Meet the fuel-miser champs

COURTESY OF FORD MOTOR CO.

Ford Escape Hybrid.

Jil McIntosh

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Along with the Car of the Year awards, the Canadian International AutoShow is the showcase for the 2010 ecoENERGY Vehicle Awards, named by Natural Resources Canada. These are the vehicles judged as the most fuel-efficient in each class, based on estimates of how much fuel they can be expected to burn in a year.

Winners were honoured Thursday for each of the 10 vehicle classes that ecoENERGY covers:

Two-seater: Smart Fortwo.

Subcompact: Toyota Yaris.

Compact: Honda Civic Hybrid.

Mid-size: Toyota Prius.

Full-size: Hyundai Sonata.

Station wagon: Audi A3 TDI, Volkswagen Golf TDI Clean Diesel (tie).

Pickup truck: Ford Ranger and Mazda B2300 (co-winner – same vehicle sold under two brands).

Special purpose: Ford Escape Hybrid.

Minivan: Mazda5.

Large van: Chevrolet Express Cargo and GMC Savana Cargo.

Cars and light trucks account for about 12 per cent of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions, according to Peter Kent, the Minister of State of Foreign Affairs who was on hand for the awards. By driving more fuel-efficient vehicles, he says, Canadians can reduce these emissions. The government's goal is for a reduction of 17 per cent from the 2005 levels by 2020.

The Canadian government has also started working more closely with the U.S. to harmonize standards. "We drive on their roads, and they drive on ours," Kent says. (Of course, that will probably mean we'll be meeting U.S. standards, since we're a relatively minor player in terms of sales.)

Unlike the Canadian Car and Utility Vehicle of the Year awards, which are restricted to all-new or substantially redesigned models, the ecoENERGY trophies are up for grabs for any vehicle sold in Canada. Several of this year's winners have been up on the podium many times before.

Each vehicle's fuel economy is measured in a lab using a standardized test procedure while the vehicle is run on a dynamometer (all-wheel or four-wheel-drive models are tested in two-wheel, and then adjusted for the system's extra weight and engine load).

Two tests are done: the simulated city test runs 12 kilometres, at an average speed of 32 km/h, while the simulated highway test covers 16 km, at an average 77 km/h. That's not a lot of driving, and that's why it's important to consider Transport Canada's numbers as a comparison guide, rather than a guarantee of what you'll get when you drive in real-world conditions.

To determine the ecoENERGY winners, fuel consumption is averaged for 20,000 km, with 55 per cent highway driving, 45 per cent city. The car with the best number is declared the champion.

To see the published fuel economy ratings for all cars and light-duty trucks sold in Canada, visit www. tinyurl.com/transportcanada.

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