Consumer Reports editor discusses fuel-efficient cars

David Heim

With gasoline prices reaching an all-time high average price, CNN's Leon Harris talked to David Heim, managing editor of Consumer Reports magazine, about trading in SUVs for more fuel-efficient cars.

Harris: We've seen gas prices right now in certain parts of the country topping to $2, heading to $3 right now. Why aren't people abandoning their SUVs in droves by now?

Heim: Well, some would say that the price of gasoline hasn't yet gone high enough or it hasn't gone up fast enough to really make people think hard about the cars they're driving. As prices go up gradually, people get used to paying the higher prices, and it just gets folded into the overall cost of living.

Harris: All right. So how high do you think it would have to -- gas prices would have to go to make folks just go ahead and drop the Navigators and start going for like the Prisms or whatever?

Heim: Well, there's talk of $3-a-gallon gasoline by this summer. That may have an effect on some people. But, of course, in Europe and other parts of the world, people pay the equivalent of around $5 a gallon now. They regularly drive smaller, fuel-efficient cars. So maybe that's a threshold.

Harris: OK. Well, let's hope we don't ever see that happen here.

All right. Let's talk about some of the technologies that are out there right now and that are available to people. How widely available are these so-called hybrid cars, cars that use both electricity and gas?

Heim: Toyota and Honda both make a hybrid car. It uses electricity and a gasoline engine. They're fairly widely available in most parts of the country. There's another high-mileage car out there. It runs on a conventional diesel engine. It's the Volkswagen Golf. It's a very good car. We recommend it. We recommend the Toyota Prius as well, which is a hybrid car.

Harris: Either of those better than the other one? Is there a standout in this class?

Heim: The Volkswagen and the Toyota both get around 40 miles to the gallon overall. The Honda, which is small two-seater car, gets about 50 miles to the gallon overall.

Harris: OK. That's what I was going to ask you next, too, is are these cars so underpowered that you can't take more than a pack of gum inside the car with you?

Heim: The -- the Honda's really a commuter car, but the Toyota and the Golf are both good all-around cars. The Golf especially is roomy, comfortable, handles well, a lot to recommend it.

Harris: Now the Golf -- that's a diesel, right?

Heim: That's correct.

Harris: OK. Whatever happened to diesel? Diesel was the big -- you know, the big promise maker coming into all of this stuff? Why aren't -- why aren't there more diesel cars out there?

Heim: Well, the emissions are one problem. You can't buy the Golf or the -- I'm sorry. You can't buy the Golf in California or in New York because of those states' strict emission laws.

Harris: What do they cost?

Heim: They're around $20,000 for all three cars.

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