Which vehicles can provide you with savings on the used car market? Everyone is looking to save money but buying a new car with better mileage is not always the best option. If you were lucky enough to catch a Honda Insight from 2000-2006 you would have one of the most efficient vehicles on the road. Even though the car is a two seater, it makes a great commuter car. Most people commute solo, so this might be OK. Pros: 70(highway)/61(city)gas mileage, aerodynamic design, Honda quality as a used vehicle. Cons: Small dimensions, some models have no A/C, "low resistance" tire replacement cost, battery pack replacement a possibility. The small Echo (2000-2005) never really caught on in the US market and that is a shame as it is an inexpensive fuel sipper. With Toyota quality and many examples going for over 200k miles, this can be an great commuter car or for a broke college student on a budget.
Pros: 41(highway), low cost of ownership, good resale value. Cons: Small dimensions, not a lot of creature comforts, used examples may be hard to find, center mounted speedometer and gauges. The popular Prius has all but kick started a new fuel sipping mania in the US. Look for the model after it was redesigned in 2004. With gas prices running up all over the country in a short period of time. The car has a lot going for it such as a roomy interior and Toyota dependability. The space age looks though may turn some people off, but the incredible city MPG is hard to ignore. Pros: 48(city), 45(highway), incredible resale value, roomier than most fuel sippers. Cons: Funky styling not for all, not sporty even with touring suspension, reports of issues around 100k miles. For those looking for a shot of expresso while saving a the pump, the Jetta may fit the bill. Look for models redesigned after 2006. The Jetta TDI is the sole diesel in the high miles, used category. Equipped with a standard 2.0-liter, I4, 140-horsepower diesel engine it achieves an exceptional 41mpg on the highway.
The redesigned Jetta's ride is softer, which might displease fans of the firmer 2018 but will likely please a lot of compact sedan shoppers. Still, it can rival the handling of the regular Civic sedan, and both can dance around the 2019 Toyota Corolla. Overall, the Jetta is peppy around town, with 184 pounds-feet of peak torque coming at just 1,400 rpm. It鈥檚 also fun on backroads and more confident than I expected in highway situations, though the limitations of the small turbo engine are much more apparent during highway passing and with cruise control response. Reponse is best in the Sport driving mode that comes with higher trim levels. Driving modes alter throttle and transmission settings and adaptive cruise control response, as well as (in the Eco mode included on all Jettas) climate system operation. Sport is not very aggressive; I treated it as my go-to mode on models that had it. By contrast, Eco dulls things to the point where you can鈥檛 see why anyone would use it except for EPA mileage testing.
While the 2019 Jetta gets new low-rolling-resistance tires to improve mileage, they didn鈥檛 seem to sacrifice much in cornering and grip until taken to limits few compact sedan buyers are likely to approach. The new Jetta鈥檚 EPA rating rose to 30/39/34 mpg city/highway/combined for automatic-equipped versions, up from the 28/38/32 mpg of the best-rated 2018 automatic version. Mileage is now more competitive with rivals such as the 2019 Civic, rated 32/42/36 mpg (with the available turbo 1.5-liter engine and continuously variable automatic transmission) and the 2019 Corolla (28/36/32 mpg with CVT). Modifications VW used to squeeze out the extra mileage, beyond the new automatic and tires, include a standard engine stop-start system (thankfully with an on-off switch that lets you decide if you want to use it). The 2019 Jetta does not yet have crash-test ratings; when available, they鈥檒l replace the 2018 results here. Improvements on the tech front go beyond infotainment to new and more widely available driver assistance and safety systems. 450 option on the base model. A longer list of features for the SEL and SEL Premium includes adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, high-beam assist, lane departure warning and lane keep assist.
