The auto
world spends so much time and verbiage expounding upon the virtues of cutting
emissions that it’s easy to forget the cars and trucks on the other end of the
list. Actually it’s not that easy, because the least efficient cars in America
are some of the sexiest, most luxurious and otherwise ostentatious
four-wheelers that have ever graced American highways. So we decided to pay a
little homage to the top 10 gas-guzzling sweethearts of the American auto
industry. If you’re an ultra-wealthy megalomaniac set on destroying the world
one chunk of ozone at a time, these are the most effective arrows in your
quiver.
1)Lamborghini Murcielago (Manual Transmission)
Economy (City/Hwy): 8/13
Average Annual Cost at the Pump:
$4,425
It’s
no surprise that a 6.5-liter V12-powered beast like the Murcielago is the least
efficient car on the road, but 8 and 13? Ouch. It’d probably take longer for
you to dump a gallon of gas onto the street than it would for that giant,
rear-mounted engine to suck it down. It’s no wonder Lamborghini chose to strip
the interior of its Sesto Elemento concept and give it a full carbon fiber
wardrobe. If you still pine for the Murcielago, you can gain 1 mpg in both
highway and city by letting Lamborghini do the shifting for you.
2)Bugatti
Veyron 16.4
Fuel Economy: 8/14 mpg
Average Annual Cost at the Pump: $4,425
Off the top of my
head, I’d have thought the Bugatti Veyron would have been at the very top of
this list, what with it’s gargantuan16-cylinder and 12-minute to empty bragging
rights. However, it actually packs one extra mpg for highway driving than the
Lambo, so it’s only the second least fuel efficient car on
the block. When you’re big brother is the fastest kid in the world,
you can get away with being a little slovenly and inefficient.
3)Ferrari 612 Scaglietti
(Automatic)
Fuel Economy: 9/16
Average Annual Cost at the Pump:
$4,022
Well,
we’ve got Lamborghini and Bugatti, that means only one thing: Ferrari has got
to be next. And the least efficient Prancing Horse on the roads is Ferrari’s
four-seater: the 612 Scaglietti. The 612′s 5.7-liter V12 engine and six-speed
automatic combine for a paltry 9 and 16 mpg. Then again, they also combine for
533 hp and 434 lb-ft of torque. And you’ll get to 60 mph long before your
needle drops to empty–3.4 seconds to be exact. The manual version actually adds
a city mpg but cuts a highway mpg, so you’re about the same whatever your
preference.
4)Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
Fuel Economy: 11/15
Average Annual Cost at the Pump:
$3,686
Dropping two seats and
400 lbs. helps the 599 GTB coax an extra two miles out of Ferrari’s 5.7-liter
V12 engine. At least in the city; on the highway, the 599 actually loses
mileages over the 612. But either way, it gets us out of the dire single-digit
mark and on to brighter pastures. Plus its 620 horses and 3.7-second 0-to-62
mph time is something to smile about. Even if you’re killing penguins as you
relish in it.
5)Bentley Azure/Brooklands
Fuel Economy: 9/15
Average Annual Cost at the Pump:
$4,022
It doesn’t really
matter how you take your 6.8-liter Bentley V8, it’s going to screw your wallet
real hard. Whether you opt for the classic stability and styling of the Azure
two-door or drop the hard-top for a contrasting soft-top, you’ll be pouring
more than$4 grand into the pump each year. But you’ll also get 500 horses and
over 180 mph of capability within an incomparably luxurious Bentley package.
6)Maybach 57/57S
Fuel Economy: 10/16
Average Annual Cost at
the Pump: $3,686
Mercedes certainly
wouldn’t let Volkswagen have all the fun (though with Lamborghini, Bugatti and
Bentley dominating the top slots, it’s sure having a lot). The Maybach 57 coupe
or convertible increase the economy ante ever-so-nominally over the Azure and
Brookland. The 57 models also gain two extra doors over those Bentley models
doors and feature 550 to 620 horses worth of V12 output.
7)Bentley Continental GT and
GTC
Economy (City/Hwy):
10/17
Average Annual Cost at
the Pump: $3,500
Like the Azure and
Brooklands of last go, it doesn’t matter if you want your Continental GT in
hard-top or convertible, 5,000 pounds of Bentley bulk and 550 horses worth of
6.0-liter W12 have a way of spewing emissions like your chain-smoking landlady.
But there’s really no arguing with the Continental GT’s unparalleled
combination of sportiness, performance, styling and luxury. The Bentley
Continental Flying Spur also slots in right here.
8)Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG
Fuel Economy: 11/15
Average Annual Cost at the Pump: $3,686
You were waiting for
an SUV weren’t you? The Mercedes ML 63 AMG combines all the high-bodied
bulkiness of your everyday SUVs with all the big-engined performance of our
previous models, so it’s no surprise it’s the least efficient SUV on the
market. Using a tuned-up 503-hp 6.3-liter 8-cylinder, the Mercedez-Benz ML 63
AMG manages to stay well above the average every man SUV in terms of power,
luxury and, of course, lack of efficiency.
The waters get a
little murky after this. And not just because of the excessive acid rain caused
by these overblown V10s and V12s, but because there are numerous cars tied for
the next spots. For instance, at 11/17 there’s a deep, multi-way tie between
such cars as the Aston Martin DBS and DB9 manuals, the BMW M6, Mercedes CL
models and the BMW M5, plus others
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