Strategies for Smart Car Buyers

(The smart fortwo and Ford Focus compete in the "Gas Sipper's Smackdown.")

For the past two days I've been driving. A lot.

We took four cars and selected three different driving routes to see which would win the "Gas Sipper's Smackdown."

Battling for the title was our flyweight 2008 smart fortwo,  our 2005 VW Jetta TDI, a 2008 Toyota Prius and our 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe.

We drove from Los Angeles, through Death Valley and into Las Vegas to see which got the best gas mileage while cruising the backroads. Then we did a 131-mile city loop in Las Vegas which was absolutely gruelling. Then we did a highway-speed run back into LA.

Four cars, three different driving conditions. Which one took first in the Smackdown? The numbers are being crunched as I write this. But I can tell you, it's not who you think. And, while one of the cars lost in every category, it fought bravely and did better than we ever expected.

While I was in Las Vegas I read the Wall Street Journal because it appeared at my hotel room door. I read this interview with Chevron boss David O'Reilly. One exchange about gas prices was as follows:

Mr. O’Reilly: I can’t predict what the price is going to be. You would have to tell me what the economic situation in the world is going to be a year from now. I don’t think it is going to get back to those relatively low levels we experienced in the late ’90s and early 2000s.
WSJ: Ever?
Mr. O’Reilly: No.

I couldn't help but think of those words as I cruised around Las Vegas looking for a way to stretch an extra mile from every drop of gas.

Stay tuned for "Smackdown" results!