The fuel economy wars have heated up in the hotly contested C-Segment. The latest salvo from Ford comes in the form of the Focus SE SFE (Super Fuel Economy) capable of 40 miles of highway travel on a single gallon of petrol. That ties the similarly new 2011 2011 Hyundai Elantra (40 mpg) and it's close to the 42 mpg from the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze ECO. But like its competitor from Chevrolet, most Focus models won't be able to keep pace with the big four-oh.

According to Kicking Tires, the rest of the Focus lineup will return a slightly less exciting 38 mpg on the highway and 28 mpg around town (31 mpg combined) when equipped with a six-speed automatic gearbox. The manual transmission Focus will hit 36 mpg on the highway and 26 mpg in city driving (30 mpg combined). Not best-in-class, but not too shabby, either.

It would have been a big win for the Focus if it could best the Elantra at the pump. On the other hand, the Focus does pack 12 more horsepower than the Hyundai and we're thinking it looks every bit as good. It's a good time to be in the market for a compact car.


Gallery: 2012 Ford Focus: First Drive





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