What is possible from SUVs?

[EngineeredCivic]

Check out the Rav4. The V6 can pull some great numbers, even better than the 4 cyl since the 6 has a tall final drive ratio. If you use a scan guage and a couple hypermiling techniques you can easily get 32 mpg. EPA rated 29 on the highway (2wd V6). I've seen people get 35 but that was pure highway.

[johnpr]

the jeep patriot is fwd, comes in either standard or automatic, is rated between 24? and 30 mpg has a towing capacity of 2000 lbs.

if i had to have an suv and was not concerned with towing capacity thats what i would get. other than that you would be surprised at how much room is really in a car, my 2dr civic has height adjustable seet, tilt/telescopic steering wheel and on my first tank of mostly city driving i got 35 mpg. also it has a huge trunk, and there is a 4 door option which would work great for kids... just a thought.

[Johnny Mullet]

Volvo Station wagon of any model (V70, 850, 960, 240, etc) and mated with a standard trans, you have a safe, reliable, and efficient vehicle. Even the 2wd autos get 27 MPG and these cars are roomier than a small, crappy built, rust bucket, SUV.

I have been a mechanic for many years and Volvo cars also do not rust away (except older 240 models) like the crap we buy here. I have never even seen a rusty brake or fuel line on a Volvo.

Later Subarus are all junk in my professional opinion. Our back page of our Pennsylvania State Inspection reports all rejections or failed vehicles and more than half are Subaru models. The Legacy and Outback are the worst. The rear suspension cradles rot away in 4-6 years or less and so do the expensive cat convertors depending on where you live.

I worked at a Ford dealer for several years. The Escape is a great little SUV and I would take a peppy 2.3L 2 wheel drive with a 5 speed any day! The older Escape had a few issues, but pretty much are reliable.

Just my 2 cents.

[dsq]

i could get 25mpg from my old 1987 jeep cherokee 4x4.It was a 5speed and a 4.0.Despit ethat it gets way better mpg than our 3.0 auto,4wd, 1991 4runner(16 hwy).

That said i would never again buy an suv because parts cost at least 2x as much as a car.And mpg sucks.
Cars also are much better handling.

I had a mazda station wagon that i cruised/camped in for 3 months in the rocky mtns.More convenient,better mpg,more usable space than my jeep cherokee.

[ebacherville]

Originally Posted by dsq

i could get 25mpg from my old 1987 jeep cherokee 4x4.It was a 5speed and a 4.0.Despit ethat it gets way better mpg than our 3.0 auto,4wd, 1991 4runner(16 hwy).

That said i would never again buy an suv because parts cost at least 2x as much as a car.And mpg sucks.
Cars also are much better handling.

I had a mazda station wagon that i cruised/camped in for 3 months in the rocky mtns.More convenient,better mpg,more usable space than my jeep cherokee.

Come to think of it my 4.0 jeep with the five speed got decent milage, heck even my 318v8 auto grand cherokee and pull down 22mpg.. Those unibody jeeps are pretty light weight.. my benz 300d weighs more than the grand cherokee with the big v8 and 4x4 running gear..

Jeeps arnt ideal in amy way as for areodynamics but i bet they could be improved with belly pan and better front air dam..

[OokiiMamoru]

Originally Posted by c0da

I think your best bet for hypermiling in an SUV would be the Escape hybrid. Highest I've seen anyone get in those was about 39mpg. But honestly, I'd talk her into the xB since it's cheaper and would allow for a few mods to be added.

If at all possible go test drive both and see what you're more comfortable with. I'm sure you can apply any hypermiling tips to both and beat the EPA. And test out a Prius to see if it has enough head/leg room for you. If it doesn't, next years model is supposed to be a bit bigger if you're willing to wait that long.

6'8" / 330 lbs fram here. I just went to the Toyota Dealer myself today and tried sitting in the xB. Plenty of head room and nice and comfortable, but I had to wedge my foot up under the dash to reach the gas petal and break. Not comfortable at all and I have bouts of leg fatigue / cramps when holding my leg at odd angle for long periods of time. (sigh)

The (cough) nice sales clerk suggested trying the Camary. It was better for the dash, but the steering wheel was giving me fits.

No head room in the xA either.

I'll just stick with the impala 2001-2005 and hypermile the thing when I get one. (sigh)

Should be interesting to see if the 2009-10"??? Pirus has more leg room. I'll believe it when I see it.

OM

[NeilBlanchard]

Hello,

The attempts to make these large vehicles into hybrids (Dodge comes to mind) netted about 4mpg. Bringing 14mpg up to 18mpg...

[NeilBlanchard]

Hello,

Originally Posted by OokiiMamoru

6'8" / 330 lbs fram here. [snip]
Should be interesting to see if the 2009-10"??? Pirus has more leg room. I'll believe it when I see it.

My brother is almost 6'-7" and ~270 pounds, and he has similar problems. (I'm only 6'-4" and 245 pounds, so I have it "easy".) Most of the difference between us, is in his legs -- his inseam is 38" vs my ~35.5"

He sat in a (2007?) Honda Fit the other day, and he fit! The 2009 Fit is ~2.5" longer than the current model, and the wheelbase is ~2" longer -- and most of the extra length goes to the legroom, apparently.

[OokiiMamoru]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Hello,



My brother is almost 6'-7" and ~270 pounds, and he has similar problems. (I'm only 6'-4" and 245 pounds, so I have it "easy".) Most of the difference between us, is in his legs -- his inseam is 38" vs my ~35.5"

He sat in a (2007?) Honda Fit the other day, and he fit! The 2009 Fit is ~2.5" longer than the current model, and the wheelbase is ~2" longer -- and most of the extra length goes to the legroom, apparently.

I'm just long period. Thanks for bringing the Fit to my attention. Leg room is a little shorter than the Impala and xB. So they probably have the dash in a little bit different configuration. I'll be sure to keep my eye on this car. Its way out of my price range sadly, maybe in a few years.

OM

[jsl4980]

I have a Hyundai Tucson (V6 4wd) and I can average between 23 and 26 miles per gallon per tank, my dad has a Scion xB and he averages over 30mpg. The xB has definite limits on space - with back-seat passengers it loses almost all of its cargo space. With the back seats down there's a lot of room. The Tucson is much more versatile and very good on snow and ice, but at the cost of mileage.