If put to a real-world test, which of these cars would get the best fuel mileage? That's the question we intended to answer with our test of a 2008 Ford Focus, 2005 (certified used) Volkswagen Jetta TDI, 2008 Toyota Prius and 2008 Smart Fourtwo.

So we ran each of them through an identical test loop of close to 1,000 miles. The loop included everything from highway travel and constant speeds to stop-and-go driving in one of the most congested towns on the planet (not L.A.) to medium speeds on deserted two-lanes. When you put a diesel (Jetta) up against a hybrid (Prius) up against a traditional economy car (Focus) up against a...a -- well, whatever the Smart car is -- what do you get in terms of fuel mileage and fuel costs?

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With a 35 mpg standard by 2020 staring automakers in the face it seems unlikely SUVs will survive the coming CAFE spike, right?

Maybe not. First, as I noted in my blog post last December, that 35 mpg CAFE rating doesn't really equate to a 35 mpg EPA rating. You can read more about the topic in this article. Bottom line -- because of the different testing procedures between these two agencies a vehicle only needs to average about 26 mpg, by EPA testing standards, to meet the 2020 CAFE requirement.

And if you check our latest Top 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs for 2008 list, you'll see that every SUV on this list already has at least one number above 26 mpg, and the top five entries average 26 mpg or better. Yes, five of them are essentially the same car (props to Ford for being so far ahead of the game) but the Escape, and even the Escape Hybrid, have been out for years already.

And remember, these are 2008 vehicles on sale today. In 12 years how many more SUVs will be pulled up to this level? Well, I guess all the ones still on sale at that point...

In case you haven't noticed, the price of gas is a bit higher than it used to be. Actually, its ranging from 50 to 80 cents more per gallon than it was this time last year, and over the past weekend I almost couldn't cover my fuel charge with a $20 bill -- for my motorcycle! That was a bit of a wake up call.

I remember a conversation between my parents where my dad was talking about all the people who said they'd use roller skates before paying a given price for a gallon of gas. Of course, this conversation took place in 1984, and the price people were agonizing over was $1.25-a-gallon. Now we're at $4-a-gallon, and I still haven't seen any rollerskates.

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The 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a 3.0-liter V6 common-rail diesel is rated at 17/22 mpg. To be honest, I'm not overly impressed with those numbers, but on our Limited 4x4 model the diesel engine package only costs $1,655. For that money you not only get the diesel engine (215 hp/376 lb-ft torque), but you also get a larger fuel tank (22 versus 20 gallons), a stronger battery (800 amp), Dana 44 rear axle, engine block heater and additional body insulation (to shut out the engine's increased noise).

To put some meat on those numbers let's examine what "going diesel" costs you and what it gets you. At $1,655 you spend an additional 4.2 percent over the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited's MSRP of $38,555 to go diesel. But the 17/22 mileage figures with this engine are 18 percent better than the 14/19 figures you get from the standard 4.7-liter V8 (19.5 mpg average versus 16.5 mpg average). Towing capacity is also higher with the diesel than the 4.7-liter V8, at 7,400 pounds versus 6,500 pounds (that's a 13 percent increase for the math wizards out there).

So, if you drive 15,000 miles a year, and regular fuel costs 3.50 a gallon, your annual fuel bill is $3,182. If you drive those same 15,000 miles with the CRD diesel, and diesel costs $4 a gallon, your annual fuel bill is $3,076. That's almost a wash, but theoretically that $106 a year means it would take 15.6 years to pay for the diesel engine option.

Another factor to consider is refueling frequency (and associated time). If your time is money, and the diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee goes 429 miles on a tank (19.5 mpg x 22 gallons) versus 330 for the gasoline engine (16.5 x 20 gallons), then you'll be filling up approximately 10 more times a year. At 10 minutes a fill up that's 100 minutes a year. If you make somewhere between $30 and $50
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Technically, The C300 and cts replaced the G35.

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Diesel powertrains make up over 50 percent of new-car sales in Europe. On a cost-benefit ratio, diesels are more efficient and environmentally responsible (especially when you take total vehicle production and lifecycle into account) than hybrids. Modern fuel-system and exhaust-system technologies have removed much of the noise, smell, soot and pollution associated with diesel engines while giving them near gasoline-like responsiveness and performance (just ask Audi).

Basically, diesels have nearly every advantage over hybrid drivetrains, and score pretty well against traditional gasoline engines, too. I've spent the last week in our long-term Volkswagen Jetta TDI, and today I'm driving a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD (look for my specific post on that vehicle tomorrow). Both vehicles continue to validate the effectiveness of modern diesels at reducing fuel consumption and exhuast emissions while cutting our dependence on imported oil.

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This isn't exactly a new warning call. In fact, we wrote an article on "miracle fuel additives" back in September of 2005, and our own Phil Reed did a blog on the topic last year. But no matter how often I try to shoo people away from these modern day snake-oil salesmen the spam emails and flashy Web sites, always filled with outrageous claims, keep popping up. Typically they reach full crescendo around this time of year -- as the weather warms, people start planning vacations and the summer blends crank up the price of gas even higher. I can only assume the resilience of these shady characters comes from consistently making money off duping people with false promises, despite my best efforts.

My email has been clogged with a flood of these fake product promotions in recent weeks, so maybe I'm a bit more sensitive to the flow of B.S. than most of you. I always chuckle at the wording these hucksters use. The following lines are direct quotes from such an email:

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In the next 48 hours you're going to hear a lot of squawking about electric cars by various "green" groups. That's because the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is meeting on March 27th (Friday) to possibly reinstate the zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate they abandoned back in 2003.

I find this fascinating because the same justifications these groups will use to demand electric cars are the same reasons it should be clear why EVs aren't viable. People associated with Tesla Motors and the movie Who Killed the Electric Car will be on hand in Sacramento today to tow the EV line. Let's look at each group's claim.

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We just posted a fabulous story on gas saving tips. With prices inching ever higher it seemd like the perfect time to re-run the old "A/C versus non-A/C" test. Or how about the "tailgate up versus tailgate down" rumor we've all heard regarding fuel mileage?

Three of our staffers (one a former automotive engineer) ran a Lexus ES 350, Buick Enclave and Toyota Tundra along a 60-mile stretch of California's Interstate 5 in the Central Valley. This region bares a strong resemblance to Kansas -- flat and straight (with miminal scenery), meaning small changes to driving conditions can yield small (or big) changes in fuel economy -- without other factors playing a role.

Does having empty roof rails on an SUV effect mileage versus removing them completely? The answer is "yes" but leaving them up there only cost us 1 percent in fuel mileage. But strap a few pieces of luggage down on those rails and guess what happens? In our testing program gas mileage dropped 21 percent! And you thought traveling light was only smart at airports.

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There's an undeniable trend that just keeps repeating this auto show season. It started in Tokyo last October, though at that show you expect to see a bizarre combination of performance (Nissan GT-R) and environmental responsibility (Honda Puyo). But the same themes have appeared at Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago and Geneva.

You've got car companies committed to vehicles like the Dodge Challenger and and Corvette ZR-1 because they had their genesis back when fuel was $2 a gallon and the Prius was still a punchline in late night monologues. At the same time every automaker is scrambling to produce an earth-friendly, Al Gore-approved form of transportation as quickly as possible.

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Some of you may have already seen this, but an article in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal takes what seems like a very reasoned, rational look at the earth's oil supplies, recovery efficiencies and rate of consumption. Conclusion? We have enough oil to last until approximately the end of this century. And yes, that figure takes into account the rising demands for oil in developing countries.

Obviously such statements are funded by the oil companies and cleared with Dick Cheney before ever being printed, but if you can step outside your conspiracy theories for about five minutes and give this article a read you might discover some very sound evidence.

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