According to Green Motoring at http://cars.uk.msn.com/greenmotoring/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1379476the top ten most economical cars are the: SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive at 74.3mpg followed by the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion, 74.3mpg, MINI Cooper D, 72.4mpg, Skoda Fabia Greenline 68.9mpg, MINI Clubman Cooper D, 68.9mpg, Citroen C1/Toyota Aygo 1.4 HDi, 68.9mpg, Citroen C2 1.4 HDi, 68.9mpg, Fiat 500 MultiJet, 67.3mpg, Fiat Panda 1.3 MultiJet, 65.7mpg, and the Mazda 2 TD, 65.7mpg.

This is incredible news for the automakers above, but what happened to Ford, General Motors, and Chevy? Are they still thinking big, bigger is better? Frankly, I do not see prices of gasoline coming down any time soon. That sour note is enough to make the most careful family man to think carefully about which brand name car to choose for his and his family´s next transportation purchase. I have seen some evidence that several of the American car makers are beginning to make inroads to the thinking ideology of small, or smaller. But, is it too late for them?

Let´s consider a moment the meaning of economical car.  Does that mean that the purchase price of the car is low, or economical?  Or does economical mean the maintenance cost is low, or consumption of gasoline is low?  If a  SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive at 74.3mpg is purchased, are maintenance and service facilities located within a reasonable distance, or is a drive of two or three hundred miles required to get to the shop?  I think more cars are purchased on emotion that on practical logic.  

If I were to buy an economical car I would do a lot of research first, probably beginning with web sites like the one mentioned above in addition to looking at one of the most recent publications of Consumer Reports http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/ Consumer Reports is known for its testing facilities and its unbiased reports on a large variety of products including cars.

I expect with the continuing turmoil involving countries that are major exporters of oil the concern over the cost of gasoline will continue encouraging a greater number of car buyers to think small and economical. I will be among that group.