[TreeFarmer]

Thanks to a poor driver the other day I'm in the market for a new vehicle. I've found that there are lots of models that get 22 to 24 mpg highway. Things like mini-vans, crossovers, etc. however, to get above 25 I'm having to look at what seems to be MUCH smaller vehicles.
Is there a vehicle out there that I am missing? Something that is decent size that gets 25+ on the highway?
Thanks for any help.
TF

P.S. I rented a Mazda with which I fell in love after about 50 miles. IF there was a dealer in the small town I live in I would definitely consider this vehicle. 22 mpg at 85 on the interstate. I drove it 550 miles in one day. They were not BSing when they said ZOOM ZOOM.

[dunewalker]

Thanks to a poor driver the other day I'm in the market for a new vehicle. I've found that there are lots of models that get 22 to 24 highway. Things like mini-vans, crossovers, etc. however, to get above 25 I'm having to look at what seems to be MUCH smaller vehicles.
Is there a vehicle out there that I am missing? Something that is decent size that gets 25+ on the highway?

If you're seriously understanding the implications of peak oil, you might consider one of these: link

I'm sure they get 25+ in a good day...

[Mesuge]

There is no sense in "upgrading" from sub 25mpg to 25+ mpg cars..
Also the size/weight will be always the major factor for fuel economy. But by all means wait for the real deal!
-Loremo LS 120mpg,
-Loremo EV 250mpg,
-Aptera 300mpg and many other options..

It's better to have some of the above uber efficient options to cover >80% of your driving needs and for those few days per year of hauling or whatever heavy duty task get some cheap SUV/pickup with low milage or new (they will be giving them out virtualy for free in few months)..

[Ayoob]

There is no sense in "upgrading" from sub 25mpg to 25+ mpg cars..
Also the size/weight will be always the major factor for fuel economy. But by all means wait for the real deal!
-Loremo LS 120mpg,
-Loremo EV 250mpg,
-Aptera 300mpg and many other options..
It's better to have some of the above uber efficient options to cover >80% of your driving needs and for those few days per year of hauling or whatever heavy duty task get some cheap SUV/pickup with low milage or new (they will be giving them out virtualy for free in few months)..

I'm thinking the same thing. I can't wait to snap up a Chevy Suburban behemoth that gets 8MPG. What's it going to cost me, two grand?

But 95% of the time I'll take my motorcycle or just ride a bicycle or something. The truck will just be for once a month trips to WalMart or Costco or something to pick up a flat of toilet paper and a thing of beans. That's the way to go.

Hell, a moped plus a truck is a great combination. I ran into a guy today who had a Velosolex, it looked interesting. 160-200mpg @ 22mph. Use that for getting around the neighborhood, a motorcycle for long commutes, and the truck as needed.

[Precipice]

You could get 4 segways and put them together in some kind of improvised chassis......

[TreeFarmer]

Congradulations! Always nice to collect a new car on someone elses dime.

Unfortunately, I am going to have to put some of my dimes with their dime to get another vehicle.

[mobil1]

I bought a Toyota Prius recently and love it. It's surprisingly big inside for a 4 person family and I'm getting 60+ MPG in city/semi-rural commute. See link for lots of info.

Other cars I considered for reliability and good value:
- 2009 Toyota Corolla. (Too new, some issues)
- 2008 Honda Fit. (Small for me.)
- 2008 Honda Civic. (My non-hybrid choice)
- 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid. (Issues with CVT.)

[kokoda]

In a year or two not only will the price of fuel be astronomical but it will probably be rationed as well.

Go as small and fuel efficient as you can get.

[taizee]

I use a bike around town with panniers for shopping (spend less). I am going to sell my Subaru Outback soonish. It's paid for and luckily it still has reasonable resale value. Next car... a basic small manual. And hire a car if I need it.

[SILENTTODD]

Before you buy you next car. Get your 1st, 2nd, or maybe 3rd bicycle (I have 4). Oh yes, get at least 3 sets of tires and tubes for each, they may become difficult to find in the near enough future.

Don't know anything about bicycles or which one to get? Read the posts on this link:

Bicycle Riders of the Future

Oh yes, most important for your bicycle in the future, WD40 IS NOT A LUBRICANT!! Look that up for yourself and learn!

[eastbay]

Ayoob raises a valid point here. If you only drive a few hundred miles a year on four wheels, and you can pick up a fairly new low miles Ford Excursion or V-10 cargo van really cheap, it only seems logical to do so.

Here's a nice 2001 Excursion for $27.00. A bit more than it's worth, but if you want one really bad this could be yours.

Here's another nice expedition for $50 bucks. Definitely overpriced, but maybe you can talk him down to $5.00.

[BaBaBlackSheep]

Hey...Our behemoth GMC Suburban gets 17 mpg on the highway if it is not pulling something. Pulling 25ft travel trailer it gets 12 highway. No, you can't have it for cheap. It and the trailer wait in the shed for extreme need. Ya never know...

I just picked up a 2001 Ford Focus which is supposed to get 35 with manual tranny. Unfortunately this one's an automatic but I certainly hope to get 30-32. We drive like little ol' Grandma and Grandpa (which we ARE!) I got this zippy white station wagon for $1800 because it needed a brake job.

I actually caught myself at a Toyota dealer wanting to see a Yaris hatchback and they "just didn't have one of those right now" and tried to get me interested in a Yaris sedan-17K- or a Scion hatchback for 15K. Finally I said to myself WHAT AM I THINKING!!?

The nest egg stays a nest egg. The Focus, the Sub and Gramps' motorcycle will do fine for now. Cripes, we have a 33 mpg manual S10 pickup, too.

What we save on fuel we spend on license and insurance!

(We live too far out in the boonies for pedal power.)

[watermelonpunch]

I would rather lose a finger than invest in a big vehicle nowadays.
I always wondered what happened to station wagons. Do they even still exist? Surely a station wagon would be applicable enough for a shopping trip to Costco?

Before you buy you next car. Get your 1st, 2nd, or maybe 3rd bicycle (I have 4). Oh yes, get at least 3 sets of tires and tubes for each, they may become difficult to find in the near enough future.

Okay Mister Titor.
A bicycle trailer of some type would probably be a more apt suggestion here. Do they make them, or do you have to make your own?

For a decade I lived with just a bicycle for transport, no car. And I can tell you that a rack can only hold so much, and large filled back packs can get pretty dicey to balance on hills & in bad weather. I often wished I had some kind of a trailer for trips to the grocery store.

Maybe that's why I see a 4-door sedan as having plenty of space for bulk shopping?

[criticalmass]

Unless you live in California and can really take advantage of some exciting new automotive opportunities, you can take things into your own hands and build an EV. I'm personally collecting things for an s10 conversion that should have a 70+ mile range. That would almost completely eliminate my direct dependence on oil with the exception of my motorcycle that gets 55 to 60 mpg.

What I'm getting at is you can have a fun and quiet vehicle to drive that doesn't use gas way BEFORE they are available to the public. Who knows? Maybe you'll have something even better than what is out there?

[TreeFarmer]

I checked the MPG on the Impala the other day using the built-in economy readout.

At:
55 mph 37 mpg
65 mph 32-33 mpg
75 mph 28 mpg
80 mph 26 mpg

Not bad at all for those speeds given the amount of room in the car IMHO. Of course a smaller car (really a more aerodynamic car) would do better.

TF

[criticalmass]

That's a great chart and probably not too far off, tree farmer.

The two largest things besides engine efficiency are drag coefficient and weight. There are some websites that chart out both, but there's very few cars that win at weight, drag, and engine efficiency. The Aptera has all three working for it. People will have to change the way they think about asthetics before something like that catches on. It takes pioneers!

[Woodenpaddler]

I'm looking to get rid of the nearly new mid-size 4-door 19 mpg pickup I have before it loses much value, but struggling with what to do. I could do 90% of my present needs, including snow and towing, with something like a 26 mpg Subaru Forester. Or adjust my needs downward but still move my family around in a higher mpg Prius. But even that can only be a temporary solution? Buy a used vehicle to last me just long enough until I can get an electric vehicle? Fortunately I own about 6 bikes! Any thoughts?

[Ferretlover]

One you can pay for in cash

[kublikhan]

I bought a Toyota Prius recently and love it. It's surprisingly big inside for a 4 person family and I'm getting 60+ MPG in city/semi-rural commute.
See http://priuschat.com/forums/ for lots of info.
Other cars I considered for reliability and good value:
- 2009 Toyota Corolla. (Too new, some issues)
- 2008 Honda Fit. (Small for me.)
- 2008 Honda Civic. (My non-hybrid choice)
- 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid. (Issues with CVT.)

Your shortlist is the same as mine for car shopping. I looked them up at consumer reports. Annual fuel bill is based on $4.00 gas and 15,000 miles a year.

Model CR Base Price Best Dealer Price CR Annual Fuel Bill
Corolla $15,250 $17,100 $1,890
Prius $21,500 $24,400 $1,425

$24,400 - $17,100 - $7300 difference in purchase price. $1890 - $1425 = $465 difference in annual fuel bill. At that rate, it would take 16 years of gas savings to make up the difference in purchase price, assuming 0% annual inflation. If you factor in a modest adjustment for inflation, it could take as much as 25 years to payoff. The Corolla was reported to have better fuel economy and less road noise then the Civic. What drew you to the Civic, and why did you go with the Prius in the end?

I need a car now and can't wait for a Loremo or Aptera.

[BaBaBlackSheep]

I wholeheartedly agree with what Ferretlover said. "One you can pay for with cash."

The Ford Focus station wagon I mentioned earlier here has now gotten new brakes all around with hubby doing the work and an outlay of $200 for parts. The investment in the car totals $2000 now. Of course I did not buy this from a used car lot. 2001 Ford Focuses seem to go for about $4500 around here on a lot. We bought from a State Dept. of Administration auction. High miles on but came with all maintenance records (our tax dollars at work) and a mechanical check/report before the sale.

Being a station wagon, it resembles some of the crossover vehicles that are popular right now.

Last fill I got 32.7 mpg. I am happy with it. The only thing better would be if it were a manual tranny. I like it so well that I am going to keep my eye out for a 2005-6-7 Focus Wagon. Unfortunately Ford quit the station wagon for 2008.

Things don't HAVE to have the Honda or Toyota name on to get you where you need to go.