fuel efficient as possible whilst still listening to what their customers like when driving.
The car offers a compromise for drivers who want a less expensive version of the Ford Focus Econetic but are after just as smooth a driving experience.
Seat’s Ibiza 1.2 TDI CR Ecomotive has been described as the Ibiza’s supermini sister. Unlike it’s sister though the car is incredibly economic with its fuel lasting 80.7 miles per gallon giving out 92km/g in emissions. This means that the owners of the £13,900 motor are not required to pay tax costs because of the low emissions. The car comes with a five speed manual gearbox and can reach 60 miles per hour in 13 seconds. The hatchback comes in a variety of colours and has a softer suspension than the sportier models released by Seat.
The car comes with driver and passenger air-bags, electric windows and heated front windscreen. Electric steering is fitted and the car can reach a top speed of 107 miles per hour. It also has remote central locking fitted.
The good news about the £13,895 car is that it was one of the most economically designed family cars in the UK when it was released. In order to keep the C02 emissions below 100g/km though it has left out the spare wheel. In terms of car handling it compares very well against its competitors and unlike the Ibiza the Fiesta Economic has a split rear bench.
Always keen to embrace change and always eager to innovate, it is no surprise that Toyota have also worked on economical model when designing new cars. The firm’s Auris Hybrid T4 HSD is priced at the upper end of the market scale when relating to the economical list and it’s lenient tax levied against it demonstrates how economical the motor is. It is just one of many models which offers the motorist 74.3 miles per gallon on the Combined cycle. An advantage of the Auris is the ability to drive at up to 31 miles per hour in electric mode, which will last for 1.2 miles.
The diesel-fuelled car can reach speeds of 114 miles per hour and can race to 60 miles per hour in just over 11 seconds. Like most Minis this car makes driving an enjoyable experience and can cover 650 miles before it needs refilling at the pumps.
Volvo have made alterations to the original concept of the S40 in order to come up with the S40 DRIVe. Innovations include lowering the bodywork by a centimetre and smooth alloys. The radiator grille has also seen its appearance changed in order to improve the flow of air into the car. Due to the continual evolution of car designs it looks likely that should another list be compiled in two years time these economical cars may well be replaced with ever more smarter cars which can outperform the models which are currently seen as cutting edge. Related posts:
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