The Best Gas Mileage SUV

Fuel Economy? You must be joking!

The Best Gas Mileage SUV
by John T. Goodman

Looking for the best gas mileage SUV makes you realize just how poor the gas mileage is for big vehicles. SUVs are known as the passenger vehicles with the worst fuel economy. So it should come as no shock when you discover that your fuel economy is going to be way less than 20 miles per gallon.

Vehicle size and luxury matters to you much more than efficiency, if you are in the market for a SUV. But certain SUV companies--such as Subaru--specifically market to hippies and other supposedly environmentally conscious folks. But even these Subarus are not known for being energy-efficient. In any case, if you are in the market for a new SUV, it's smart to check out which ones get better gas mileage.

The SUV category includes big off-road vehicles, which are supposed to be rugged vehicles. However, the reality is much different; many SUVs are just status symbols for people who like to be seen driving around in the biggest, baddest vehicles on the road. Sitting higher than everyone else, looking down on the low-to-the-ground hybrids.

They are roomy inside and high above the ground, which makes them generally safer in crashes... I say, "safer," but oftentimes the opposite is true: SUV crashes often result in violent rollovers that injure or kill the driver and/or passengers, due to their higher stance off the road and resulting higher center of gravity. That isn't to say that SUVs are not safe, however.

But what vehicles are actually considered SUVs instead of just "large cars" is open to debate. The Saturn Outlook, for example, is considered by some to be a SUV and others not. Would this crossover vehicle qualify as the best gas mileage SUV? Who knows, but any vehicle big enough to make you feel like you're in a SUV should probably be a SUV.

Finding out what the best gas mileage SUV may just make you reconsider ever buying one. You may even conclude that a hybrid car is your best choice after you run the numbers on your monthly fuel bill! After looking at numbers like a $500 dollar a month fuel bill, you may just change your mind about ever wanting a SUV.

Questions you should ask yourself before buying a SUV: Do I need the extra space? Do I need to take cargo and/or passengers often? Because if you don't, and if you don't need to drive in the snow often, then why pay the extra money for a SUV? The gas savings alone will pay off in spades if you opt for a smaller car.

Hybrid SUVs

Let's face it, if you're serious about getting good gas mileage in a vehicle large enough to be classified as a Sport Utility Vehicle, go hybrid. Hybrid SUVs are becoming affordable and (hopefully), shortly you will only find hybrids available.

We simply must break the choke-hold that fossil fuel shortages and high pricing has on us. And currently the best way to do that is with hybrid electric cars to include all-electric cars.  If we utilize off-the-shelf automotive technology like hybrid car technology, in combination with leading-edge technological advances in fuel and battery innovations, we just may break free from the Middle East yet.