Not interested in a $500 rebate on your new car? Rather have free gas? How about ten tanks full?
Hold onto your hats. Suzuki is offering up to $470 of “free gas” to folks who buy a new Suzuki car or SUV.
That’s on top of 0% financing.
FREE GAS PROVIDED IN FORM OF A VISA® DEBIT CARD. AMOUNT VARIES BY MODEL AND IS BASED UPON A 3-MONTH ESTIMATE. SEE DEALER FOR DETAILS. SUMMER GAS CARD PROMOTION BASED ON EPA, ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION AND GAS PRICE STATISTICS.
0% APR Financing is for 60 months. Monthly payment of $16.67 per every $1000 financed. Subject to credit approval from American Suzuki Financial Services (ASFS). This offer is available in lieu of customer cash incentives. “Free gas” provided in form of a Visa debit card and only available in conjunction with 0% financing as offered by ASFS. Offer ends 6/30/08.
$470 just might be enough to fill up the Suzuki SX4’s 11 gallon gas tank ten times … depending on where you live and how high the price of gas goes this summer.
Get ready for a slew of crazy free gas promotions …
The Suzuki SX4 was introduced in 2007 with Sport (four-door) and Crossover (small station wagon) versions. Gas mileage ratings for the SX4 Crossover are among the best of the four wheel drive pack, with a rating of 28 miles per gallon (MPG) on the highway.
The SX4 has an Italian heritage … its handsome lines were penned by Turin-based Italdesign (perhaps best known for their work with Maserati and Lamborghini) while the vehicle itself was developed in conjunction with Fiat. By the looks of the SX4, un’unione bella! While we don’t usually get hung up on Manufacturer Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP), we’ll make an exception for the SX4 Crossover. At a base price of $14,270, the five-door hatchback SX4 is the least expensive four wheel drive vehicle sold in America today. Chart-topping all wheel drive gas mileage at entry-level prices make the Suzuki SX4 worth a look for budget-minded folks in colder climates.
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.)
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.
There were just creeping changes to the 1995 Top Ten High MPG list, as the Honda Civic Del Sol snuck into the ranks, along with the Nissan Sentra - 200SX.
All-in-all, Honda continued to hold half the list, while GM/Suzuki’s grip slipped a bit.
A bevy of Saturn models knocked on the door with 40 mile per gallon highway ratings. The Dodge and Plymouth Neon began their run, replacing the Mitsubushi-sourced Colts.
