Archives

Let me first say hello to all of you mpg freaks who may come across my post -- it is my first. I've known about this site for a long time, maybe visited it a few times. keep up the good work.

This may be unnecessary, but I'm going to give a few about myself that you may or may not agree with. #1: I dont have a car. (lol with any laughs). This is because...well, I'm a pretty practical guy, to say the least. 2, I know most of what there is to know about getting good gas mileage. Grew up in a community where if a man's to drive a car that can't hit 60 before a couple heatbeats, ...he's not a man. Of course I love the authority that sports cars have on the road, as I've logged a good deal on some worthy competitors (friends and family drive some potent cars). But, eeeehhh, you know.

I'm now considering buying a car, to boost productivity. And I'm looking at cars that'll make a few peers doubt my sexual orientation (would myself a few years back). Dont have the $ for a hybrid. I'm lookin at <2 liters, 4-cylinders. I'm looking for utility, without compromising many mpgs. But I need to know the capabilities/limitations of engines in this sector.

How do compact cars fare on long trips, under reasonable loads, in terms of fuel efficiency, and even comfort? An example: friend's scion xB seems to be more spacious than dads minivan, but has less than half the engine. Sure, it can get excellent mpgs around town, but how well (think overall quality) would it do at 70mph, with 4 adults in it, and equipment? I know that there's a direct relationship between mpg and weight, and obviously the car would be getting no better fuel economy with the added load. But will it struggle? Say, around hilly/mountainous terrain? Will it still be economical?Ok, maybe the xB isnt the best for the job.

Maybe a better example would be a honda civic, toyota corolla, matrix. Those of you who have good experience with these cars, I'd really appreciate your insight.

Maybe a better example would be a honda civic, toyota corolla, matrix. Those of you who have good experience with these cars, I'd really appreciate your insight.

Sorry, but you will not find anyone giving away any insights here :D

Welcome to CleanMPG. I'm not very experienced with larger vehicles, but a few members on here should have some info. The Focus is being revived for 2012 so if u could hold out, the hatch might do the job that you've been wanting without compromise on agility!

In case it wasn't clear, Ricardo was making a pun about Honda Insights. ;)

You'll find that smaller cars will handle loading better than you might think. The first model xB is quite good for mileage but its boxy visage isn't the best for high speed driving (too much wind resistance). Anything you would choose could get substantially better numbers at 60mph as opposed to 70mph and most vehicles will exceed the highway rating assigned by the EPA if driven sensibly around 60mph. 50-55mph is a much better range and a good choice for shorter trips (or longer ones if you have the patience for it :D).

The Civic and the Corolla will both get better mileage than the Matrix, but if you need the utility the choice is easy to make.

Weight hurts the most in city driving where you must accelerate it multiple times. It doesn't hurt nearly as much on the highway -- you won't feel it or see it in the fuel efficiency nearly as much there as in stop and go traffic.

I would also recommend looking at the Elantra. Mine has been a solid and ridiculously capable vehicle for me with plenty of space and comfort for my 6'5" frame. The Insight actually has more legroom, but of course there are only 2 seats in it. I've taken long trips in both without any discomfort. The new model of the Elantra is due to be introduced very soon and should be extremely capable. Either the new Elantra or the new Focus would be at the top of my shopping list if I had to pick out a new gas powered vehicle.

Good luck and keep asking questions!

This article:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=665
though 4.5 years old, will give you many good ideas toward used fuel efficient choices.

Welcome to cleanmpg!

On the effect of load I can tell you that on a tank which included over 150 miles with 2 adults, 1 skinny teen and luggage traveling at highway speeds our 2008 Civic mileage didn't change noticeably, even if it needed a big more gas pedal when driving. Click on the link in my sig and look for the 08/25/2009 tank. I was probably commuting in the Civic at the time.

Thank you all for the help! About the ironic reference to the honda insight, Sean, once I read Ricardo's response I thought, "darn it! I knew that was coming!" haha

I have an 05 xB and haven't regretted it yet. At max 50 mph I can consistently get better than 45 mpg. Once I push to 65 mph, my mpg's drop to between 40 and 44. At 70 mph steady (which I don't do) I guess you would be at or below 40.

I'm not top flight hypermiler, but probably 90% as good as that. Your results will very much depend on how hard you follow the discipline. In particular, your willingness to use a FAS switch and P&G is likely to result in a 8 to 10 mpg difference.

In terms of hilly conditions, the engine makes acceptable power if you flog it, but I try to avoid rpm's greater than 2200 except during highway trips. With 4 people and gear, you would be flogging it as hard as possible going west from Denver on I-70 and probably have trouble keeping above 55 mph. I suspect that will be true of any 1500 cc engined car.

The Fridge is correct when he makes a point about speed vs fuel economy. Any vehicle once you pass 60 mph the fuel economy starts drop quickly. I run a maximum of 65 mph in my 960 and have yet to see any speeds north of 60 mph in my Prius.

The difference with the Volvo 960 between 65 mph and 70 mph on long trips is around 2.5 - and 3 mpg. Which is close to a 10% loss in fuel economy with an increase of five miles per hour.

With the XB, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and the Matrix the same speed vs fuel economy rule still applies.

All these vehicle will give you good mileage with low maintenance costs.

I have an 06 HHR 2.4L auto and have been averaging 30+ mpg for the 74000 miles I've got on the clock. It has lots of room with the back seats down and can carry lots of stuff. The newer HHRs have higher mpg ratings and have some $4000 discounts on the cars. Most HHRs come with a 2.2L four cylinder with the same mileage ratings.