Top Ten Fuel Efficient SUVs
I'm worried about Moose.Moose is my 1994 Toyota 4Runner. He's running rough right now, and I'm not sure what's wrong. A trip to the mechanic may be in order, and with over 140,000 miles on the clock, that's never good news. What if it's the big one? What if my mechanic tells me that it's finally time to send Moose on to that big garage in the sky -- or at least on to his next owner?
Would I buy another SUV? Absolutely.
But which SUV?
I fear that the latest generation of Toyota 4Runner has gotten too big, too fancy and too expensive for my needs, so replacing Moose with a younger version is not the answer. And the even bigger issue is fuel economy. Moose gets 13 mpg on his best days, 10 on his worst. If I have to get a new SUV, I would like to substantially improve on that figure.
Luckily, there are plenty of options out there. I've collected some of them into this photo gallery, Top Ten Fuel Efficient SUVs.
Tempting, very tempting. Which fuel efficient SUV would you buy?
Photo © Jason Fogelson
Comments
Call me crazy, but I like the looks of the Jeep Patriot. I REALLY like the looks of the Lexus, but that at that price it would have to get 1,000mpg to make it a good purchase.
Oops– I meant the Jeep Compass. The Patriot is pretty generic boxy Jeep and not my cup of tea. The Compass looks sturdy but nimble–I like that in an SUV.
I’d hop on the new Honda CR-V in a New York minute. 30mpg on the highway? We’re talking 3x good ol’ Moose!
Dispensing with all the usual “If I were going to buy an SUV, which I probably wouldn’t” stuff…
Ford Escape Hybrid or Mercury Mariner Hybrid. I like the size and I love the mileage. I test drove the ‘06 Mariner Hybrid last year for this site and it impressed the daylights out of me.