2008 SUV that gets 30 mpg!!!!!

[dm1333]

111.5 miles today, 3.5 gallons for an average of 31.8 mpg. Seven miles or so was city driving, the rest highway at 55-60 mph. Temps were mid 50's and on the trip south I had about a 20 mph head wind.

edit: this was without my Scan Gauge, I took it out a week ago and haven't put it back in yet.

[TrebGreb]

The Escape and Tribute fwd 5 Spd manuals are the real mpg winners and also cheapest. The sticker on mine was $19.4 k and I got it for $17.0 k. Just filled up and averaged 30.8 for 415 mi of mostly urban driving.

Test drove a new Honda Insight today. Was looking at them and Mark--the sales guy-- said : "Cmon.....drive it." And I did! Wow....what a fun car....incredible info system for hypermiling......and training people to drive economically....tranny is a cvt......and it--in LX trim--has a 7 speed paddle shifter. The car feels nimble and taut and rides well. With the info system and some good light footed driving in ECON mode, I think getting between 60 & 70 mpg should be quite do--able. I want one!

Tribor

[GasSavers_XRinger]

I have the new 2009 version.. FWD Escape XLS 2.5L with a 6 speed AT
and I'm working on getting a tighter calibration for the SG2.

So far, the MPG is looking promising. It's not 100% confirmed yet,
but keeping up with speeding Sunday traffic on highways, (63 MPH average)
it was getting 30 MPG with the AC on.

Every time I drive around town, it's a little difference. Depending on the hills,
lights and traffic, it's between 20 and 24 MPG.

My 20 mile loop Hypermiling test on Rt-95 (hit Trip MPG re-set after getting on highway) at 53 to 55 MPH was pretty good.

It was showing a bit over 35 MPG. I hope that's for real..
If it is, and it gets better after break in, it will be getting better mileage
than a lot of older FEHs..

[imzjustplayin]

Originally Posted by DarbyWalters

It is always funny on this forum how when an "SUV" is thrown in the mix...there are always some who have to go out of their way to "knock down" all SUVs. Whether it is "Nobody needs 4WD" or "I can carry as much in my Mazda 5 as you can in your SUV", it always pops up. Having the specs of "Cargo Capacity" does not tell the whole story...it is also the shape of the space that is important to some. I agree that not very many SUVs can get 30 mpg highway...but I know that I can get 30+ with 100% highway driving. 4WD also means AWD/FullTime 4WD for some of us which gives better traction on ALL surfaces. Some people with SUVs have the need to tow stuff over 2500# and up...I can easily pull 5000#.

All I am saying is that some need not be so quick to jump on the SUVs and realize that some of us use them for what they are...a 4WD Offroad, AWD Onroad, Large piece cargo carrying, Trailer Towing Dual Purpose Vehicle.

See when you say it gives better traction on all surfaces, that's a misnomer because it DOESN'T! All 4WD does is help you get going better, it does NOTHING for braking and handling performance, only the tires can do that. So unless you find yourself always stuck in your 2WD vehicle, you don't need 4WD because if anything, it gives a false sense of the road conditions, something that you won't realize until it's too late.

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

Yup. Marvin and Wile-E spend their winters evading out of control 4x4s

[bobc455]

Originally Posted by *************

See when you say it gives better traction on all surfaces, that's a misnomer because it DOESN'T!

To be fair, 4WD does have a very marginal advantage on snowy surfaces for directional stability. Since the wheel torque is spread around to more wheels (even just for maintaining speed), there is less chance that it will catch a slippery spot and start to spin slightly. It's not a huge advantage (as we've all seen plenty of spun-out SUVs), but it is not negligible.

But also to be fair, this is more than offset by the over-confidence that many SUV drivers have in their vehicles, causing them to drive like maniacs....

BTW, I haven't chimed in on this post, but 30 MPG is impressive for that type of vehicle, so congrats on that.

-Bob C.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by bobc455

To be fair, 4WD does have a very marginal advantage on snowy surfaces for directional stability. Since the wheel torque is spread around to more wheels (even just for maintaining speed), there is less chance that it will catch a slippery spot and start to spin slightly.

There is one other advantage over RWD. Front wheels that have no lateral traction may still have drive traction; when pointed in the direction you want to go and driven, they will pull in that direction. It's not a huge help and it's not practical for many drivers, but it is there for some drivers.

[Snax]

Let me just say this about slippery surfaces and AWD/4WD: When the going gets tricky, there simply is no peer.

I have driven in conditions with AWD that could not be explained by anything other than treacherous in anything less, lacking chains. It is the difference between having control at 40 mph or creeping along at 10 - and I am not the kind of person who panics in a slide. More accurately, I am the kind of person who initiates a slide intentionally so that I know exactly how much actual grip I have to work with - but I simply would never do this in a 2WD. Stability is just too fragile to maintain.

In a FWD, you go off the road nose first. In a RWD you go off the road backwards. In an AWD/4WD you go off the road if you are an idiot.

[VetteOwner]

Originally Posted by Snax

Let me just say this about slippery surfaces and AWD/4WD: When the going gets tricky, there simply is no peer.

I have driven in conditions with AWD that could not be explained by anything other than treacherous in anything less, lacking chains. It is the difference between having control at 40 mph or creeping along at 10 - and I am not the kind of person who panics in a slide. More accurately, I am the kind of person who initiates a slide intentionally so that I know exactly how much actual grip I have to work with - but I simply would never do this in a 2WD. Stability is just too fragile to maintain.

In a FWD, you go off the road nose first. In a RWD you go off the road backwards. In an AWD/4WD you go off the road if you are an idiot.

depends on the vehicle that rwd is on. Cars are more equally balanced than one would belive but trucks thieres virtually no weight on the drivewheels so thier more prone to sliding out but still just turn the wheel slightly in that direction to maintain it or correct it.

the problem with my chevette id say (rwd mind you) is that the front breaks loose so i have no steering control while the rear is having oodles of traction (unless i stomp on the brakes then gun it lol)