High FE MiniVan? Is there such a thing?

[Three6Eight]

Originally Posted by theclencher

The only minivan I've ever heard of to give better mpg than average, and better than your subie, are the "dustbuster" GM minivans with the 3.8. Owners report high 20's, even 30 mpg. I have no personal experience with them, but I do know that the 3.8 delivers effortless power with better than usual economy.

All the others I thought of- Quest, Villager, MPV, etc., suck gas just as bad as the subie.

I'm not just saying this because I own one but the 3800 is one is probably the sweetest engine when it comes to good power and Fuel economy. My Buick has the Supercharged version and even with some mods it can pull off 30+ on road trips.

I dont see a reason why vans with the 3800 shouldnt be able to pull 25+

If your rich those Sprinter vans get 25+

[Baranfin]

is your subie a Manual? If you do and it is higher mileage and your just getting low 20s for mpg I think there must be something wrong mechanically on it.

I love the subarus, but they do have a list of things that can hurt (mpg and $wise) 1st if you havent had it tuned up (wpump, timing belt, plugs wires) I would try that, also they are known for weeping oil from any location they can... check your rear diff, that went out on my last legacy at 130k, and i was getting REALLY bad mpg before it went. Also I dont know about legacys, but the 1st gen Foresters had unrealiable rear wheel brgs. Could go anywhere from 10-60k miles.

Drove a 97 legacy for years and averaged roughly 30mpg, i remember getting 33 once (all highway at ~45mph), loved that car...
Now drive a 98 Forester, avg26-27mpg... and I think the legacy was better. The 2.2 wasnt as powerful (once that forester 2.5 is over 4k itll snap your neck) but was more than I needed for regular driving. The legacy had more rear legroom, and more cargo space. If i needed the AWD i would get another legacy without thinking about it, noone else comes close IMHO.

ps. one thing the forester has on the legacy is ground clearance, never ever got stuck with it (its corny, but i was actually working as a forester(intern) for a while )

pps. i hope I dont sound like im talking down. my girlfriend says i think im always right, oh yea? well so does she!

[yellowtail3]

Originally Posted by oneinchsidehop

Ideas?

For bang-for-your-buck... I think an Escort Wagon is the ticket. I've got two (one is a Tracer). Cheap to purchase, cheap to run, competent, lots of room for a 35mpg+ car. I take mine hunting - carries stand, rifle and shotgun, lots of gear, and boots - without even putting the back seats down. It's carried lots of deer, too.

If you're got not more than two kids, it'll do fine.

[101mpg]

Go check out the Malibu Maxx. Not quite as tall as a minivan but seats five EASILY and has more than power to spare with the V-6 and gets insane mileage (I can get up to 40 hwy). Seats fold AND slide - all 4 seats including the back 60/40 split! Have seen it fit a loveseat with ease.

Also - whatever you get - TAKE OFF ANY LUGGAGE RACKS. Helps tremendously - 1-3 MPG depending on model. Those things are not useful to 99%+ of the population.

[peteshaw]

I am getting 27 highway and 22 overall, with my 2003 Sienna, no mods, no special driving.

I'll report back once I start checking the tires, put in Synthetic Oil and take the roof rack off.

[theholycow]

Heh...old thread...oh well, someone else bumped it, might as well add my thoughts.

JanGeo's xB seems like a great choice.

The 2008 Jeep Patriot is EPA rated 23/28, and I suspect it would hypermile very well. It's also dirt cheap to buy brand new and has their lifetime powertrain warranty.

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

Originally Posted by theholycow

The 2008 Jeep Patriot is EPA rated 23/28, and I suspect it would hypermile very well. It's also dirt cheap to buy brand new and has their lifetime powertrain warranty.

They get you a $1000 rebate in Canada and the $2.99 a gallon guarantee in the US at the moment. Reasonable mpg for such a square and upright looking thing. The caliber on the same platform gets 1mpg better, guess the aero isn't quite so bad. However, in Canada, the caliber doesn't qualify as an SUV so doesn't get the "efficiency" rebate.

Funny thing is though, parked near one the other day, has less ground clearance than my minivan

[Improbcat]

In the "cheap" category I'd put in a vote for the 92-95 Ford Taurus wagon with a 3.0 motor.

The motor is bulletproof, the car is pretty roomy (can seat 8 legally in a pinch) and has a (revised) EPA of 18/27mpg. I've heard of careful driving netting a consistent 25-30mpg.

Only downsides are auto-only, and the transmissions are on the weak side (though if it's been rebuilt once the major design problems should have been addressed during the rebuild).

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

If Ford had the sense to specify fluid changes, they wouldn't have such a bad rap... severe service schedule=every 30,000km, normal schedule=never???

[red91sit]

Just tossing it out there, every automatic i've owned has had its' original fluid in the transmission still :S Just one of those things i guess.