Automobile Retailers

Everybody knows that gas prices are through the roof, but many people are still unsure of what to drive to help curb the damage done at the pumps. With few people actually choosing to drive less and go with other modes of transportation, cars that save gas costs are jumping to the forefront. Very few people seem quite prepared to gear down and stop those smaller trips to the store in the car when walking would have done just fine, so Cars.com has taken a look at some of the best cars for gas mileage available today.

The list was compiled by combining each car’s basic sticker price (typically on the base model unless otherwise noted) and using a fuel cost based on its EPA-estimated gas mileage. Fuel costs assume that the car is driven 15,000 miles a year.

First on the list is the smart fourtwo, a popular model for those interested in saving gas mileage and looking cute while doing. The smart, put out by Mercedes, tops the list at Cars.com and also tops the list at many other publications, making it a consistent favourite when gas mileage is taken into account. Plus, they’re pretty fun to drive and easy to park. With deceptively sturdy crash protection, the smart is an intelligent choice.

The Toyota Yaris comes in second place. The choice of my wife and I, the Yaris is an attractive car with solid crash ratings that are equal to the smart’s ratings. The gas mileage on the Yaris is also excellent, recently rated the best out of all of the cars driven in Consumer Reports’ 2008 cars edition.

Rounding out the list in order are the Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Chevrolet Aveo5, Nissan Versa, Chevrolet Aveo, Honda Fit, Toyota Corolla, and the popular Scion xD. Ratings were based on 55% city driving and 45% highway driving. The Scion xD, as well as the other cars, were tested using regular fuel. There are different ratings for those cars using premium fuel.

For more on the list and other cars with great fuel efficiency, check out Cars.com.

With the onslaught of hybrid vehicles taking over the auto market, many people are wondering if the muscle cars of yesteryear are going to have a place on dealer lots. One conceptual artist – Jonathan Shipper – has created a display for a Chicago gallery that depicts the death of the muscle cars. And it’s quite magnificent if you ask me.

The display begins with two iconic muscle cars – a Pontiac Firebird and a Pontiac Trans Am – situated face to face several feet away from each other. The cars are on hydraulic platforms because they are slowly moving toward each other. In fact, they are only moving a few feet over the course of four days. And they’ll keep moving toward each other until they have essentially “crashed” and their fronts are mangled together.

The exhibit is meant as a way to depict the slow and inevitable destruction of one of America’s favorite types of vehicles. How many movies have you seen that featured the roar of a Pontiac Trans Am or Firebird? One of the most popular TV shows during the 1980s – Knight Rider – had a sleek black Trans Am helping the hero fight crime. We could spend hours talking about the appearance of muscle cars in popular culture.

But don’t worry. Your local Pontiac dealer still has some of today’s best muscle cars and some used ones from back in the day. And when those get phased out, you can still get a great deal on one of the latest hybrids or fuel-efficient Pontiac models. Either way, the automaker and its dealers are looking out for you!