Best mpg suv?

[omgwtfbyobbq]

Ya know what's weird, over here towing w/ the Yaris isn't recommended, but in the UK, it's supposed to be able to pull 1200/1600lbs (unbraked/braked) w/ a smaller 1L engine! Do they get super Yarii over there or something? The tow ratings on cars has been going down over the years, and on trucks up, but I can't see much of a difference. Maybe it's the difference in auto transmissions or something... Still seems kinda weird that a Yaris w/ a smaller engine can tow a bunch overseas but not here. I wonder what it would do to pickup sales if people were told they could tow ~1000lbs unbraked in their compact?

[dogncatboy]

Originally Posted by civic94

well my friend kinda needs it cause his dad has a resturant, so every once in a week or so he needs to get **** loads of stuff. also this is in philly, sometimes it snows

You'd be amazed what you can fit in a subaru!

[2TonJellyBean]

An old Omni/Horizon could carry more than a CRV. If carrying stuff, don't rule out the Element. It's a good hauler.

[Erdrick]

Haha, I expected such a comment from theclencher. I do have to agree with him though.

If they are looking to save fuel, and are interested in hypermiling, then I can wholeheartedly suggest they look into an RX400h. It is an excellent vehicle, and has potential, if the driver is dedicated. This is a luxury vehicle though, so if saving money is a concern, then it goes out the window.

If gas mileage (or in this case, diesel mileage) is a concern, then I would go for a VW Sportwagen TDi. One member on this site gets excellent mileage with it, and he lives in Wisconsin. He even showed his mileage with snow tires, and although it did drop, it wasn't nearly as bad as what you would get with an SUV. We are talking 60-52 range. It is also a spacious car, and your friend could easily haul around restaurant stuff in it.

Oh, and if he goes the TDi route, he could use the old oil from the friers to make his own biodiesel... that is assuming that his restaurant has friers.

[DarbyWalters]

Find a good used Jeep Liberty CRD. They only made 11,200 of these Diesel Jeeps...but they are worth the $$$ if you really need a SUV. Advantages are the Full-Time 4WD, Part-Time 4WD and 4LO for real offroad use. It also comes stock with 295 foot pounds of torque in case you need to haul a travel trailer ect.

Another good choice might be the Ford Escape Hybrid.

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by omgwtfbyobbq

I've heard bad things about that QR.

Wiki isn't up to date apparently:

In June 2006, it came to Nissan's attention that approximately 85,000 Altimas and 2,000 Sentra SE-Rs equipped with the QR25DE and built between January and May 2006 may experience unusually high oil consumption. This can lead to premature engine failure and possibly a fire. While Nissan investigates the problem, owners of the affected vehicles are being advised to check their oil frequently (every 700 mi [1127 km]), and dealers have been instructed to place the affected vehicles on sales hold.[9]

My mother has that very car.... They've been making good on the oil consumption problem - and are replacing engines.

well my friend kinda needs it cause his dad has a resturant, so every once in a week or so he needs to get **** loads of stuff. also this is in philly, sometimes it snows

Meh, don't look at it from the "I need it sometimes" scenario. So he needs it once a week - how many miles does he drive the rest of the week? Are the fuel savings more than the cost of renting once a week? Some rental companies will give you pretty good discounts for renting frequently. Or even, renting a small trailer...

So if he drives 400 miles a week, for example. And the difference between the SUV and the smaller car is 15mpg. That would be $35 per week (perhaps not enough for a larger car). These numbers are totally out of my arse - but my point is, this is the type of thinking your friend should put if he's truly concerned about efficiency



All that said..... He could try renting a non SUV car - then test to see if he can fit is boatload of stuff. When I had my Saturn SW2, I loaded the CRAP out of it.... Imagine the weight of an apple, orange, lemon and banana.... Now imagine the size of 500 pounds of apples, oranges, lemon and bananas.... Sure, the rear seat was folded down, but it fit comfortably

[rh77]

Here's the perfect chance to impress some "small car morals" on a friend -- if they're receptive.

Ask the person if they're a terrible driver in the snow...the obvious response is "No way, man -- bring it on". Well then FWD would do fine. Sorry Sube folks, AWD eats up too much FE when you don't need it...

Now, for hauling capacity. Look at the comparos of the 3 vehicles mentioned. Does the Matrix/Vibe hold that much less in comparison?

Hatchbacks can hold way more than you can think. How about these to add to the discussion:

Mazda 3, 5-door, 5-speed
Mistubishi Lancer Wagon, 5-speed
Scion xB or xD

Having owned a low-stance AWD car (Evo), I noticed that it got around better than SUVs with the right tires, but no better than a front-driver with the same style snow tires, same height ('99 Civic Si).

Food for thought

RH77

[Daox]

The highest mpg SUV is the Escape Hybrid currently, and with hypermiling you can do way more than its estimated. Although, like others have said, you can pack a ton of stuff in the back of a wagon/hatchback type car. I can vouch for that with my Matrix. My wife is a horticulture tech and constantly packs tons of plants/tools/carts in the back of ours.

[ajohnmeyer]

sounds like you need two things to solve this little problem

1) Civic or other small car with great FE and a class I receiver hitch
$15-22K new

2) 4'x8' enclosed trailer
$500-1000 new.

Great FE all the time, great hauling capacity when you need it.

[1993CivicVX]