Recommendations for a gas saver DD?

[Hunter79764]

Like the title says, I'm trying to rearrange my fleet over the next few months and get something with decent gas mileage, mainly to drive to work (75 miles round trip/day with about half of it in stop and go traffic and half high speed highway) plus maybe occasional road trips when the whole family isn't going (i.e. take the wife for a quick weekend trip to the hill country).
I have an 04 Saturn Vue that has been decent to me and gets around 25-27 mpg, but the stickshift gets old in DFW traffic and it feels like it's made of plastic at 75 mph. Mainly because it is. It will likely be going to my oldest daughter who wrecked her previous vehicle when she gets back from school in December.
I also have an 04 Denali XL that I love to drive, but 13 mpg and adding 20k miles per year on one with 265k already sucks. I plan on keeping it as a backup vehicle no matter what, at least for a while.
I have an 08 Rav4 2.4l that I'll be repairing and driving for a bit to make sure there's no issues before likely handing it to my daughter who will be driving soon. I may hang on to it if I like it enough, but I think it will just be a stopgap car for now.

I can probably get around $10k cash together, or could do low payments with $5-6k down and have the gas savings make the car payment on something up to maybe $15k or so.
I've considered getting a used Tesla model 3 or older S and installing a charger at home. That's the higher end of budget but the lower end of operating costs since I'd be able to charge at home, and road trip duty wouldn't be an issue.
Also looked a lot at the Chevy Volts. The first generation gets me a little less than half my drive on electric, plugging it in to a standard outlet every night, before the gas engine kicks in and gets 40 mpg from there. But is only a 4 seater, I have 4 kids still at home and could use that extra seat in the back. 2nd gen gets better electric range and a 5th seat, but pushes a bit out of my price range unless I make a stretch.
I'm not sold on electric by any means, but I want something that is comfortable for spending my time in while commuting, reliable, and easy to work on when needed. And not just be a lump of "car" with zero character... A 4 cyl Camry is on the list for meeting most of those, but getting any character from one is tough.

What are some others I should look into? Cars you have had good luck with for racking up miles?
We're also downsizing my wife's 2013 Denali XL to a Highlander to same some gas and headache there too. I have grown to hate that truck, but that's a different story.

 

[goldpack]

things you do not want: anything with AFM used. = so any 2007-newer gmc truck / suv with a 5.3/6.2 ..... (gamble that you can loose easy,..like what is great is actually a shltball needing 6000 worth of engine work / swap.)

a Volt: as I recall it got 23 miles on electric, and then only got 25mpg running flat out on the gasoline generator. ...so not ideal for anyone daily driving as far as you do. (that 25mpg # on the straight highway I read from something like car and driver who took it on a long trip on the highways of california to figure how that generator put out if actually stuck with it as a only car for road tripping)...and yeah,...no room for a family with stuff. a cobalt with a battery.

how about a "SE" sporty camry 4 cylinder. ...even short of a camry hybrid, a plain 2.5 4 cylinder can get more than 40mpg highway...= and that # is hard for anyone to beat...and toyota does it without a tiny turbo engine like honda,
or hybrid helper. (although a camry hybrid would be ideal in stop and go,...like a urban taxi cab )
maybe a Venza for more space ? as for cost= camrys are like water, ...so a used 2014-16 maybe in your price range.

 

[Hunter79764]

Yep, we bought my wife's 2013 and drove it for about 2 weeks before the AFM failed. Now I've been into that 6.2 a number of times and I still don't trust it. I love the GMT800's, so I'll keep my 2004 around for a while though. But yeah, mpg ain't it...

Volt was rated at 35 miles electric and 42 on gas, although that might be the "full tank average" with the cheap 35 miles. Not ideal, but it would still be a good savings over what I'm spending right now with the Yukon, and still a fair bit under the Saturn. But yeah, the Camry is on my radar for many of those reasons. I just don't know what else I should consider. Maybe an older Buick if I found the right one? But not sure what the right one is.

 

[Sad Sack]

From Omaha to Des Moines in July 2023 distance of 154 miles flat out, in SMART mode, no stops, 68 mph in a 70mph zone with 41 psi in tires when I pulled into Smokey D's BBQ:

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Running around 60 I was nearing 57mpg.
In town is near 42 mpg on good days, all others 37+/- mpg. On premium gas only. Love it.

If ya want to know more...

 

[Frankenchevy]

We’ve put 105k trouble free miles commuting in our Tesla to date. Only “maintenance” to date has been two sets of tires (OEM, replacement 1 and current set) and refilling the washer fluid.

If you are deciding between a hybrid or EV for the purposes of commuting, I believe EVs make more sense than a hybrid. Hybrids have all the complications and expenses of both systems (ICE, EV) and then some. Couple that with the fact that they are typically mated to a CVT transmission and it becomes a worse idea for me.

Be sure to contact your auto insurance company to quote you for whatever you decide. While our insurance company is pretty good, I’ve heard some folks have a pretty costly premium. Tesla recognized this was happening and offers insurance for their vehicles that is supposed to be cheaper than it otherwise would be.

 

[Hunter79764]

From Omaha to Des Moines in July 2023 distance of 154 miles flat out, in SMART mode, no stops, 68 mph in a 70mph zone with 41 psi in tires when I pulled into Smokey D's BBQ:

In town is near 42 mpg on good days, all others 37+/- mpg. On premium gas only. Love it.

If ya want to know more...

I might have missed it, what car is that?

 

[Sad Sack]

I might have missed it, what car is that?

2021 KIA Forte LSX, owned since new. Leased it to see how things would go for three years then kinda figured things would go to crap gas price wise and it more than fullfiled my expectations, so I bought it.

 

[Hunter79764]

We’ve put 105k trouble free miles commuting in our Tesla to date. Only “maintenance” to date has been two sets of tires (OEM, replacement 1 and current set) and refilling the washer fluid.

If you are deciding between a hybrid or EV for the purposes of commuting, I believe EVs make more sense than a hybrid. Hybrids have all the complications and expenses of both systems (ICE, EV) and then some. Couple that with the fact that they are typically mated to a CVT transmission and it becomes a worse idea for me.

Be sure to contact your auto insurance company to quote you for whatever you decide. While our insurance company is pretty good, I’ve heard some folks have a pretty costly premium. Tesla recognized this was happening and offers insurance for their vehicles that is supposed to be cheaper than it otherwise would be.

I think the Volt is the only "Hybrid" I'm really looking at, and it is a lot more of an EV with a small battery and an onboard generator. Highway trips without worrying about charging, and cheap city trips seems like a reasonable combination. But again, I'm not too set on anything right now. Just making sure I'm not missing a player in the market that I should be looking at.

It looks like I might be able to put together a '19 Model 3 in my price range, but it may not be completely straightforward. Need to dig some more. And insurance was one of the things I was wondering about too. If I save $150 on fuel costs and spend $130 on increased insurance, then that kinda sucks...

 

[Hunter79764]

2021 KIA Forte LSX, owned since new. Leased it to see how things would go for three years then kinda figured things would go to crap gas price wise and it more than fullfiled my expectations, so I bought it.

I just rented a Kia Niro(?) and got 49.5 mpg to Arkansas with cruise on 78, making zero attempts at efficient driving (company trip, company gas). That's part of why it's on my mind. 2 weeks before, I rented a different small SUV for an overnight trip to Houston and a daytrip to Abilene, around 900 miles between the two of them. Both were personal trips, and with the rental fee and fuel costs, it saved me $40 vs driving my own and worrying about if that tire I've been putting off replacing was going to hold that long... Don't worry, it will get swapped soon.

 

[Sad Sack]

I just rented a Kia Niro(?) and got 49.5 mpg to Arkansas with cruise on 78, making zero attempts at efficient driving (company trip, company gas). That's part of why it's on my mind. 2 weeks before, I rented a different small SUV for an overnight trip to Houston and a daytrip to Abilene, around 900 miles between the two of them. Both were personal trips, and with the rental fee and fuel costs, it saved me $40 vs driving my own and worrying about if that tire I've been putting off replacing was going to hold that long... Don't worry, it will get swapped soon.

Had a 2018 Optima before, loved it but mpg was lower and I needed mpg more than the size the Optima provided. Best I got was 43mpg on the highway with it but the Forte offered much better mpg. And now with premium near $5 a gal the math adds up. When I can go 154 miles on 3 gallons of gas with an ICE vehicle... I'm sold.

 

[Bextreme04]

The KIA's and the Hyundai models have gotten much better over the years and are now pretty reliable and solid. Most hybrids are now running CVT's. We were looking at something for my wife to daily drive instead of our 2011 Suburban and we had pretty much narrowed it down to some Honda Accord Hybrids and then she drove a 2025 Trailblazer and fell in love. The accord had plenty of power and cruised like a cloud on the highway at 75-80mph while getting 50+ MPG. I really liked it, but was worried about the CVT. The Trailblazer drives fine and has a 9 speed and turbo 1.3L 4 banger. It gets ~30mpg around town and high 30's on the highway while having decent space and AWD.

 

[goldpack]

when I was moving fleet vehicles around a few years ago, (but not stuck in them) the one thing that I did not like about chevy trailblazer and ford escape little turbo suvs.
a non-linear torque curve so it would peak too much in the middle and make it very easy to start speeding past a cop.

I question the longevity of such little turbos, too many variables, more moving parts,...struggling on the grades I drive on daily,
....vs a plain jane 2.5 type engine.

...and if the goal is to own something long term, well past 100,000 miles.
what engine do you want to trust. (a little turbo, or a bigger plain 4 cylinder).
____

as for CVT anxiety, they seem to have come a long way in 15 years.
...heard it lived with it. if its a good thing from the factory all it should need is a fluid swap and maybe some solenoids or some minor parts.

I have changed some solenoids out for big fixes on 2011-2016 era subarus....vs. a $3500 quoted factory reman trans ...($135 in solenoids for the valve body, $140 in new Indmitsu OEM matched fluid)
= subaru is just the crown jewel of slush fighters in the north east,...
(just really hard to get all that AWD into high MPG it seems)

 

[Bextreme04]

when I was moving fleet vehicles around a few years ago, (but not stuck in them) the one thing that I did not like about chevy trailblazer and ford escape little turbo suvs.
a non-linear torque curve so it would peak too much in the middle and make it very easy to start speeding past a cop.

I question the longevity of such little turbos, too many variables, more moving parts,...struggling on the grades I drive on daily,
....vs a plain jane 2.5 type engine.

...and if the goal is to own something long term, well past 100,000 miles.
what engine do you want to trust. (a little turbo, or a bigger plain 4 cylinder).
____

as for CVT anxiety, they seem to have come a long way in 15 years.
...heard it lived with it. if its a good thing from the factory all it should need is a fluid swap and maybe some solenoids or some minor parts.

I have changed some solenoids out for big fixes on 2011-2016 era subarus....vs. a $3500 quoted factory reman trans ...($135 in solenoids for the valve body, $140 in new Indmitsu OEM matched fluid)
= subaru is just the crown jewel of slush fighters in the north east,...
(just really hard to get all that AWD into high MPG it seems)

I agree with all of that. She wanted the trailblazer because it "felt" similar to the suburban she had gotten used to driving for years, but was the cuter smaller version I guess. It has already had a thermostat failure and park position failure sensor failure. They wanted $600 to replace the park sensor and it is specifically excluded from the extended warranty. I found the exact same sensor on digikey for $6 and soldered it in myself in an hour. We also had a thermostat failure on it at 56,000 miles and thankfully the engine warranty went to 60,000 and they replaced it under warranty. The thermostat is plastic and electronically controlled on all these new chevy engines to the tune of $1400 for the part and needing to disassemble the entire front of the vehicle to get to it.

 

[Frankenchevy]

The thermostat is plastic and electronically controlled on all these new chevy engines to the tune of $1400 for the part and needing to disassemble the entire front of the vehicle to get to it.

Dang, that just sounds intentional…

I liked a lot about my 2019 Silverado LD, but the more I researched the crazy stuff under the hood coupled with the fact that a dealer offered me more for it than I paid new during COVID made it an easy decision to jump.

This is a perfect example for the discussion that happened over in the rant thread. I hear examples like this too often about new vehicles. Yes, old vehicles break, but they are so much more straightforward to mend—so long as you can find decent part to mend them with.

 

[goldpack]

last thing gmc made worth having was in 2006, before active fuel management / displacement on demand ....idiocy.
edit: and it came with a 4L80e