Top Five Fuel Efficient Cars

1) The Toyota Prius, the gold standard for fuel economy, includes tepid acceleration, numb steering and nonlinear brakes. City: 48 mpgHighway: 45 mpgCombined: 46 mpgBase Price: $22,160

2) The 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid
The Prius’s main contender is the Civic Hybrid, a more quotidian approach to economical hybrid transportation. In rendering the hybrid more aerodynamic, Honda also made it one of the better-looking Civic offerings. The Civic Hybrid drives more like a regular car than the competition, is a more responsive handler and is a touch less sluggish. The Civic’s hybrid system is simple and compact but doesn’t deliver quite the miserly numbers of the Prius.
City: 40 mpgHighway: 45 mpgCombined: 42 mpgBase Price: $23,270
3) The 2008 Smart fortwo
A small sum of money gets you a Lilliputian car that returns the third-best fuel mileage of any vehicle here. It’s the ultimate urban vehicular solution as defined by stylish cachet, excellent fuel economy and — by virtue of being the smallest — being also the biggest gun in the parking wars. Your mileage may vary with an average of four fewer mpg than the EPA’s combined number. Given that the Fortwo is the slowest-accelerating passenger vehicle in the country, a lead foot, with a resulting impact in fuel economy, is practically a safety requirement.
City: 33 mpgHighway: 41 mpgCombined: 36 mpgBase Price: $12,235
4) The 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid
The Altima Hybrid is sold only in California and in the seven Eastern states that share the California Air Resources Board’s air-quality statutes, which is a shame because it delivers hybrid efficiency in a stylish, pleasurable-to-drive sedan. The Altima Hybrid delivers similar fuel economy numbers to those of the Camry Hybrid, which isn’t surprising considering Nissan licensed Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive for the effort. Paired with Nissan’s 2.5-liter gasoline engine, the Altima Hybrid returns performance numbers better than the standard model. It delivers on its sporty looks and design-forward interior with a fun, enthusiastic chassis and precise steering. If the name “Camry” makes your inner rebel cringe, you’d do well to consider the Altima Hybrid.
City: 35 mpgHighway: 33 mpgCombined: 34 mpgBase Price: $26,140
5) The 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid is good at moving passengers economically and without drama. Unlike the Altima Hybrid, you can buy the Camry Hybrid nationwide. Hybridization did nothing to impact the virtues that make the Camry an award-winning, family-hauling appliance: laudable road manners, quiet and comfortable operation and a highly competent overall experience. Stepping up to the hybrid also begets stability control and the top-of-the-line XLE interior package, minus leather seats.
City: 33 mpgHighway: 34 mpgCombined: 34 mpg (Ratings from 2008 model year)Base Price: $25,860

The Fluctuation in Gas Prices Are Effecting Everyone's Pocket

Oil prices slipped Tuesday after climbing to a new record of almost $104 a barrel a day earlier and then falling back as traders booked profits.
The decline came as it appears OPEC ministers, gathering for a meeting Wednesday, have all but ruled out pumping more oil to ease record-high prices.
Chakib Khelil, president of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, said the 13-nation cartel is shying away from boosting production because of the U.S. economic slowdown, political turmoil in the Middle East and expectations of slackening global demand for crude.
Light, sweet crude for April delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 45 cents to $102.00 a barrel in electronic trading by midday in Europe. The contract traded as high as $103.95 a barrel Monday before retreating to settle at $102.45, up 61 cents from the end of last week.
Oil futures — propelled by the weak U.S. dollar — climbed past $103.76 a barrel Monday on the New York Mercantile Exchange, breaking what many analysts consider to be the true record high for oil after the $38 per barrel price from 1980 is adjusted for inflation.
Oil's most recent run into record territory has been driven by the dollar's slump against other world currencies.
The dollar's decline to historic levels Monday was spurred by news that construction spending in the U.S. took its biggest nosedive in 14 years.
Crude futures offer a hedge against a falling dollar, and oil futures bought and sold in dollars are more attractive to foreign investors when the dollar is falling. Gold, copper and wheat are among the other commodities that have rallied as the dollar has fallen.
Investors are also keeping an eye on Wednesday's OPEC meeting. Most expect the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to hold output steady.