In the world today where gas price is one of the things to be considered before buying a new car, the 2016 Toyota Prius is making waves in terms of its fuel efficiency. Recently, the 2016 Prius received an award from a consumer group as the most fuel efficient vehicle the group has ever tested.

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When the 2016 Toyota Prius was unveiled last year, the car came with several new and improved features compared to its predecessor. The car has impressive driving mechanics and a lot of new safety mechanisms including departure alert, pre-collision system, and lane departure alert.

However, the 2016 Toyota Prius shines when it comes to fuel efficiency. According to Consumer Reports, the car averaged 52mpg for combined driving. This includes 43mpg for city driving and 59mpg for highway driving.

The previous holder of the record for fuel efficiency was the Honda Insight. The car recorded 51mpg for combined driving, and the record was set way back in 2000. This means that the record has been in place for almost 16 years.

Many car experts attributed the 2016 Prius' efficiency to the car's body drag which is a coefficient of just 0.24, by far one of the lowest when it comes to mass-produced vehicles in the market. Additionally, the 2016 Prius has a gasoline engine that is physically smaller, lighter, and overall better when it comes to managing thermal energy compared to some of its predecessor.

The 2016 Prius also sports a more streamlined CVT gearbox, and the car's battery pack is now made of lithium polymer instead of the old nickel-metal hydride. This is excellent when it comes to storing and delivering the needed power to turn the wheels.

According to Digital Trends, while 52mpg combined driving mileage is impressive, Toyota is still working to up the notch a little bit with the plug-in version of the car called Prius Prime which is expected to hit showrooms later this fall. Compared to the 2016 Prius, the upcoming Prius Prime has an impressive MPGe rating of 120.

TagsConsumer Reports, prius, 2016 prius, 2016 Toyota Prius, Prius mileage, Consumer Reports Prius