The biggest gas guzzlers on the road

AP

For those who can afford a Bugatti Veyron, gas prices are not a concern.

By Douglas A. McIntyre & Thomas Frohlich, 24/7 Wall St.

As the average price of a gallon of regular gas varies between $3.50 and $4 nationwide, fuel efficiency remains prized among the new cars most people buy. But some drivers are too rich to care about gas costs, or need or choose to drive cars or trucks that are big and heavy. As a result, the least fuel-efficient cars fall into two categories -- ultra high-end luxury cars, and large vans and SUVs.

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Cars with high gas mileage like the Toyota Camry, Corolla and Prius and the Honda Civic, Accord and CR-V remain at the top of the best-selling cars in America list every month. With small four-cylinder engines, most of these vehicles get an average of 30 mpg or better.

At the other end of the spectrum are some sports cars that get 14 mpg or less. These sports cars have one other thing in common. They have price tags of more than $100,000, and in some cases $2 million. Each has eight-cylinder engines, or more, and often those engines are turbo-charged to create more horsepower. They are toys for the rich, and what their owners pay for gas is a tiny fraction of what they paid for the vehicle itself.

The second category of gas guzzlers are big trucks used for hauling people or freight. With a weight of nearly three tons -- and that is before they are loaded -- their engines need to be large.

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Based on data provided by the U.S. Department of Energy on fuel efficiency for all cars and light trucks, 24/7 Wall St. identified the least fuel-efficient vehicles in America. Average mpg is based on a combination of city and highway driving. For each of the 10 least fuel-efficient cars, we considered fuel efficiency, engine type and the cost of fuel over the course of a year, as well as the cost of the vehicle. Research firm Edmunds or the vehicle manufacturers themselves provided car prices. The annual cost of fuel is based on 45 percent highway, 55 percent city driving, 15,000 annual miles and current fuel prices. Those fuel prices are, of course, rising daily.

These are the least fuel-efficient cars in America.

1. 2013 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse

• MPG:?10
• Engine type:?gasoline
• Car type:?all-wheel drive, two-seater
• Fuel cost per year:?$6,000
• Sticker price/base model:?$2.14 million (estimate)

Although the latest version of the 2013 Bugatti Veyron will be available to the public, it exemplifies an exclusive class of cars designed primarily to break world records and build prestige for its manufacturer. Only two of these cars have been registered since 2008. The new Veyron was introduced at the 2012 Geneva auto show and was rated with 1,184 horsepower, 1,106 lb-ft of torque and a top speed of 258 mph, making it the world?s fastest road car on the market. New technology has provided enhanced aerodynamics, lighter-weight materials and better handling, making it clear that the engineers have prioritized these attributes at the expense of fuel efficiency.

2. 2013 Chevrolet Express 2500

• MPG:?12
• Engine type:?gasoline
• Car type:?two-wheel drive, cargo van
• Fuel cost per year:?$4,650
• Sticker price/base model:?$29,835

With an impressive 204 cubic feet of cargo space, the Express is one of the few cargo vans available on the market today. The Express gets 10 mpg in the city, and 15 mpg on the highway. At these rates, driving 15,000 miles annually at current gas prices mean owners will spend about $4,650 on gas per year. Perhaps due to its relatively low price and industry-oriented design, 114,112 Express vans have been registered since 2008, by far the highest on this list. Unlike the Veyron, the Chevrolet Express made the list for its gargantuan size -- it is a work truck, not a sexy sports car. In terms of fuel efficiency, the results are the same.

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3. 2013 GMC K2500 Yukon XL

• MPG:?12
• Engine type:?gasoline
• Car type:?four-wheel drive, SUV
• Fuel cost per year:?$4,650
• Sticker price/base model:?$45,395

The Yukon is another good example of a car for which fuel efficiency is sacrificed for power and size. The Yukon XL has a maximum payload of up to 2,400 pounds and a conventional trailer towing capacity of up to 9,600 pounds. GMC is confident that drivers of this vehicle will be able to take large quantities of virtually anything with them on their travels. On the other hand, ConsumerReports.org gave the Yukon a poor rating for the owner-costs category, which measured depreciation, interest, sales tax, insurance, fuel, maintenance and repair costs to determine the expense of the vehicle over a five-year period. Attempting to preserve hauling power against Americans? growing demand for fuel economy, GMC has worked hard to promote the Yukon?s advanced fuel management technology. One function, for example, deactivates four of the eight cylinders when maximum torque is unnecessary, increasing efficiency. The small print, however, reveals that this modest effort to mitigate wastefulness is only present in the Yukon XL half-ton.

4. 2013 Chevrolet C2500 Suburban

• MPG:?12
• Engine type:?gasoline
• Car type:?two-wheel drive, SUV
• Fuel cost per year:?$4,650
• Sticker price/base model:?$44,155

In 2012, the Suburban was ranked as the number one affordable large SUV by?U.S. News & World Report,?which reflects its popularity for consumers who are interested in transporting multiple large families, hockey teams, and hauling virtually anything across rugged terrain. SUV customers for whom the next largest vehicle -- the Chevy Tahoe -- is inadequate can expect 30 more cubic feet in cargo space and 20 inches more length with the Suburban. In the past four years, 12,638 Suburbans were registered, nearly 11,000 more than the GMC Yukon XL, one of its competitors. In spite of scoring very good in terms of owner satisfaction, ConsumerReports.org scored the Suburban poorly for owner costs. The downside, of course, is its fuel economy. In the city, the Suburban will only get 10 mpg. Based on the combined fuel efficiency of 12 mpg, 2.1 gallons of fuel will disappear after only 25 miles and would cost about $7.25. The EPA estimates that a full tank of gas will last 281 miles. Suburban drivers should budget accordingly.

5. 2013 Mercedes-Benz G-550

• MPG:?13
• Engine type:?gasoline
• Car type:?all-wheel drive, SUV
• Fuel cost per year:?$4,600
• Sticker price/base model:?$113,000

The Mercedes-Benz G-550 was first conceived in 1979, and originally designed for military use. Today, it represents Mercedes?s fusing of off-road versatility with the luxury style that the company is known for. According to an?Edmunds Review,the G-class is attractive for its massive power, luxurious interior and tanklike presence. On the other hand, its unwieldy handling, limited front leg room, very tall roofline and abysmal fuel economy limit this vehicle to a relatively small group of consumers. The fact that Mercedes offers heavy-duty armor plating as a special option confirms our suspicion that the G-550 SUV does not really make sense for the average consumer. Rather, this vehicle probably will attract consumers with disposable incomes and preferences for relatively safe, high-end luxury SUVs. The cost, however, is fuel economy that does not get much worse.

Click here to read the rest of 24/7 Wall St.'s?The biggest gas guzzlers on the road

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Source: http://bottomline.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/09/13707656-the-biggest-gas-guzzlers-on-the-road?lite

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