Recommend a fuel efficient vehicle please

[sherry7]

I recently found out that my job is being transferred in a couple of months. My current commute is only 14 miles each way, but the new commute will be 49 miles each way. So, that's going to total around 25,000 miles a year just for work related driving (not counting driving for errands, etc). I'll definitely be driving, as public transportation is almost non-existent from my home.

I currently have a Kia Borrego SUV, which is a huge vehicle that only gets 17 miles per gallon with my average driving. I calculate that it would cost me around $400 a month in gas, just for driving back and forth to work. So, I think the time has come for me to get a more fuel efficient vehicle. DH only works 2 miles from home, so I think he's going to take my SUV (so we'll still have a bigger family vehicle for weekends, vacations, etc), and we're going to trade in his older truck.

Can anyone recommend a fuel efficient car to me? I still need to take my 3 year old DD back and forth to daycare each day, so I need easy access to get her in/out of her car seat. I'd like to have a smaller SUV, but I don't think any of them get particularly good gas mileage. I've heard that Honda Civics get good gas mileage and last forever, but I've love to get more recommendations so I can start researching.

 

[disneysmyhappyplace]

I think the civic would be a great choice! I have a new Honda odyssey and even as big as that car is I get 30 mpg on the highway! Just incredible gas mileage for such a heavy car! I can only imagine that with the civic you would be pushing 40 mpg.

 

[winterwhite]

can't beat a prius. I can't see why, with 1 kid and even if you had 2 large dogs, that you would need a full-size SUV for everyday with a family of 3. The regular prius (not the prius C) has more interior volume than a rav4.

 

[luvmy3]

can't beat a prius. I can't see why, with 1 kid and even if you had 2 large dogs, that you would need a full-size SUV for everyday with a family of 3. The regular prius (not the prius C) has more interior volume than a rav4.

Maybe she just wanted a full size SUV.

OP, there are so many cars out there now that get great gas mileage. My dh is a commuter (1 hour each way) and drives a Honda Civic. Its an older model and still gets fantastic mileage.
The CRV gets a 23 city and 31 highway rating.

 

[reagansmommy]

The Mazda cx-5 is an SUV that gets great gas mileage. Everyone I know with one loves it

 

[MrsDuck]

It may be a little small for having a kiddo but DH and I have a Mazda2 and a Honda Fit. We love them both and they get great gas mileage. If you're looking for something larger, I think a Civic is the way to go. Hondas are so reliable and you really can't go wrong with any of their vehicles, IMO!

 

[MrEVILdrPorkchop2u]

I love my Camry!

 

[tvguy]

can't beat a prius. I can't see why, with 1 kid and even if you had 2 large dogs, that you would need a full-size SUV for everyday with a family of 3. The regular prius (not the prius C) has more interior volume than a rav4.

If money is the issue, avoid the Prius. You will never ever recoup the extra cost in fuel savings.

Other than Fiat, Dodge and VW, I think almost any small car will servce you well....Yaris, Corolla, Versa, Sentra, Sonic, Cruze, Fiesta, Focus,

 

[Earstou]

The Prius is a great car! We get 46 mpg with our 2008 Prius and do a lot of highway driving. If we did more city driving, our mileage would be higher. I hear the newer models get between 50 and 60 mpg!

Our van is on it's last legs and we are thinking about replacing it with a Prius V.

 

[wiigirl]

Nissan Altima

 

[Princess_Nikki]

We are diehard German auto lovers...so can't say about the others mentioned. However, I loved my diesel VW Jetta I used to have.

I would start doing some research online, too. Compare the models you might be interested in.

There are so many options out there these days...good luck!

 

[wtrmlnlabs]

We are diehard German auto lovers...so can't say about the others mentioned. However, I loved my diesel VW Jetta I used to have.

I would start doing some research online, too. Compare the models you might be interested in.

There are so many options out there these days...good luck!

Me too!! I just got my first (used) VW Jetta Diesel. The tank holds 15 gallons and I get over 550 miles to a tank. Gotta love that! I hear they last forever. I'm hoping that's right. Searching for a used one most had over 150,000 and some way more than that.

Before this we've had two Hondas. One was a 2 door Civic. Even with two young kids in the back it worked for us (wasn't cramped). I was happy to be getting around 38 miles to the gallon. When someone pulled out in front of us and it was totaled we got a Honda Accord, 4 door. We got about 30 mpg with it. My Civic was 3000 miles under 200,000 and running great. They do last. We sold the Accord to a gentleman for his daughter, her current Honda has 300,000 on it.

 

[Shmily1]

DD22 has a Chevrolet Cruze. It gets 44 mpg and is great! We pack everything in that car.

 

[pryncess527]

I have a VW Beetle TDI and average about 37/40 mpg. I get even better when I do more highway driving.

I don't think the Beetle specifically would be a good choice for you due to size, but you might look at other Volkswagen models that come with the TDI engine.

 

[csharpwv]

The is a new report out about some of the smaller cars, Nissan and KIA specifically that they ultimately failed front end collision test. So PLEASE check the vehicle's safety report from the Highway Safety Institute before you buy a new far.

We just bought a new VW Beetle last month and the minimum highway mileage I get is upward of 30mpg.

There is a lot of cargo room in a Beetle - I had one for work two different times as a rental and always had plenty of room to haul around the tons... and tons of boxes that I needed for my old job.

We recently made a trip to Disney and had tons of room for two people and a weeks worth of luggage (no matter how hard we try, we are chronic over-packers!) OK, so we were just going to the airport HAHA But to be fair, we both said we wish we had just driven! The Beetle is so much fun to drive!

 

[pryncess527]

We recently made a trip to Disney and had tons of room for two people and a weeks worth of luggage (no matter how hard we try, we are chronic over-packers!) OK, so we were just going to the airport HAHA But to be fair, we both said we wish we had just driven! The Beetle is so much fun to drive!

Amen to that!! We are planning to drive instead of fly for our (hopefully) upcoming trip and it's not even about money savings, I just want to have my cute car with me!

I've never been a person to care about my car before getting my Beetle, but it is so much fun to drive that it will be hard for me to go back to thinking of a car as just a thing to get me from point A to point B.

 

[winterwhite]

If money is the issue, avoid the Prius. You will never ever recoup the extra cost in fuel savings.

Other than Fiat, Dodge and VW, I think almost any small car will servce you well....Yaris, Corolla, Versa, Sentra, Sonic, Cruze, Fiesta, Focus,

Saving $$ is obviously not an issue for us as we have 4 cars, one of which is a prius C which in around town running around get 65-70mpg. The mileage goes down at highway speeds but going from my 30mpg car to that one has reduced the gas bill to about $50 a month. The vehicle was $21,000 new, so about the same as the other cars listed when well equipped. The resale value is also insane. So, there are more factors than just up front purchase price.

The difference between a prius C and its non-hybrid mate, a yaris, is often less than $2000 comparably equipped-- and with gas at almost $4, you will make that up.

But it sounds like the OP wants a big car that's also fuel efficient, which is a pipe dream.

I personally like my 2013 Accord, which gets similar mileage to my focus that I just ditched this past weekend for being a total piece of junk (it was a 2012.)

 

[tvguy]

Saving $$ is obviously not an issue for us as we have 4 cars

.

For me either, until 2 weeks ago I had 6, down to 5 now, with 4 drivers, including a Suburban with a license plate frame that says "My Favorite Meal is a Prius".

 

[eyor44]

I have a 2012 Accord and it gets 30 going back and forth to work and around town. I drive at leats 60 miles a day. On trips I get about 37mpg. This my second Accord as I gave my 2006 to my son and it gets the same gas mileage.
Whatever you chose do check the safety ratings. One reason I stayed with the Accord.

 

[clutter]

Ok, stop picking on the Prius. With a 98 mile/day commute, you will see the savings. I drove a Prius for 9 years. Mostly highway, some city. In the summer I'd usually get 51mpg. Winters were 44 mpg (we have 'winter grade' gas from October to April. This has been consistent for 9 years, different model years, though. Unlike others' experience, I got much better mileage on the highway than in the city. In the city, the stop and go was just enough to get switched from electric to gas before stopping again, so I didn't see a benefit of city driving. If I happened to have a tank that was all highway, it was more like 52+mpg. The Prius is fairly comfortable (however, I didn't like the interior of the V as much as the regular one, and the C feels cheap, and not as well made.)

With an SUV in the family, you could always switch for the days snow might be a concern. With that kind of commute, my newest recommendation is satellite radio and blue tooth. Good luck. My commute is half of yours - mileage wise, probably the same time wise, and it's a bear. But after years of doing it, I'm [sort of] used to it.