10 Gasoline Powered Cars That Get 40 MPG Or Better On The Highway.

2011 Smart For Two - This lightweight car weighs in at only 1800 pounds and has a 3 cylinder engine helping it to achieve a 41 mpg highway rating.

2011 Chevy Cruze Eco - General Motors shaved 125 pounds of weight off of this year's model and with the help of the "eco" system the Cruze has a 42 mpg highway rating with the 6 speed manual transmission configuration.

2012 Mazda 3 - When equipped with the "SkyActiv" suite of technology which includes direct injection and a high compression ratio for the motor, plus an aggressive torque converter, the 2012 Mazda 3 will reach 40 mpg on the highway.

2012 Honda Civic HF - The new Civic HF trim level falls between the regular civic and the hybrid models. By adding aerodynamic enhancements and the wheels and tires from the previous civic Hybrid model the Civic HF delivers 41 mpg on the highway.

2012 Chevy Sonic - The new Sonic has yet to be released but general motors' product specialists are reporting that at least one version of the Sonic will achieve 40 mpg on the highway. The new Sonic incorporates transmissions and engines from the base Chevy Cruze but with an overall lighter body.

2012 Kia Rio - The new Rio comes with direct injection to help obtain 40 mpg on the highway but it will also be the first non hybrid car to offer a "start-stop" system that turns the engine off when the car comes to a stop and then turns it back on automatically when the accelerator is pushed again.

2012 Hyundai Accent - With the help of direct injection the new Accent is expected to get 40 mpg on the highway in both the six speed automatic and the manual transmission configurations.

2011 Hyundai Elantra - Weighing in at only 2700 pounds and longer aerodynamics is what helps to push the 2011 Elantra to the 40 mpg mark on the highway.

2011 Ford Fiesta SFE - The key component that helps the Fiesta SFE reach the 40 mpg mark on the highway is a dual clutch six speed automatic transmission, which is more efficient than the manual transmission. That coupled with the various aerodynamic tweaks and low rolling resistant tires have pushed the Fiesta SFE to 40 mpg on the highway.

2012 Ford Focus SFE - Utilizing the same dual clutch transmission as the Fiesta and direct injection the regular Focus gets 38 mpg on the highway. The Focus SFE model adds aerodynamic disc style wheel covers, low rolling resistant tires, and a large spoiler. These items are what help the Focus SFE to reach the 40 mpg on the highway mark.