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Let's face it, V8s have this reputation of being yesterday's engine, incapable of doing much better than the low teens in mpg.
Yet the allure of thing hangs on!
50 years of marketing will do that for ya.
I'm Brian Cooley with our top five ways you can have your VA and good gas mileage too.
We selected cars only for this list, no trucks right now.
And gas only, no diesels or hybrids.
We wanted to get classic VA stuff.
To rank them, we counted in MPG, the sheer horse power, and the power to weight ratio of the car.
The list we came up with, by the way, is all German, except for one American at the top taking all their teutonic acids.
Number five, the 2015 BMW 550i, a 4.4 liter V8 that delivers 20 mpg average.
It just pushed out the excellent Mercedes E550 Coupe, by the way, to begin the list.
This BMWer has 445 horsepower, and the power to weight ratio just below that magic number of 10 pounds per horse, very good, and great handling car that just happens to be a very practical sedan.
There's a lot to like here, for about 65 grand Second cheapest on our list.
Number four, the 2015 Audi S8.
Four liter V8.
20 MPG average.
The sporting version of the big Audi has a V8 that you'll know.
When you step on it, it cranks out the most horsepower on our list, 520.
Now, the average MPG of 20 is at the bottom of our list.
While its MSRP of $115,000 is at the top of our list.
Hence, number four.
Number 3, the 2015 Audi A8.
Same basic engine, but now 22 MPG average.
What a difference a single letter makes.
Going from S to A makes this the only car on our list to break 30 highway and still have that 22 average, but we keep it at number 3, because it is a big boy.
And this smallish V8 means the power to weight ratio that was are worst at 10.3.
Number two, the 2015 Mercedes SLK55 AMG, a biggish 5.5L V8, but still 22 MPG AVG.
Who knew you brought a AMG to be fuel efficient.
This is the baby brother of the big SL, and it's got the power-to-weight ratio to show for it, a lean 8.6 lbs per horse.
That makes it okay for it to be the lowest powered car on our list at 415, well-timed for the best average mpg.
[UNKNOWN] is everything.
Number 1, you'll be glad to hear, is the 2015 Chevy Corvette.
6.2 liter V8 but still 21 MPG average.
The new C7 'Vette is amazing, having the biggest engine on the list, doing 455 horse, and has the best power to weight ratio as well.
MPG is 17, 29, close enough to say, I get about 30.
Largely thanks to cylinder deactivation that makes it a 3.1 liter core when you don't need everything.
Add to that the lowest price on our list, about 55K.
If you've got a sanctimonious Prius driving cousin, this is The V8 to drive to Thanksgiving.
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More top five lists await the car lover.
Go to CNETOnCars.com.
Click on top five.
