Confused! Which van has the best gas mileage?
 

I been doing a ton of research, been going online as well as asking around.

And once I think Im on to something, someone says otherwise.

Ive been looking at getting a van to travel in. (1995-2005)


Which van has the best gas mileage?


Please post your input so I can finally lay this question to rest.
:thumbup:

Aaahh, vans come in many sizes and weights, from baby vans to long wheelbase high roof monsters.

I had a 1300cc toyota litace on cng that was awesome...equivalent to 70mpgUS as cng was half price of petrol...

Obviously the smaller and lighter the better. And a aero nose like previa front too. Low roof better than high. Some vans are higher sprung/larger ground clearance for loading considerations...find a lower one.

Also, gear ratio's...some vans are geared low for heavy loading, if you dont carry much weight, find one that is geared higher and/or will take a larger diameter tyre/rim on the driven axle/s ( make sure it doesnt rub against the fenders or bottom out on a pot hole....

Manual transmission for coasting down the mountain.

Alohaspirit, have you tried looking here?

Side-by-Side Comparison

I believe so

I "searched by MPG"
then I plugged in "2000, minivans"
and went down the mpg list

No results :confused:


Thats why Im asking you pros. :)

All 2000 Mini-vans had a Combined EPA of less than 20 MPG. :(

Same basic link Search by Class for Fuel Efficient Cars, but use "Search by Class" to get a list of 2000 Mini-vans.

Once you have that list, use User Estimated MPG - Select Make
to see what people who actually care about MPG were able to eek out.

that list is great, thank you :)

although there are still people who make higher/lower claims

i was hoping some would chime in :o

Not that this is what you are looking for but the older 5cyl Dodge Sprinters with the Mercedes diesel in the SMALL configuration not the high top type or the extended or the HD but just the uncommon vanilla manilla bottom configuration would give

28mpg highway without much trying

Thus far except for an odd Toyota I have never seen any of the Minivan offerings get real good mileage, most top out in the mid to lower 20's (even with effort)

Although if you are willing to mess with a pre 1984 vehicle the old Sambars in both the 360cc and the 550cc were in the 30-50mpg area some are called Subaru 360 sambars. (think Mystery Van)

Good Luck

You're welcome.

I've never owned a mini-van so I can't chime in about that. But I will chime in about the user estimates.

Be sure to us the Show All links to see individual user averages the average for all users. Here is an example for 2000 Dodge Caravan 2WD 4 Cylinder, 2.4 Liter, Automatic 3-spd
Trying to read between the lines.

If user #3 didn't just imagine that he got 31 mpg, it seems reasonable to assume he must have hypermiled the heck out of it. A great target to shoot for but not something I'd want to count on.

Users #1 and #5 have close to the same MPG even though #1 claims 100% highway miles. Maybe user #1 drove faster than #5??? (After all, Oklahoma is kinda like Texas, nothin' but miles and miles of nothin' but miles and miles.) So dialing in on user #5, 25.1 mpg is an average and it's not just a round number. Maybe user #5 actually kept good records?

If you look at similar Dodge Caravans (2WD 4 Cylinder, 2.4 Liter, Automatic 3-spd) for 1998-2002 and find similar user estimates ...

This data cannot be confirmed -- but in general, it is a good reference from the average reporting driver.

My experience with that generation of Chrysler-branded 3-speed auto Minivans is 18-24 MPG, without hypermiling efforts. At that particular site, any user can report any value, so beware.

RH77

Just by doing basic math and watching my fuel gauge, knowing what the tank holds, etc... I figured 20-24 MPG on the "free" tank of old gas (6+ months) that was in my Van when I bought it. I just replaced the water pump and put it on the road legally, so I haven't had a chance to get actual data with it, hence the reason for the broad estimate.

After I burn out the rest of my crap gas laying around, fix the leaks, and do one more oil change with 0w30, I'll have better tank-to-tank figures. Still can't really afford a ScanGauge yet, but now I'm equipped with something that can use it once I can afford it.

Rick - Was that the long or short wheelbase model? Did you ever make an attempt at hypermiling it?