Gas Mileage and Car Choice

[jladue]

A colleague just got a 2008 Prius and gave me the tour. The energy monitor screen alone is worth the admission for a gadget geek. I wish they'd make a hybrid with four-wheel electric drive for the sticky spots. What a great feature that would be! For whatever reason, though, the Prius' freeway gas mileage isn't very spectacular, and running the A/C should keep the gas engine powered up most of the time.

I've had a Prius since 2005. Here's a plot of gas mileage from 2005-2006 by tank. My chasing has averaged 42-47 mpg. My worst mileage has been highway driving in extreme cold with a headwind. However during my worst mileage, my friend was driving in tandem with a Honda Civic and averaged 8mpg worse.

 

[mrobinett]

The Smarts are hard to get parts for here in the US, I delivered parts for one at a small bay mechanic's shop that took weeks to get from Europe. If they catch on, maybe parts will be easier to get.

I traded my 03 Astro for an 07 Dodge Caliber SXT. I love it. The first thing I did was remove the passenger seat. I can get most of my aerial photo platforms in there (1 heli and two planes). Gas mileage doubled. Im glad I did. I love my little fighter jet!!

 

[Gene Moore]

I am looking to purchase a 2004 Jeep Liberty Renegade. They are rated at about 22mpg.. I cant really find much in a good price range, that is 4WD, that gets any better MPG. But if someone knows something.. Let me know!!

Brandon, a few years ago I sold my beloved 2 door 4x4 Yukon for a Jeep Liberty. It's pretty basic, 5 speed, 4 cylinder, 4x4 and air conditioner. I heard whining on the Jeep forums about gas mileage with the 6 cylinder so I looked for and found a 4 cylinder. It's an unusual little vehicle, the colder it is the better it runs and the better the gas mileage. On a typical chase driving 70+ on the highway I get 24 MPG in the morning falling to 22 in the late afternoon (if it gets into the 90's). Of course on hail, in deep water or strong headwinds all the numbers drop as you might expect. Last May a couple of the tornadoes I intercepted were on muddy rain swamped roads that I would have otherwise missed with a 2 wheel drive. That said, there is a price for driving a true 4x4 as most off the new all wheel drives do get better gas mileage.

If I had it to do over I would have gone with my other choice, the Ford Escape, again the 4 cylinder, the 6 does suck gas and gets about 14-16 MPG in town. Mine gets about 20 in town. I'll add that my wife has a 2007 AWD Subaru and it gets 27-28 on the highway, sometimes higher. It has a much better top end than the Jeep and is more stable in crosswinds. It's very comfey on long trips, the Jeep is noisy with hard seats. Hope this helps.

Gene Moore

 

[Andrew Revering]

I think I already posted here I bought a Dodge Caliber about 3000 miles ago. Now that winter is hitting Minnesota at full force (which it hasn't done since 1996 -- we've got close to a foot of snow on the ground in the Minneapolis area) I wish I would have sprung for the all wheel drive version of the Caliber. Mileage on that vehicle was rated 24/28 I believe.

I think one thing to consider is weight. I know on those wet clay roads in Kansas you can get hurt more by a heavy vehicle than by a light vehicle... so I wonder if a light vehicle such as a car with all wheel drive wouldn't be the best option. Sure footed, low profile, light weight and good gas mileage. Not to mention typically cheaper to purchase than a big heavy truck.

 

[Wesley Luginbyhl]

AWD drive cars will get you through a lot, but it doesnt take much to high center though. I use to chase in my AWD turbocharged 5 speed Eagle Talon. The traction is great and i was pretty daring in that car and somehow never got stuck while chasing, but came very close. You are not normally going to have tires on there that would be good enough to pull you through any mud, nor do i think you can fit any on there that would help. I did make it through some really sandy areas in that car (not while chasing), but the low clearance will get you everytime. If you cant afford the big 4x4 it is definitely a good option, but its hard to beat a 4x4 with good clearance regardless of the gas mileage. Even with the better gas mileage, the AWD Talon doesnt even start to compare to the 4x4 Cherokee I have now.