Dear Drive Guys: I am in the market for a new vehicle. I want an economical car (20 mpg city/25 mpg highway) that costs less than $30K and my wife says it needs to be an AWD or 4WD capable.
Obviously I’ve looked at SUVs and Subarus, but was wondering what other vehicles might fit the bill here. During a test drive of the Ford Escape, I was told about the Fusion. When I try to do a search at various Internet sites, there isn’t an apparent sort by drive (i.e., AWD or 4WD). Any suggestions on either how to do that search or what vehicles might fit the bill?
Hybrids concern me due to the increased initial cost as well as the environmental impact of the batteries (manufacture and disposal). And considering I tend to keep my cars (last one was a 1992 Jeep Wrangler that averaged better than 21 mpg), the probable cost of replacing the batteries doesn’t seem to out weigh the fuel cost, monetarily or ecologically.
Thanks,
Trent M.
Ed: According to speculation, the Ford Fusion AWD Hybrid is due to be available in 2009 model year. Some automotive sites don’t expect this to happen. The 4WD available hybrids that I know available are the Ford Escape Hybrid 4WD/Mercury Mountaineer Hybrid 4WD/Mazda Tribute Hybrid 4WD listed at 29 city/27 highway. This seems to be the one that fits into your parameters best.
On the other hand, the Ford Escape 4WD/Mercury Mountaineer/Mazda Tribute 4WD shows 19 city/25 highway. I even asked a young lady at the Wawa in a Ford Escape Hybrid if she knew what kind of gas mileage she was getting and she responded 34 mpg.
There are internal combustion engine vehicles that get decent city/highway ratings. A good rating site is fueleconomy.gov.
Don’t forget that there are E85-capable vehicles available that get lower gas mileage, but are more environmentally friendly.
Jeff: If you average 21 miles per in a Wrangler then you are practicing fuel conservation with good results. I wonder why you must have a 4WD or AWD vehicle. If your concerns are more about fuel consumption then a front-wheel-drive sedan, wagon or SUV would get better fuel economy, cost less to maintain and also get good foul weather performance. I would suggest a vehicle that can run on E85 if you are concerned with the environment.
As Ed pointed out they have less of an environmental impact and use, on average, a third of the oil as a normal gasoline vehicle. Remember a hybrid is still using gasoline to power its generation of electricity. Check the Web site Ed listed. It allows you to compare vehicles side by side and you can see the differences. Also check the diesel vehicles, such as the VW Jetta. Don’t forget the SUV diesels like the Jeep Grand Cherokee with 4WD and good mileage.
