How do I compare cars these days? (hybrids, electric, etc)?

Right now I have a 2005 Nissan Sentra SER. It is a 2.5L, 160something horsepower, 4cyl, I'm only getting 20MPG. I want a newer car, better gass mileage, but I don't want to sacrifice power and speed. I know my car isn't very fast, but it's quick for being a 4cyl.



For example, I was looking at the 2012 Hyundai Accent. It is only a 1.5, but gets 40MPG! Which car is faster/has more power?How do I compare cars these days? (hybrids, electric, etc)?
Car options are increasing and petrochemical fuel prices are rising. In England they are already paying the equivalent of more than $8.00 per gallon. If you are going to be wise you should base your transportation choices not only on the type of driving you do but on what changes you can make and what you anticipate for the future. You should go through a consideration of your fuel choices and options. Do you think the costs of fuel will rise here? By how much before it stabilizes for a time again? So far this is they type of thinking we have not generally had either the option or need to consider.

Then there is the more usual consideration of they type of vehicle you need and the size. But here again you may wish to consider a less stable world than even 10 years ago.

You said your car is "quick" but are you thinking of the top speed or the acceleration? Electric vehicles tend to be very "quick" on acceleration, are cheaper to operate, can be cheaper to purchase but so far have limited range. [At present fuel prices the Nissan leaf is a mid sized car that is about equal to a $16,000 ($11,000 in California) vehicle that gets about 31 mpg.1]

The Jetta TDI is a more expensive vehicle ($23000) in a slightly smaller body. It runs diesel fuel and maintenance costs would have to be considered along with the fuel costs. It may give better mileage than the Leaf. It will be slower to start but have a longer range.

The Accent is a sub-compact vehicle that offers a high mpg and a base sticker price of around $12,000. With any cheaper vehicle you should be very careful about what options you must pay for and what might be included.

Best of luck with your decision.How do I compare cars these days? (hybrids, electric, etc)?
There are several articles out there that discuss hybrids and electric vehicles. I would check this one out: http://ow.ly/4EwzO. 1-800-Recycling.com also has a bunch of great information for greening your life. Also, the Environmental Protection Agency has a great source for checking the eco-friendliness of cars (http://ow.ly/4EwOY ). So, if you find two cars you like that have similar power, you can try comparing how environmentally friendly they are.How do I compare cars these days? (hybrids, electric, etc)?
If you want a good vehicle i would suggest a Volkswagen Jetta TDI (turbo diesel injection). Diesel is much better than gas since once the engine is started it runs on its own combustion so it uses very little fuel. With diesel you don't get a whole lot of hp but the true power of all vehicles is how much torque is produced. Diesels are low horsepower high torque.



A VW Jetta TDI can give you up to around 45mpg+. If you don't get on it hard you could see maybe an average of 50mpg.



What i have noticed with an engine is this with a V8 gasoline engine at 70mph you are at about 2100 rpm. At 2000prm you are decreasing your mileage. That's why they say to get good mileage drive at 60mph since on most engines your at around 1500rpm. But my vote is for a Jetta TDI. If you can drive a manual transmission right there you are increasing your mpg.



On a good day you could maybe see 55mpg in the Jetta TDI with a 5speed manual. Though with diesel prices pretty high you might not want this vehicle.
your sentra is going to have both more power and be faster. most of the time you have to sacrifice speed/power for gas mileage, unless you tune your car. your sentra has a bigger more powerful motor.