When real-world fuel economy doesn't match EPA estimates, the difference may lie in the cars' design. Ford's new C-Max and Fusion hybrids fall far short of their "47 city/47 highway/47 combined mpg," according to a growing number of reports.

It's rather unprecedented for a car company to launch a mid-cycle freshening after merely 18 months on the market. But that's exactly what Honda did after our criticism of the 2012 Civic.

Consumer Reports' headquarters is 115 miles from our test track, or about 35 miles longer than the measured range on our Ford Focus Electric. When I was assigned to drive our test car from our New York headquarters back to the Connecticut Auto Test facility, I knew it would test my EV convictions.

The Chevrolet Spark is an affordable city car that's great for tight parking spots and easy on gas, but that is where the good news ends.

Suzuki has announced that its American automotive arm will go through Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, making it the latest automaker to withdraw from this market. Impact on current car owners is promised to be minimal, but it does raise concerns for prospective shoppers.

Hyundai and Kia today announced that the companies are revising their fuel economy estimates downward after the EPA spot-checked several models and found that the results did not live up to Hyundai's and Kia's claims.

For East Coasters, dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy has been made more challenging with a gas shortage and endless lines at stations for refueling. It made us think that not only would a more fuel-efficient car be great in times like these, but one with a large tank that could run for longer.

Paying more for a new car doesn't guarantee that it will be reliable. Fuel-efficient hatchbacks, wagons, compact sports sedans, compact pickups, and small SUVs are the most reliable vehicles according to our 2012 Annual Auto Survey, which is based on our subscribers' experiences with 1.2 million vehicles. Upscale cars, minivans and luxury SUVs are among the least reliable.

Even with gas prices approaching record levels, there's good news for fuel-economy champions: Cars have never been more efficient than today.

Our complaints about the current Honda Civic are well documented. Despite its pedigree of past outstanding small cars, the current model is too noisy, has an unrefined ride, and unimpressive fit and finish. It falls well short in our testing, conceding ground to numerous, better competitors. It turns out, many of those shortcomings were addressed in its upscale mechanical sibling, the Acura ILX.

The relatively affordable electric Smart ForTwo ED (electric drive) may be the best Smart car yet. While not a high compliment, it does point to the promise of this diminutive two-door model as a green alternative for commuters. We recently drove a production-ready example to check out its smarts.

The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) recently released their claims data showing which vehicles have the highest and lowest overall insurance losses. The safety research organization found that even though many vehicles now do well in crash tests, the role of vehicle size is important.

General Motors has announced a recall of several vehicle models in seven warm-weather states over concerns that certain fuel-system plastic parts may break and cause a fire, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Chrysler Corporation has a lot riding on the new Dodge Dart. It's been years, and arguably even decades, since the carmaker stepped into the ring with a competitive small car. A lot has changed since then. So we bought two Darts to see if the automaker can hit a bulls-eye in this competitive segment.

The redesigned 2013 Nissan Sentra enters the small car fray with a 150-lb. weight reduction, roomier back seat, and the promise of 40 mpg.