It seems like all anyone ever talks about these days is fuel efficiency. And with good reason, too, as high gas mileage can lead to big savings. But with so many fuel efficient vehicles on the market, it can be hard to tell which one truly is the best fit for you. That means you have to look beyond the number of miles per gallon a vehicle gets. You have to know what other features you need. That can get tricky.
In order to simplify things for you, we thought we’d take a closer look at two of the leading vehicles in terms of fuel efficiency and pit the 2016 Volkswagen Golf vs the 2016 Ford Focus. These two match up quite well in terms of gas mileage, so we’re going to broaden our scope in order to get you the best vehicle for your dollar. Once the curtain is pulled back, you’ll see it’s a pretty easy choice.
2016 Volkswagen Golf | vs | 2016 Ford Focus |
25/37 MPG | Fuel Efficiency (City/Highway) | 26/36 MPG |
170 HP | Horsepower | 160 |
200 lb-ft. | Torque | 146 lb-ft. |
22.8 cu. ft. | Cargo Capacity | 23.8 cu. ft. |
As we said before, both the 2016 Volkswagen Golf and the 2016 Ford Focus have great gas mileage. The Focus offers one more mile per gallon in the city while the Golf is the best by a mile per gallon on the highway. So, it’s pretty much a toss-up in that department. It’s about the same in terms of cargo capacity as well, with the Focus offering a cubic foot more than the Golf.
Where the VW Golf begins to pull away – quite literally, we might add – is in terms of power under the hood. The 2016 Golf boasts 10 more horsepower than its Ford counterpart. But the power advantages don’t stop there. The Golf also comes through with 54 more pound-feet of torque over the Focus. When all else is equal, we think everyone will agree that more power makes more sense.
One thing that isn’t shown in our table is the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. With the Golf coming in $575 cheaper than the Focus, the fact that it has more power and comparable gas mileage becomes even more mind-blowing. It’s clear the 2016 Volkswagen Golf is the way to go.