Most fuel efficient hatchback?

[boydwgrossii]

Greetings all,

I’m about to get rid of my 2001 Pontiac vibe. I currently drive a modified 2000 Volkswagen Jetta that gets about 46 miles to the gallon.

I’m not exactly sure how to do modifications or anything like that so there’s a lot of terms that I don’t understand yet.

With that in mind, do you guys have any recommendations for a fuel-efficient hatchback? In my vibe, I could build some woodworking projects in transport them as well as pick up lumber and not have to worry about getting anything rained on. I can also leave stuff sitting in the car without having to worry about any kind of water damage.

The Jetta does not allow that. I wanted to see what another option is so that I can do woodworking more comfortably especially when I need to transport?

[Stubby79]

Jetta or Passat TDI wagon, Golf TDI...
Prius, if the back end is big enough. (Seats fold down, IIRC)
Leaf, if EV is an option.

Hmm...what other sizeable hatchbacks are there out there with decent mileage...?

[boydwgrossii]

Originally Posted by Stubby79

Jetta or Passat TDI wagon, Golf TDI...
Prius, if the back end is big enough. (Seats fold down, IIRC)
Leaf, if EV is an option.

Hmm...what other sizeable hatchbacks are there out there with decent mileage...?

Excellent question! I was able to put four 4 x 2 bookshelves very carefully in the vibe with the seats folded down. The back and was rather roomy.

[Isaac Zachary]

New or used?

A used Prius v (they don't make the v's any more) would be very roomy (bigger than the other types of Prius) and that still gets potentially +40mpg.

Another alternative is if you could find a cheap enclosed trailer.

[boydwgrossii]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

New or used?

A used Prius v (they don't make the v's any more) would be very roomy (bigger than the other types of Prius) and that still gets potentially +40mpg.

Another alternative is if you could find a cheap enclosed trailer.

Preferably used. I haven't had a car less than 10 years old ever. I plan on getting a 2015 or 2016 (movin' on up!).

[freebeard]

In my vibe, I could build some woodworking projects in transport them as well as pick up lumber

What are the largest pieces. Lumber implies fairly big for a hatchback. Maybe a Jetta wagon for parts compatibility?

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by Stubby79

Jetta or Passat TDI wagon, Golf TDI...
Prius, if the back end is big enough. (Seats fold down, IIRC)
Leaf, if EV is an option.

Originally Posted by boydwgrossii

Excellent question! I was able to put four 4 x 2 bookshelves very carefully in the vibe with the seats folded down. The back and was rather roomy.

Originally Posted by boydwgrossii

Preferably used. I haven't had a car less than 10 years old ever. I plan on getting a 2015 or 2016 (movin' on up!).

So, putting it all together either a Prius v or a Leaf or a regular Prius.

The VW dieselgate issue happened back in 2008 IIRC which means you won't find any that are 2015 or newer.

The Prius v seems like possibly your best option since it's quite roomy and wasn't discontinued until 2017 IIRC, although a regular Prius might suffice and the regular Prius will get better fuel mileage than the bigger Prius v.

You can find Leafs for as little as $3,000 now, albeit with a terribly degraded battery. And since you apparently live in Oklahoma and not Alaska that battery degradation is only going to get worse. So unless you only have a few miles to take your stuff around the Leaf probably wouldn't be the greatest choice.

But if you are looking at a Leaf from those years 2016 is when the 100-mile-range 30kWh battery came out on the higher tier SV and SL Leafs whereas the lower tier S Leafs got the same 84-mile-range 24kWh battery. (In 2015 all trims had the 24kWh battery). But from what I've heard the bigger batteries actually degrade faster for those years, so getting a 24kWh 2015 Leaf with any trim or a 2016 Leaf with the S trim is probably your best bet for an affordable EV, especially if you have a cooled garage to keep it in. Mind you that 2015 and 2016 are good years for the 24kWh battery. Those start out at around $5,000 as I look here on Autotrader.com.

[Ecky]

I could probably fit a couple of bookshelves in my Honda Insight, but I've made some modifications that increase interior cargo space. It also has no back seats. The stock engine was EPA rated at 70mpg highway. Driving slowly (~50mph) I was able to consistently get ~100mpg in fair weather.



Something larger? In my mind, hands-down a VW TDI wagon, or a Prius (Prius V?).

Something newer? I'd likely give a Hyundai Ioniq PHEV a shot. Looks like you can find them for around $9,000 with reasonably low miles. They have a rated 29 miles electric range, and some trims of the Ioniq have as high as a 60mpg combined EPA rating when burning only gasoline. 29 miles EV + 60mpg afterward is tough to beat.

[boydwgrossii]

That is nice!

I would like to squeeze 10 ft boards but if 8 ft is all I can do, I’m okay with that. 2 ft clearance is good. Any more than that is luxury and me like.

[Isaac Zachary]

Car
Years | space seats-up/seats-down | EPA fuel mileage

• Toy Prius v (gasoline)
  2012-2017 | 34.3/67.3cf | 41mpg
  
• Toy 3rd gen Prius (gasoline)
  2009-2015 | 21.6/40.0cf | 50mpg
  
• Toy Prius Plug-in (plug-in hybrid)
  2012-2015 | 21.6cf/40.0cf | 50mpg?/95mpg-e
  
• Toy 4th gen Prius (gasoline)
  2016-present | 24.6or27.4cf*/? | 56mpg
  
• Toy Prius Prime (plug-in hybrid)
  2016-present | 19.8cf/? | 54mpg/133mpg-e
  
• 1st gen Honda Insight (gasoline)
  2000-2006 | 16.0cf | 53mpg
  
• 2nd gen Honda Insight (gasoline)
  2010-2014 | 15.9cf/31.5cf | 42mpg
  
• Hyundai Ioniq PHEV (plug-in hybrid)
  2017-present | 23cf/? | 52mpg/119mpg-e
  
• VW TDI Jetta Sportwagon (diesel)
  2005-2008? | 32.8/66.9cf | 41mpg
  
• Nissan Leaf (electric)
  (avoid 2011-early2013's and any 30kWh)
  2011-2016 | 24/30cf | 114mpg-e

Sorry! I just quickly googled all this and couldn't find a lot of stuff off hand. Plus I may be a little off, like I couldn't quite figure out if the Prius Plug In was built until 2015 or 2016. I also couldn't find information on length of stuff that will fit. So take this list for what it is.

* The fourth gen Prius has different cargo spaces according to trim. Base trim has the smallest space.

The biggest car here is the Prius v, but also has the worst fuel mileage on the list at 41mpg combined (EPA).

The VW TDI Jetta Sportwagon is close behind in size and is also rated at 41mpg. But remember that the "41mpg" is according to EPA tests with the emissions cheat disactivated. So real world fuel mileage should be better just as real world emissions should be worse.

The first gen Honda Insight is that little three door two seater IIRC that gets exceptional fuel mileage for it's time. But it's also a bit older than what you were looking for, and there are newer options, like a 4th gen Prius, that not only fit your years you're looking for, they also get around the same fuel mileage, if not a bit better (at least according to the EPA) as well as being much bigger cars.