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Hello. First time poster and utter noob when it comes to cars and how they work. I currently own a 98 Ford Escort and, with the rising cost of gas, I've decided to make my next car purchase as fuel efficient as possible AND match my driving needs. I'm not so much looking for advice on what cars to keep my eye on but what features I should look for in a car.

I live in Vancouver, Canada and use my car almost exclusively to support my main hobby - hiking. My city driving is minimal. Of the 15K km (8K miles?) I drive each year, 5% are city, 50% are windy highways, 25% are flat highways, 15% are loose surface, 5% are rough surface (percentages are by distance, not time). What I need is a car with excellent mileage but can also deal with those loose and rough surfaces. I already know that clearance is important for rough roads and that most FE cars (like hybrids) have lower clearances. I'm guessing that torque is the other important aspect to get up steep slopes or thru waterbars and washouts. Am I right? I am happy with where my Escort can take me and I don't want to lose the ability to drive to where I can now.

Also, living in Canada, I have some interesting options. The Smart Car is one. Another is imported used Japanese K-Cars (different from the old 80's K-Cars). A local company (http://www.japanoid.com/) imports them and, despite their age (Japanese law prohibits the export of cars younger than 15 years), they have good FE - mostly due to smaller engines (I think). Is the smaller engine ok if the car has sufficient torque / 4wd on the fly? What would be good numbers to look for?

Some other limitations: I can't drive standard (but willing to learn if it give me an extra 10mpg or something) and 95% of the trips would be 2 people. I wouldn't mind going to just 2 person capacity but I'm sure my gf would to keep the ability to fit 4 people (but I don't mind those in the back being uncomfortable :p ).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions / information.

- chris

Hello and welcome!

First question: How much money are you looking to spend? That makes quite a difference when considering the possibilities.

Second question: When you're talking about loose and rough surfaces, how loose and rough are we talking? Is 4wd really needed? The problem is that 4WD and fuel efficiency do not mix readily. The Escape Hybrid is about the most fuel efficient 4WD vehicle I know of but won't give you the greatest fuel efficiency to cost ratio. You will be much better off if you can get by with something in a compact or mid-size FWD platform, since that's how the best possibilities tend to be packaged. If that Escort of yours is good enough then you should be in good shape.

In a nutshell: Hybrid technology is great if you can afford it. If not, your next best bet is something with a small-ish four-cylinder engine and a manual transmission. Again, FWD is preferred to 4WD to cut down on drivetrain losses. Cars that are designed for "performance" won't be as good as cars designed for efficiency because they tend to have larger engines/shorter gearing. Most important, try not to buy more car than you need. Weight is important for city driving, but sheer size is what will effect you most on the highway since it effects aerodynamic drag. Cars with lots of clearance/lots of frontal area will suffer.

Hi Chris in Canada;

I would take a very-strong look at the Subaru vehicles. I think all of them are (Full-Time) all WD (Wheel Drive). I have had friends that have owned them and drove them for way over a 100,000 Miles. There are all kinds of them. Cars and Suv's and Wagons. Don't know what is available in Canada so this is just information on what kind of vehicle line would work if you can buy them in Canada.
Looks like you are in business. Canada has Subaru Dealers. :D

Good-Luck: :)

BTW; Try this site for:

Subaru Dealers: Locate a Subaru Dealership to Buy a New or Used Sub...
Automotive.com has the largest database of certified Subaru dealers across the United States and Canada. No one makes it easier to find a trusted Subaru ...

http://www.automotive.com/subaru/18/dealers/index.html

First question: How much money are you looking to spend?
I don't think I would ever buy new - the initial depreciation is too much. I prefer to look for a well maintained 2nd hand about 3yrs old. Let's say $15K US before taxes, etc.

Second question: When you're talking about loose and rough surfaces, how loose and rough are we talking? Is 4wd really needed?
Everything from hard-pack dirt to rather badly eroded. I usually drive as far as I can and stop when the road conditions stop me (usually due to clearance or not enough traction). I don't currently have 4wd so don't really need it (it would take me further but I really don't need it). But 4wd on the fly might allow a car with a smaller engine to go where I can now. Less than 1-2% of my driving would need 4wd so I would only consider 2wd with the ability to change to 4wd when I need it.

I don't think the Escape is fuel efficient enough for me. And I'm concerned about the overall environmental cost of Hybrids (battery manufacture and eventual disposal).

Most important, try not to buy more car than you need. Weight is important for city driving, but sheer size is what will effect you most on the highway since it effects aerodynamic drag. Cars with lots of clearance/lots of frontal area will suffer.
Ahh, this is great stuff and mostly confirms what I've been thinking. Pity about the clearance. Would be nice if you could jack your car up a couple inches on the fly when you need it :D .

I would say honda civic, toyota corolla, or toyota echo.

Have you checked out this article:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=665

I would say honda civic, toyota corolla, or toyota echo.

Have you checked out this article:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=665

Tom;

I forgot about that. Great source of {Used-Vehicles}. :D

I still think there should be a Del Sol on that list somewhere.......

Chris;

Read this:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=724

Quote from Article:

Let the numbers -- the ones on the window sticker -- speak for themselves. the base model with You can opt for a manual transmission at just $10,570. The other eye-catching numbers are EPA gas-mileage estimates of 32 m.p.g. in city driving and 35 m.p.g. on the highway.

yeah i thought the kia rio was a good choice, just because it has good price although reliability is unknown but at least the 06 models has a huge improvement over the previous. Just if you can live that the fact its a kia

Hey if you ever want to know which routes to take in Van let me know, I know all the FAS hotspots :D well almost... but in Surrey I'll gladly show you the ropes!

well almost, let me tell you don't spend more than 2 bucks ($1.15 a liter) to get from city to city, at least for me. 1.4 liters from delta surrey to vancouver baby! taking the 91 route.

In my personal humble opinion 4WD is useless, unless you absolutely feel you need the extra grip in the rain (we only get snow maybe 5 times or less a year?) but how good front wheel drive cars these days I think its not worth the cost + gas. Also I noticed if your going to drive for efficency might as well drop it right now unless you feel you need the grip for speeding. From my experience those who get 4WD are those who love to accelerate hard and fast and likes to go from lane to lane just so they can be the first in line at the red light. As well the 4WD aspect for some odd reason gives the user that extra sense of "security" and that it is okay to go fast because you got grip!

absolutely garbage.

forgot to add, since you want a 4wd with a small engine? hehe.... expect to pay high at the pump. Lots of power losses there from the looks of what you want.

I think you missunderstood. I believe he said he didn't want 4wd and would only think about it if it were able to go in to it on the fly and that 4wd all the time was unaccepptable.

Just a quick word of advice: remember to consider the cost of a new car. You may be better off to stick with your (relatively fuel efficient) Escort than to outlay $10K for a new(er) vehicle. Grant it, that all depends on the current condition of your car, but if you employ the techniques we recommend here on the site, you'll save a lot of money, not only in MPGs, but in not having a car payment. :)

Recommending the Suburu was good because it's not so obvious a choice. In 2-3 years there might be more small SUV hybrid choices. Right now the FEH is it. Depending on the kind of terrain, the hybrid Civic sounds best.

Thanks for all the responses!

johnf514, my Escort is relatively fuel efficient (I've been able to get close to 40mpg on occasion based on my rough calculations) and I am planning on sticking with it for a while. Just want to start thinking about what the future replacement will / should be.

I'm going to spend some time reading those links, thanks all!

I am in Canada (Toronto area), going from an expensive AWD into a Honda Civic Hybrid, most of my cars I bought new but I believe you'll be doing the right thing getting a 2-3 year old used car. The AWD even with snow is over rated.
My recommendation (very personal, I hope not to offend anyone's sensibilities): sell the Escort, buy a used Honda Civic or Acura CSX/Integra. For extra traction in winter (ice and/or snow) get a good set of winter tires instead of AWD. Used car market for hybrids is non-existant in Canada don't bother with them. Keep reading CleanMPG to learn from the MPG Masters.

I hope this helps.

^ good advice... winter tires and driving skill beats AWD with an unexperienced person anyday.

sorry for the misunderstanding, 40 mpg is pretty good for highway driving!

I think acuras have too much bloated stuff for one to achieve high mileage like regular honda cars.