Author Topic: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs  (Read 6794 times)

Frugal Father

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10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« on: November 18, 2015, 01:38:14 PM »
Randomly came across this article on KBB the other day and it gave me a chortle. I think they missed the irony of the article...

http://www.kbb.com/car-reviews-and-news/top-10/most-fuel-efficient-suvs-2015/2000011595-10/

gimp

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2015, 01:49:08 PM »
That website gave me cancer. Even adblock didn't stop it from being horrible. Ten bytes of context and a megabyte of ads and trackers... and a top ten list split into ten pages.

boarder42

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #2 on: November 18, 2015, 07:01:33 PM »
I have a ford escape hybrid. I get 45 mpgs. Better than most get in their tiny cars

zephyr911

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #3 on: November 18, 2015, 07:37:20 PM »
My Volt is all the SUV I need. Sporty off the line, low CoG, hauls a ton of shit with the seats folded down.
117mpg lifetime, and rising ;)

boarder42

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #4 on: November 19, 2015, 04:12:31 AM »
And how much does a volt cost?  Asking bc I have chargers at my office

Ducky

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #5 on: November 19, 2015, 04:57:48 AM »
I still don't get why everyone here is against SUV's and trucks. Especially if you have a use for them. I love my little CX5 SUV. I can haul a lot of stuff in that thing. It gets good gas mileage. It works out great when we have to take the family on long trips. The insurance is less than for the small car I had due to more safety features. It drives excellent in our northern winters.  We also have a truck that gets a lot less miles on it but hauls the camper, enough wood to heat with from our land out in the sticks, dead deer and other game my hunters shoot. We also plow with it.It also fits 6 people.  We buy our autos new with cash  and drive them about 15 years.   I think too many here jump on the bandwagon that these things are bad just because they personally don't have a use for them.
« Last Edit: November 19, 2015, 05:00:06 AM by Ducky »

GuitarStv

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #6 on: November 19, 2015, 05:45:10 AM »
Yeah, truck ownership is a religious thing with a great many people, so this topic does seem to come up pretty often.

Nobody on this forum is against SUVs or trucks if you have a use for them.  If you need to haul a couple tons worth of stuff several times a week they make a lot of sense.  If you're retrofitting them to live in rather than own a house, they make a lot of sense.  If you spend the entire winter plowing snow with them, they make a lot of sense.

If you believe that four wheel drive somehow makes you safer in the winter though, you're wrong.  Winter tires make a huge difference to safety, but you can get them for any vehicle.  Most trucks are rear wheel drive and harder to control in poor weather.  Trucks/SUVs typically have a higher center of balance so are more dangerous than a minivan or car due to higher chance of rolling over . . . especially in deep snow.  If you take your family on long trips several times a week, they make less sense than a minivan (worse fuel economy, more expensive).

Again, there's nothing wrong with owning a truck if you have a use for it.  But, an awful lot of trucks are sold and used by people who don't really have a use for them.  I'm talking about the guy who buys a truck because he goes hunting once a year, and needs to commute 40 km each way every other day.  Or the woman who buys a large SUV because she feels safer in the vehicle, so is happy to speed along with her four wheel drive during a bad snow storm (endangering everyone else).  It would be shocking to me if you claimed not to know at least one of these people.

boarder42

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #7 on: November 19, 2015, 05:52:12 AM »
i was the guy who used to have a truck as my daily driver b/c i own a boat and tow it a grand total of 4 times per yaer.  now i pay buddies in beer and boat rides to do that for me. 

However i will say IF you feel the need to justify somehting you do to internet strangers then you're probably trying to justify it to yourself.  I own a boat but i dont come on here looking for approval from mustachians b/c thats never going to happen. 

Ducky

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #8 on: November 19, 2015, 06:01:48 AM »
i was the guy who used to have a truck as my daily driver b/c i own a boat and tow it a grand total of 4 times per yaer.  now i pay buddies in beer and boat rides to do that for me. 

However i will say IF you feel the need to justify somehting you do to internet strangers then you're probably trying to justify it to yourself.  I own a boat but i dont come on here looking for approval from mustachians b/c thats never going to happen.

I dont know if this is directed at me or in general. I wasnt justifying anything. Just saying there are good reasons people own these autos. I also own a boat. I dont justify that either. I just feel too many people drink the kool aid of Mustachian and decide certain things are bad without using their heads.

Ducky

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #9 on: November 19, 2015, 06:06:29 AM »
Yeah, truck ownership is a religious thing with a great many people, so this topic does seem to come up pretty often.

Nobody on this forum is against SUVs or trucks if you have a use for them.  If you need to haul a couple tons worth of stuff several times a week they make a lot of sense.  If you're retrofitting them to live in rather than own a house, they make a lot of sense.  If you spend the entire winter plowing snow with them, they make a lot of sense.

If you believe that four wheel drive somehow makes you safer in the winter though, you're wrong.  Winter tires make a huge difference to safety, but you can get them for any vehicle.  Most trucks are rear wheel drive and harder to control in poor weather.  Trucks/SUVs typically have a higher center of balance so are more dangerous than a minivan or car due to higher chance of rolling over . . . especially in deep snow.  If you take your family on long trips several times a week, they make less sense than a minivan (worse fuel economy, more expensive).

Again, there's nothing wrong with owning a truck if you have a use for it.  But, an awful lot of trucks are sold and used by people who don't really have a use for them.  I'm talking about the guy who buys a truck because he goes hunting once a year, and needs to commute 40 km each way every other day.  Or the woman who buys a large SUV because she feels safer in the vehicle, so is happy to speed along with her four wheel drive during a bad snow storm (endangering everyone else).  It would be shocking to me if you claimed not to know at least one of these people.

I dont believe 4 wheel drive is any safer. However I can say 4 wheel drive will more easily get you through a foot of snow when you have to go a half mile to hit a main road. The all wheel drive little suv SUV is higher than my old car and doesnt get buried as your try to plow on to the main road and get stuck as easily.

Of course I do know some of those people. On e of my fav people is one of them.  However since I live in the northwoods I also know lots of people that use trucks a lot for a reason.

Frugal Father

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #10 on: November 19, 2015, 07:30:26 AM »
I still don't get why everyone here is against SUV's and trucks. Especially if you have a use for them. I love my little CX5 SUV. I can haul a lot of stuff in that thing. It gets good gas mileage. It works out great when we have to take the family on long trips. The insurance is less than for the small car I had due to more safety features. It drives excellent in our northern winters.  We also have a truck that gets a lot less miles on it but hauls the camper, enough wood to heat with from our land out in the sticks, dead deer and other game my hunters shoot. We also plow with it.It also fits 6 people.  We buy our autos new with cash  and drive them about 15 years.   I think too many here jump on the bandwagon that these things are bad just because they personally don't have a use for them.
It's not that we're against SUV's and trucks. It just seems that most people that own them (at least that I see) don't really need them and are wasting their resources. Your situation sounds very different from the typical SUV/truck owner. If I lived "out in the sticks," I would probably own a truck as well.

JordanOfGilead

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #11 on: November 19, 2015, 12:07:32 PM »
Randomly came across this article on KBB the other day and it gave me a chortle. I think they missed the irony of the article...

http://www.kbb.com/car-reviews-and-news/top-10/most-fuel-efficient-suvs-2015/2000011595-10/
To be fair, all of these SUVs have a better average mpg rating than my scion ...

golden1

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #12 on: November 19, 2015, 12:21:54 PM »
I just traded a minivan that got 18 mpg for a small SUV that gets 27 (It's on that list).  I didn't need the extra space anymore and they are making decent strides in cranking up the fuel efficiency in these things.  With the back seats down it holds almost as much as the mini van did.  I do agree that the reason to get an SUV isn't really about the AWD and perceived safety.  I drove my FWD minivan in the snow for years and never had issues with it.  I personally just like the hatchback and the higher up driver's seat for visibility.  Many of the SUVs in that article are essentially jacked up station wagons.

boarder42

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #13 on: November 19, 2015, 01:45:35 PM »
I just traded a minivan that got 18 mpg for a small SUV that gets 27 (It's on that list).  I didn't need the extra space anymore and they are making decent strides in cranking up the fuel efficiency in these things.  With the back seats down it holds almost as much as the mini van did.  I do agree that the reason to get an SUV isn't really about the AWD and perceived safety.  I drove my FWD minivan in the snow for years and never had issues with it.  I personally just like the hatchback and the higher up driver's seat for visibility.  Many of the SUVs in that article are essentially jacked up station wagons.

yeah i think thats a great take on it.  "stationwagon" and "minivan" arent cool cars so car companies have caught onto this and basically make SUVs look like minivans and stationwagons but call them SUVs

JordanOfGilead

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #14 on: November 19, 2015, 01:55:37 PM »
I just traded a minivan that got 18 mpg for a small SUV that gets 27 (It's on that list).  I didn't need the extra space anymore and they are making decent strides in cranking up the fuel efficiency in these things.  With the back seats down it holds almost as much as the mini van did.  I do agree that the reason to get an SUV isn't really about the AWD and perceived safety.  I drove my FWD minivan in the snow for years and never had issues with it.  I personally just like the hatchback and the higher up driver's seat for visibility.  Many of the SUVs in that article are essentially jacked up station wagons.

yeah i think thats a great take on it.  "stationwagon" and "minivan" arent cool cars so car companies have caught onto this and basically make SUVs look like minivans and stationwagons but call them SUVs
I believe the word they like to use is "crossover."
A good example would be the Honda crosstour. It was literally a fastback accord wagon with a slightly higher suspension.

Papa Mustache

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #15 on: November 24, 2015, 09:29:02 AM »
I still don't get why everyone here is against SUV's and trucks. Especially if you have a use for them. I love my little CX5 SUV. I can haul a lot of stuff in that thing. It gets good gas mileage. It works out great when we have to take the family on long trips. The insurance is less than for the small car I had due to more safety features. It drives excellent in our northern winters.  We also have a truck that gets a lot less miles on it but hauls the camper, enough wood to heat with from our land out in the sticks, dead deer and other game my hunters shoot. We also plow with it.It also fits 6 people.  We buy our autos new with cash  and drive them about 15 years.   I think too many here jump on the bandwagon that these things are bad just because they personally don't have a use for them.

Everything you said. We do our chores with a CR-V and a Brenderup 1205s enclosed trailer. Nearly 300K miles on the 'V at this point. WAY more handy than our sedan. The sedan gets more miles per gallon but the trunk non-folding rear seat limits what we can carry with it.

Would buy it again with AWD b/c AWD has been handy from time to time. Despite being primarily FWD - it is traction limited without AWD. My domestic FWD sedan probably has better FWD traction.  AWD represents a 1 mpg penalty. Not a big deal since we carpool most of the time.
« Last Edit: November 24, 2015, 09:34:51 AM by Joe Average »

ketchup

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #16 on: November 24, 2015, 09:57:56 AM »
I just traded a minivan that got 18 mpg for a small SUV that gets 27 (It's on that list).  I didn't need the extra space anymore and they are making decent strides in cranking up the fuel efficiency in these things.  With the back seats down it holds almost as much as the mini van did.  I do agree that the reason to get an SUV isn't really about the AWD and perceived safety.  I drove my FWD minivan in the snow for years and never had issues with it.  I personally just like the hatchback and the higher up driver's seat for visibility.  Many of the SUVs in that article are essentially jacked up station wagons.

yeah i think thats a great take on it.  "stationwagon" and "minivan" arent cool cars so car companies have caught onto this and basically make SUVs look like minivans and stationwagons but call them SUVs
I wish they still made real station wagons.  Our second car is a big old ugly station wagon (1992 Buick Roadmaster) and it's great.  It has a ludicrous amount of space, gigantic wheelbase, seats eight comfortably (or a 4x8 sheet of plywood flat, or four 36x24 dog crates containing dogs).  And it drives like a car.  I don't have to climb up into it, I don't have to stretch to put two queen mattresses on top (yes, it's been done), it doesn't blow around in the wind or have essentially any roll-over risk at all (helps that the damn thing isn't tall and weighs 4500+lbs minus rust).  It has a towing capacity of something ridiculous (I think 5000lbs but I don't remember for sure).  It's old and fugly and only gets 20MPG, but I paid $700 for it and functionally it can't be matched by the new stuff.

Papa Mustache

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #17 on: November 24, 2015, 11:19:10 AM »
I keep waiting for the station wagon that you describe - the big wagons - to return. probably never happen b/c like the minivan - it is made fun of.

paddedhat

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #18 on: November 25, 2015, 04:29:17 PM »
I keep waiting for the station wagon that you describe - the big wagons - to return. probably never happen b/c like the minivan - it is made fun of.
Amazing how marketing has rotted the minds of the public, here in the states. My wife has a CRV, which no matter how you cross your eyes and try to bullshit your way out of it, IS a small station wagon. However, if you dare mention that fact to her, she get's all angry, as if being seen in a station wagon is one step up from pushing a shopping cart full of everything you own, and sleeping under a bridge. I would love to see decent wagons available in all sizes, but it might be a while before we outgrow the SUV phase in these parts.

Travis

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #19 on: November 26, 2015, 08:57:36 AM »
Quote
Especially if you have a use for them

A significant number of truck and SUV owners in the US have no practical use for them, especially if the parking lot at my office is an indicator.  I just spent the last three weeks in Germany where nearly every vehicle on the road was an Audi, Mini, Smart car, or Mercedes.  Most of the sedans were hatchbacks, and the only trucks and SUVs were either driven by businesses and government or US military who imported their vehicles from home.

Ducky

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #20 on: November 29, 2015, 12:31:56 PM »
I still don't get why everyone here is against SUV's and trucks. Especially if you have a use for them. I love my little CX5 SUV. I can haul a lot of stuff in that thing. It gets good gas mileage. It works out great when we have to take the family on long trips. The insurance is less than for the small car I had due to more safety features. It drives excellent in our northern winters.  We also have a truck that gets a lot less miles on it but hauls the camper, enough wood to heat with from our land out in the sticks, dead deer and other game my hunters shoot. We also plow with it.It also fits 6 people.  We buy our autos new with cash  and drive them about 15 years.   I think too many here jump on the bandwagon that these things are bad just because they personally don't have a use for them.

Everything you said. We do our chores with a CR-V and a Brenderup 1205s enclosed trailer. Nearly 300K miles on the 'V at this point. WAY more handy than our sedan. The sedan gets more miles per gallon but the trunk non-folding rear seat limits what we can carry with it.

Would buy it again with AWD b/c AWD has been handy from time to time. Despite being primarily FWD - it is traction limited without AWD. My domestic FWD sedan probably has better FWD traction.  AWD represents a 1 mpg penalty. Not a big deal since we carpool most of the time.



I can get a lot more in the CX5 than the sedan it replaced so I sure agree with you.  Ive never driven one without AWD so I don't really know what the difference is as far as traction from experience.

Ducky

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Re: 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
« Reply #21 on: November 29, 2015, 12:40:27 PM »
Quote
Especially if you have a use for them

A significant number of truck and SUV owners in the US have no practical use for them, especially if the parking lot at my office is an indicator.  I just spent the last three weeks in Germany where nearly every vehicle on the road was an Audi, Mini, Smart car, or Mercedes.  Most of the sedans were hatchbacks, and the only trucks and SUVs were either driven by businesses and government or US military who imported their vehicles from home.

Im sure your right and some people absolutely don't have a use for them. However some people do. A lot of it is going to depend on your lifestyle , where you live etc. Not everyone is going to be throwing deer in them or hauling equipment to their job, rentals etc.  It seems sometimes this forum has an attitude of moral superiority based on the part of  consumer behavior we think we see. We rarely see the whole picture. I have a client that drives a new Camero half the year.Its a new one every year.  Many people probably think they see a middle aged man having a mid life crisis. He really is the owner of the  local Chevy dealership. He constantly has people admiring his cars. He is quick to shake hands and introduce himself and hand out his business card.
« Last Edit: November 29, 2015, 12:45:42 PM by Ducky »