Even though the national average price of a gallon of gas in the U.S. has slowly hiked for the last 10 years, thirsty powerplants aren't enough to put off most American drivers in the market for a new vehicle.
However, the more cost-conscious motorist will most certainly be interested in finding out the truth behind the hit-or-miss EPA rating system used nowadays by car manufacturers with operations in the United States.
According to Consumer Reports' latest data, some of the most popular models sold in the U.S. are also ranked as the worst gas guzzlers out there. We don't want to sugarcoat things, so here are the results.
Three very different models fill the bill for worst fuel economy in their respective segments: the Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible, BMW 750Li and Chrysler's 300C. City economy ranges from 11 mpg for the Camaro to 12 mpg for the other two, while highway economy figures won't pass the 29 mpg mark. All three aforementioned models recorded an average of 17-18 miles per gallon on the combined driving cycle.
When it comes to SUVs and minivans, things get dramatically worse. Specifically, the "Oh my God, is this tank the size of a pipette or why did I ran out of fuel an hour after I just filled 'er up?" kind of worse. With city economy ranging from 8 mpg to 11 mpg and highway figures topping at 27 mpg, the culprits are: the Lincoln Navigator Ultimate, Ford Expedition EL, Nissan Armada, Cadillac Escalade and Chrysler's Town & Country Touring-L.
Last but not least, the small vehicle segment has a very unexpected contender for worst gas guzzler of them all. Compared to its peers, the Scion xB swallows gasoline in very big gulps similarly to how an unemployed alcoholic bum drinks a bottle of Wild Turkey bourbon wrapped in a brown paper bag. City economy sits at 16 mpg and you should consider yourself lucky to get over 30 mpg when driving on the highway.
Scroll down and press play for more valuable consumer information on your next four-wheel purchase.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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