[Daryn Kagan, Cnn Anchor:] There certainly are plenty of questions, but so far few clear answers in the debate over high gas prices. Some drivers in the Midwest are paying more than $2 a gallon. At a congressional hearing in Chicago yesterday, oil industry and ethanol producers blamed one another for the soaring prices. Oil producers say that using ethanol to make cleaner gasoline is costly and complicated. Meanwhile, ethanol supporters say the oil industry is trying to sabotage their product. While they squabble, how are these high gas prices affecting consumers' choices when it comes to buying cars? Joining us from New York to talk about that is Jerry Edgerton. He is senior writer for "Money" magazine and specializes in automotive coverage. Jerry, good morning. Thanks for joining us.
[Jerry Edgerton, "money" Magazine:] Good morning. Glad to be here.
[Kagan:] A lot of SUV addicts out there. And confession time, Jerry: I understand that includes yourself.
[Edgerton:] That does include myself. I own one and have defended them in the past. You mentioned Chicago and $2 gas. We're starting to get reports there that they are falling off on sales and even showroom traffic on SUVs there, and that's the first time we've seen that. Up till now, we haven't seen much fallout. So it could be that $2 is the magic point where people start to rethink this a little bit.
[Kagan:] Well, I know you've written about how money how you can really save money if you save on your gas mileage. We made up a graphic using some information that you put together. Now, this is the idea that if gas was even cheaper than it is in Chicago, $1.50 a gallon, explain to us really how much you can save if you get your gas mileage down just by five miles per gallon.
[Edgerton:] Well, you yes, you can save $270 if you're a typical driver, and even more if you're a long commuter; in other words, if you drive maybe 25,000 miles a year. So it is it's not huge numbers, but it is a substantial savings, and I think people are starting to think about this a little. And also, there's some social pressure out there. It's not only am I going to save money, but are my neighbors going to think I'm a fool for driving a gas-guzzling hog like this?
[Kagan:] You mentioned that it is starting to affect consumers' choices when they buy cars. If you're in the market for a car and gas mileage is your number one priority, what are some vehicles that folks should look at?
[Edgerton:] Well, we've talked here about the Honda Civic HX, which I think is the best high-mileage choice. You get about 38 miles to the gallon if you have manual transmission, 36 with automatic. The Civic is a very, very good small car. And if you don't care about driving a small car and you care about mileage, that would be my choice.
[Kagan:] And what if you are a little bit taller person like myself and don't fit into a little Honda so easily?
[Edgerton:] Here I've chosen the Chevrolet Impala, redesigned this year, and especially, again, if you're a long-haul commuter. It gets 32 miles to the gallon on the highway. And so that's a pretty good pick, and it's a very comfortable car.
[Kagan:] And my partner here can't help but notice that you have a Beemer up on your choices.
[Edgerton:] I do have a Beemer. And the Beemer was my choice this year for best-buy luxury car in the earlier edition. And it happens that it is one of the best-mileage cars in the luxury class. You do have to buy premium gasoline, so you might not save that much money. But probably Beemer owners aren't aimed at saving money that much anyway.
[Kagan:] That's not top on their list. Now, what if you just can't if you're an SUV junky and you can't break the habit and you want that type of car but you are concerned with gas mileage?
[Edgerton:] That's right. What we're saying, maybe you should shift down to a little smaller SUV, and I think that's what we're going to be seeing, in fact, that people will be shifting down. Our pick here is the...
[Kagan:] Some examples, yes.
[Edgerton:] Our pick here is the Subaru Forester, which gets about 24 miles a gallon. It's a very good, small SUV, all-wheel-drive, and a good pick. But we may see some as well shifting down from the very biggest sport utilities, like Ford Excursion and Chevrolet Suburban, to just mid-size like Ford Explorer and Chevrolet Blazer.
[Kagan:] And as we wrap, simple tips? As you shop for cars, make sure you ask the dealers and you check, which, in recent years, a lot of people haven't even looked what the gas mileage is.
[Edgerton:] People haven't looked. I think they're going to be looking more.
[Kagan:] Go ahead and take a look. Jerry Edgerton from "Money" magazine, thanks for your important tips this morning.
[Edgerton:] Thanks for having me.
[Kagan:] We appreciate it Bill.
[Bill Hemmer, Cnn Anchor:] Like that 528.
[Kagan:] Yes, I bet you do.
[Hemmer:] Fill 'er up.