The CR-V is a best-seller in the crowded five-passenger SUV market, competing against a slew of competitors including the Toyota RAV4, Ford Edge and Escape.
Now in its third generation, the CR-V has come a long way from its humble and boxy roots. The styling is sleek and rounded, while the ride and handling are decidedly car-like. With a 166 horsepower i-VTEC four-cylinder and 5 speed automatic, the CR-V never feels underpowered.
The EPA’s gas mileage estimates for the AWD CR-V are 20 city / 26 highway miles per gallon (MPG). Those numbers appear to be fairly accurate. While some readers have experienced lower MPG results, in a week of testing, we averaged 24.5 miles per gallon combined. Continue reading →
After spending a week and more than five hundred miles with a 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid, we walked away thoroughly impressed. Although rated at 40 city / 45 highway miles per gallon (MPG), we were able to easily exceed those numbers, landing 46.2 MPG combined.
Vanquish the thoughts of the tiny lightweight high-MPG Civics of yore (youth) … The roomy 2008 Civic has grown into adulthood and the Hybrid sits proudly at the top of the range.
While the subcompact Honda Fit was first introduced to the US in the 2007 model year, it was first released in Japan way back in 2001. The Fit produces solid gas mileage figures, with highway ratings in the mid-thirty mile per gallon (MPG) range. The diminutive five door is remarkably popular in the UK and Europe, where it’s known as the Honda Jazz. The Fit ably fills the entry-level niche in the Honda lineup, long held by the Civic.
The 2008 Honda Fit is equipped with a 1.5 liter four cylinder VTEC engine that produces 109 horsepower and 105 foot pounds of torque. The Fit can be configured with a 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic transmission. In Fit Sport trim, the automatic tranny is controlled via steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
An all-wheel-drive version of the Fit is available in Japan. There’s no word if or when an AWD Fit will become available here in the States.
Need a four wheel drive with the best gas mileage? Get ready to downsize. None of the best gas mileage four wheel drives (4WDs) are jumbo-sized sport utility vehicles (SUVs).
Simply put, the aerodynamics and vehicle weight of the bulkiest SUVs cause gas mileage to suffer, leading to many a painful transaction at the pump. The trick is to get small(er), lighter, and more slippery. Credit Subaru for getting the ball rolling with popularizing economical 4WD drive passenger cars in the early days. Since 1997, every vehicle Subaru’s offered in America has been all wheel drive.
These days, it’s not just Subaru. There are plenty of four wheel drive choices that are neither truck nor SUV. And forget the notion of pint-sized economy cars. You’ll find a generous helping of 4WD luxury from manufacturers including Audi, Volvo, Cadillac, and Lexus … in fact, you’ll find many of their offerings in the 2008 list of best gas mileage four wheel drives.
Purists will gladly share that there’s a difference between four wheel drive and all wheel drive (AWD). And surely there is … but for a great many folks, it comes down to two simple questions: will it go in the snow and will I go broke feeding it?
At the other end of the spectrum, the little Suzuki SX4 delivers plenty of bang for the buck, by combining the best four wheel drive gas mileage with a low sticker price (for those who don’t just think miles per gallon … but miles per dollar.)
Along with its corporate cousins, the Ford Escape Hybrid proves the exception to the rule as the highest all around mile per gallon (MPG) four wheel drive vehicle. If you can’t get a great deal on an Escape Hybrid at your local Ford dealer, take a look at the Mercury Mariner Hybrid. And if you happen to live in Southern California, the Mazda Tribute Hybrid HEV might be an option … as long as you’re able to snag one of the 350 Tribute HEVs built for this test market.)
Although Honda’s popular Odyssey was first introduced in 1995, it didn’t hit its stride until a 1999 redesign. Over the years, the Odyssey’s solid reputation for quality and good gas mileage ratings have enabled it to become one of the best-selling minivans in America. The EX-L and Touring editions of the 2008 Odyssey deliver 25 miles per gallon (MPG) on the highway. The Odyssey went through a significant redesign in 2005 and has just undergone a slight facelift for the 2008 model year.
The 2008 Odyssey features a 241 horsepower (HP), 3.5 liter, 24-Valve SOHC i-VTEC V-6 engine in EX-L and Touring trim, and a 244 HP 3.5-Liter, 24-Valve SOHC VTEC V-6 engine in the LX and EX models. The engine in the EX-L and Touring models use Variable Cylinder Management with higher compression (10.5:1 compared to 10.0:1 in the LX and EX).
