Short Commute vehicle recommendations

[Dave Philips]

A huge number of vehicles will beat your present 6+ gallons/100miles and many will handle your 4 passengers, carry weekend luggage and be safe by modern definitions. Compact SUVs, compact sedans, Hybrids, etc. will all fill the bill.
Most recently built cars also have front and side airbags, stability and traction control, and good moderate snow handling capability on all weather or dedicated snow tires.
Your lowest cost alternative is just to drive the Prizm on all your short trips reserving the old Mountaineer for family trips with a full load. This would cut your commute fuel use to closer to 3 gallons/hundred miles using your present cars.

[Sven7]

Originally Posted by phh

Seriously, 2.5 miles is a very short distance. If it hasn't been suggested already, how about on-foot? Also reduces wear-and-tear, and other expenses on whatever car you end up choosing.

I used to walk that distance each way for work -- rain, shine, snow, forest fires, etc. Takes less than an hour each way if I walk, much less when I run. If I need to run errands, I drive that day. On some good weather days my wife meets me half-way, baby stroller in-tow.

Yes! 2.5 miles, whether it's hilly or not, is no problem on a bike either. You'd only take half an hour to get to work and after a week or two of biking it you would not feel tired after doing it. Maybe you drive the Prizm with snow tires in the winter. Or buy basically any newer small car for that if you're paranoid about safety. But biking is free and really rewarding. It's also a great way to get regular exercise. Buy a decent hybrid or older road bike for a hundred bucks and ride the crap out of it.

Yes, road bikes work in the winter. The skinny tires cut through snow really nicely. You just have to plan your braking zones and such. If you have decent balance and are going at a decent pace (over 10mph) it will not be a problem. I biked to school daily for all of high school in Minnesota, living on a dirt road. It was about a three mile ride each way and was no problem in almost any weather (MTB in winter). All I can say is make sure you're dressed properly so you're not too cold or too hot, and watch for ice ruts if you're riding on gravel. Then again if you're hitting gravel, get a mountain bike for the winter.

Otherwise there shouldn't be ruts on the shoulder of a paved road. If there are no ruts, go with a roadie.

[Ladogaboy]

Given that you are in Washington, I can appreciate your desire for 4wd; however, and please don't take offense at this, I am concerned that you have the same misconceptions as my parents: "larger equals safer." What you trade for your ability to bulldoze other vehicles is the nimbleness and agility to avoid accidents altogether.

Personally, it sounds to me like you could do very well with just about any of the lighter 4wd/awd cars and CUVs on the market right now. Used, you'd probably need to stick to Subaru or something similar.

[jkbrigman]

For the needs and specifications you've given, a plug-in hybrid seems like it would be the ticket - especially a Chevy Volt (if you like Chevys and you've got over $40k to spend) or the upcoming 2012 Prius PHEV. Your wife could stay in electric mode for the commute, but have the engine there for longer trips or unexpected travel. And both these cars can handle 5 people.

The suggestions of an EV are also pretty good too. Imagine...NEVER going back to the gas station with the car you make that commute with! Wow....

[TXwaterdog]

I suggest getting a basic ford fiesta. It's larger than other commuter cars in the segment with more power and the fuel economy is quite good as well. You can get into a well equiped one for around 14k. If you decide to go this route try looking a the new scion IQ as well. Both of these are non hybrids with no batteries to replace or maintain. They have a smaller carbon foot print and are capable of some significant mpgs.

2012 Ford Fiesta Sedan & Hatchback | Up to 40 MPG & SYNC. It's a pretty big deal | Ford.com

Scion iQ

[wrobsky]

I agree with HBThink. If she doesn't have to pass through anything faster than a 35 zone a NEV is the way to go. There are a few out there (like the ZENN) that look like "real" cars and are currently available. A DIY conversion may be cheaper if she is willing to put up with the project and drive a "home made" car.

[Ryland]

There are also all electric cars out there like the WeeGo Whip Life that are all electric, go highway speeds and have 5 star crash test ratings.
Really there are a lot of vehicles out there with good safety ratings and a lot of them are small cars and if you look at statistics of what vehicles kill the most number of people per year it tends to be large vehicles and SUV's.

[Superdutytd]

Originally Posted by Ladogaboy

Given that you are in Washington, I can appreciate your desire for 4wd; however, and please don't take offense at this, I am concerned that you have the same misconceptions as my parents: "larger equals safer." What you trade for your ability to bulldoze other vehicles is the nimbleness and agility to avoid accidents altogether.

Personally, it sounds to me like you could do very well with just about any of the lighter 4wd/awd cars and CUVs on the market right now. Used, you'd probably need to stick to Subaru or something similar.

The OP is in Eastern WA in a place where the temperatures get much colder than the Seattle area and they see a lot more snow. Also there is lots of farming equipment/semis/pickup trucks around so I can see their reasoning behind wanting something with mass.
I would HIGHLY reccomend against getting a diesel, even a diesel plugged in will have a hard time getting to operating temperature when its 10-20* and you open yourself up for lots of problems.
I would look around at subarus as they are good cars and get decent mileage and do well in the snow.

[Ladogaboy]

Originally Posted by Superdutytd

The OP is in Eastern WA in a place where the temperatures get much colder than the Seattle area and they see a lot more snow. Also there is lots of farming equipment/semis/pickup trucks around so I can see their reasoning behind wanting something with mass.
I would HIGHLY reccomend against getting a diesel, even a diesel plugged in will have a hard time getting to operating temperature when its 10-20* and you open yourself up for lots of problems.
I would look around at subarus as they are good cars and get decent mileage and do well in the snow.

I grew up in a farming community, and I've seen what happens when cars tangle with farming equipment. The 2,000 lb difference between a car and SUV/truck makes very little difference if you get in an accident with a 5-10 ton piece of farming equipment. I would still take maneuverability and nimbleness over bulk.

[El Rayo]

With that short commute, definitely get an EV. Keep one of your fossil burners for weekend trips.

With yours and your wife's driving records you need not worry about getting into an accident.

The selection of electric cars are growing. Nissan Leaf is mentioned earlier. I don't know if all of the triplets - Mitsubishi iMiEV, Citroen C-Zero, Peugeot iOn - are available in the US, but they are worth searching for. I've had the pleasure of driving the iMiEV and it fills your requirements.

Maintenance for an EV is almost non existent; there are no oil or filters to be replaced, no exhaust pipe or catalytic converter. The brakes needs some attention as they are rarely used. Instead of transferring the moving energy into heat in the brake disks, regenerative braking puts the energy back into the battery, an advantage for the downhill parts of your commute. In the winter you will like the electric heater, it works almost instantly.

Th!nk NEV mentioned earlier share only the name with the two seater, highway capable Th!nk City which is assembled in Elkhart, IN. The City could be an alternative if you don't need 4 seats for the daily commute. The lithium battery for the City is made in the US.

I've been driving a 2000 model Th!nk City since 2003, still with the original nicad battery.