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 underwent a slight facelift for the 2008 model year. A newly redesigned Odyssey is due in the 2011 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).
Thirty miles per gallon (MPG) on the highway isn’t too much to ask. As the chart below shows, the 30 MPG car isn’t a rarity in America these days. Alas, it’s not nearly as common as it was 25 years ago. Looking back at the lists of high MPG cars built in the early 1980s might be a surprise to some, for the lists were long and the fuel efficiency ratings were high. The 30 MPG car was not an oddity back then … it was more part of our nation’s mindset.
The Honda CR-V was introduced in 1998, and became one of America’s most popular compact crossover SUVs after a highly-successful redesign in 2007. Solid gas mileage figures have been one of the CR-V’s key selling points over the years, with the 2WD CR-V’s gas mileage ratings flirting with the 30 miles per gallon (MPG) mark on the highway.
The CR-V’s 2.4 liter 4-cylinder engine produces 156 horsepower and is equipped with either a five-speed automatic transmission. (2006 was the last year for the manual transmission in America.) The CR-V diesel’s 2.2 liter i-CTDi turbo diesel engine would a game-changer for the US market, with remarkable fuel mileage ratings.
The mid-size Honda Pilot SUV was introduced in the 2003 model year. While the Pilot’s gas mileage may not seem impressive at first glance – highway gas mileage ratings of twenty or so miles per gallon (MPG) in 4WD trim – it’s good to keep in mind that it’s an eight-passenger SUV.
The Pilot was redesigned for the 2009 model year and is propelled by a 3.5 liter V-6 producing 250 horsepower (up from 244 HP in earlier models).
