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2011 Ford Edge gets 19/27 mpg EPA ratings, tops mid-size V6 class

Sam Abuelsamid — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 13:29:00 EST

2011 Ford Edge - Click above for high-res image gallery

The 3.5-liter V6 edition of the revamped 2011 Ford Edge has finally received its official fuel mileage ratings from the EPA, and like its more luxurious Lincoln MKX sibling, it has topped its class. The Edge is ranked at 19 miles per gallon on the urban drive cycle and 27 mpg on the highway. That's a tick better on the highway than the MKX with its 3.7-liter version of the V6. It's also 1 and 2 mpg better respectively than its chief domestic rival, the 3.0-liter V6 Chevrolet Equinox - despite the fact that at 285 horsepower, the Ford engine is significantly more powerful (the 'Nox offers 264 hp).

The big news that we are still waiting on is the ratings for the 2.0-liter Ecoboost engine. The four-cylinder Equinox is rated at an impressive 22 mpg city and 32 mpg highway. Ford will have quite a challenge beating those figures, however, especially with an engine that is expected to produce about 45 more horsepower than the naturally aspirated engine in General Motors' crossover. Offiicial PR verbiage after the jump, high-res gallery below.

Update: It turns out that while the Edge is tops in highway mileage at 27 mpg, it's combined rating is 22 mpg. The 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe V6 is rated at 20 mpg city, 26 mpg highway and 23 mpg combined.

Gallery: 2011 Ford Edge

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading 2011 Ford Edge gets 19/27 mpg EPA ratings, tops mid-size V6 class

2011 Ford Edge gets 19/27 mpg EPA ratings, tops mid-size V6 class originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: IRS lowers mileage deduction for 2010 - will you owe more in taxes?

Chris Shunk — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal

When gas prices rose in 2008, one of the few bits of good news was that the federal government was bumping up the business mileage deduction to 55 cents per mile. Now that gas prices have stabilized in 2009, the Internal Revenue Service has reportedly decided to cut back on some of its generosity. According to Wallet Pop, the new per mile rate is 50 cents, a nine percent decline from a year ago. The decrease will likely do little to the casual business traveler, but high mileage sales types and pizza delivery specialists will likely take a big hit to the pocket book when Uncle Sam reaches out his considerable hand on April 15.

Those who moved for work or traveled for medical expenses will receive an even bigger cut this year, down from 24 cents to 16.5 cents. It's difficult to understand why medical/travel mileage was cut so drastically, but we keep trying to remind ourselves that the IRS works in mysterious ways. Heck, we didn't even know you could claim moving and medical mileage, so this one is pretty much a bonus to us.

[Source: Wallet Pop | Image: Scott Olson/Getty]

PSA: IRS lowers mileage deduction for 2010 - will you owe more in taxes? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oregon considers taxing mileage, not gas

Jonathon Ramsey — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 10:54:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Green

Oregon ran a pilot program in 2006 and 2007 that fitted 300 cars with GPS receivers, which kept track of the cars' mileage. The receivers also kept records of when the cars were on the road, noting whether they traveled during rush hour or not. When the drivers went to several specially-equipped gas stations, they paid a mileage tax based on how far they had driven and when they drove, rush hour being more expensive than the wee hours.

Taxing mileage -- as opposed to trying to raise fuel taxes -- is an idea that's not only raising eyebrows, it's also raising interest. Seven other states are reported to be interested in finding a publicly-palatable way to tax mileage. A panel in North Carolina even recommended that drivers be charged a quarter-cent-per-mile for their year's driving. In such a scenario, after 15,000 miles you'd owe the state $37.50.

Naturally, the hurdles are many and it will be years before we see anything like this happening -- but beware: it's gone beyond "Let's think about it" to "Let's look into this." States envision working with manufacturers to get the standardized mileage-reporting technology installed in cars. In addition to the substantial privacy issues that would raised by such a move, there's a question of whether a flat mileage tax would blunt the move to energy-efficient vehicles -- the gent in the Prius might not be happy about paying the same as the gent in the F-250 Super Duty.

[Source: Yahoo!]

Oregon considers taxing mileage, not gas originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 04 Jan 2009 10:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oregon governor pursuing GPS-based mileage tax

Chris Shunk — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 07:29:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal

The gasoline tax has long been the method of choice for raising money for public road upkeep, but more fuel efficient cars are slowly eroding funds from the public coffers. Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski wants to keep road repair money flowing, so he's proposing the dreaded mileage tax. Opponents of the idea see a GPS-based solution as being an invasion of privacy, giving the government the ability to track where tax-payers go. However, the proposed system in Oregon doesn't track any travel points. Mileage is instead read whenever drivers fuel up, and a 1.2 cent per mile tax is levied. The program was tested in 2006 and 2007 with 300 motorists participating in the experiment.

Someone driving 12,000 miles per year would pay $144 in mileage tax. For comparison's sake, a 25 mpg vehicle driving 12,000 miles would pay $115 based on Oregon's current 0.24 cent per gallon tax. Kulongoski has no power to enforce a mileage tax, so he's relying on the Oregon legislature to make the tax law. Since it will take time to get all vehicles on the road equipped with a GPS device, the standard gas tax would remain in effect for the foreseeable future, with a possible two cent increase. Commuters equipped with a GPS system would receive a refund for gas taxes paid.

[Source: Gazette Times]

Oregon governor pursuing GPS-based mileage tax originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Dec 2008 07:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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