Edmunds list of the 10 most fuel efficient cars for 2004 includes:
Volkswagen Golf TDI ? 38/46
Volkswagen Jetta TDI ? 38/46
Volkswagen New Beetle TDI ? 38/46
These cars stand out on the list as they are the top non-hybrid cars when rated by miles per gallon. But don’t try and buy these models in California as they are diesels and cannot be sold in California. I used to own 2 different diesel cars and I miss the 50 miles per gallon that my old Ford Escort diesel would get on the freeway. With gas at $2 a gallon today I look forward to the following change:
EPA has regulated highway diesel fuel quality since 1993. As part of the Clean Diesel Trucks and Buses program, EPA reduced the level of sulfur in highway diesel fuel by 97 percent starting in 2006. Likewise, the Clean Air Nonroad Diesel Rule includes new fuel requirements that will decrease the allowable levels of sulfur in fuel used in nonroad diesel engines, locomotives, and marine vessels by 99 percent. Lowering sulfur in diesel fuel makes it possible for engine manufacturers to use advanced clean technologies which can be damaged by sulfur, just as lead was phased out of gasoline to prevent damage to catalytic converters. In addition, reducing sulfur levels will provide immediate public health benefits by reducing particulate matter from engines in the existing fleets of highway trucks and buses, nonroad equipment, locomotives, and marine diesel engines.
