Amy Howell of The Enquirer takes a closer look at suggestions for improving mileage and drivability, in light of fuel prices recently hitting $3.25.
Before we all chime in about the ridiculously low price that they've recently increased to, consider that a year ago gas was only $2.63. Take a break if you need it to boggle at the unbelievable price, but don't forget that this means an increase of roughly sixty cents per gallon in the past year, roughly the same amount as around here in Southern California.
Okay. According to Howell, suggestions that seem to be the most common sense, like keeping tires properly inflated and making sure to tune up your car, are backed up here with empirical evidence; the former will improve fuel efficiency by 3.3 percent and the latter by as much as 40 percent for larger fixes.
Avoiding idling in your driveway and carpooling are two other no-brainers, easy enough to implement with a minimal amount of effort.
Some of tips under contention include A/C versus opening your windows, filling your tank when the temperature is cooler, and buying premium gas - none of them showed a clear benefit when measured against a control.
Personally, my favorite part of this article aren't necessarily the tips - it's the sidebar that lists the best and worst mileage vehicles. The Toyota Prius isn't a surprise as the best overall, but it is rather fun to see an unhealthy amount of exotics listed at the bottom of the barrel for fuel efficiency. The worst: Lamborghini Murcielago (manual) at a measly 8 mpg city and 13 mpg highway.
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