Rising oil prices make fuel economy a priority
Pumping gas has once again become a financial burden as oil prices continue to reach new heights. Such a rapid rise in the cost of gasoline is changing how consumers choose the vehicles they drive.According to the Korea National Oil Corp. the average price of gasoline nationwide as of Friday last week was at 1,683.18 won ($1.35) per liter.
This is 23.14 won higher than a week earlier and the highest this year so far. The average price of diesel also went up to this year’s record high at 1,456.97 won, up 17.71 won per liter.
The situation in Seoul is even worse. The average price of gasoline in Seoul was 1,764.3 won per liter.
Jeju was the only other region in Korea where gas prices exceeded 1,700 won per liter. Gyeonggi came close at 1,690.2 won per liter.
In addition, with the government planning to impose higher taxes on vehicle owners driving gas guzzlers, fuel economy has become an important factor when choosing the car you want to drive.
Among Korean vehicles, Hyundai Motor’s Verna 1.5 diesel and Kia’s Pride 1.5 diesel stand out the most in terms of fuel economy, based on data by the Korea Energy Management Corp.
Both vehicles could travel 18.3 kilometers on a single liter of diesel (43 miles per gallon), according to data from the corporation.
Also, Hyundai’s Avante LPi hybrid, which is Korea’s first commercialized hybrid vehicle, ranked in the top in fuel economy with a healthy 17.8 kilometers per liter.
Kia Motors’ compact vehicle Morning ranks fourth highest in fuel economy among Korean vehicles while GM Daewoo’s compact vehicle Matiz trails closely behind.
Morning has an engine capacity of 17.4 kilometers per liter while Matiz has a fuel economy of 16.6 kilometers per liter.
Hyundai’s i30 and Avante diesel and its affiliate’s Kia Motors’ Forte share the same fuel economy of 16.5 kilometers per liter as well as the same engine capacity of 1582 cc.
One thing that Korean vehicles with a high fuel economy have in common is that most have a smaller engine capacity compared to foreign imports.
The engine capacity of Korean vehicles with a high fuel economy is around 1600 cc or less. Both Verna 1.5 diesel and Pride 1.5 diesel have an engine capacity of 1493 cc.
In comparison, the engine capacity of Avante LPi is 1591 cc. Morning and Matiz are both below 1000 cc.
In contrast, imported cars that share a similar fuel economy with domestic cars generally have larger engine capacities of over 1900 cc or more.
Among imported vehicles, the top position is dominated by Japanese and European car manufacturers.
Honda’s Civic hybrid has the best fuel economy not only in the imported vehicle market but also amongst Korean vehicles. The Civic hybrid can travel 23.2 kilometers on a single liter.
This is far higher than the fuel economy of the Avante LPi hybrid. The engine capacity of the Japanese hybrid is smaller, however, than the Korean hybrid at 1339 cc.
Peugeot’s 308 1.6 HDi MCP has the best fuel economy among non-hybrid vehicles, with 19.5 kilometers per liter.
Lexus’ RX450h has an alarmingly high fuel economy for a vehicle with an engine capacity of 3456 cc. It stands at 16.4 kilometers per liter.
Volkswagen’s CC 2.0 TDI, with an engine capacity of 1968 cc, travels 16.2 kilometers per liter.
By Lee Ho-jeong [ojlee82@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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