CanadianDriver ran its first 50-litre ChallengeTM in 2005 when consumers were beginning to feel the pinch from gas prices nudging $1.00 per litre. Well, that was then and this is now. That litre of regular unleaded is now worth around 30 per cent more, an increase that's causing pain not only at the pumps but in the hidden transportation costs of many day-to-day consumer items.
As part of our commitment to helping Canadian consumers find ways to conserve and reduce costs, CanadianDriver - with Motoring 2008, Canada's longest-running automotive TV show - initiated a second edition of the 50-litre ChallengeTM. This time, we rounded up 13 compact cars - all of which had gas tanks of at least 50 litres in capacity and starting price-tags of less than $20,000 - and drove them on a circuitous, mostly highway route to see how far they'd go before running out of gas and what kind of fuel economy they could offer.
Which car won? Well, it may be a cliché, but they are all winners with no car averaging worse than 8.0 litres per 100 km (35 mpg). The top performer was the Toyota Corolla which travelled 1,017 km on 50 litres of fuel for an amazing fuel consumption rating of 4.9 litres per 100 km (58 mpg). Read our comprehensive report and expert analysis to find out more.