I’ve been having trouble finding a car with really great gas mileage that with make it up to the mountains on tough roads. I’m looking for a hybrid or otherwise AWD hatchback or station wagon. I like the Subaru Legacy and such but the gas mileage just isn’t good enough.
All 4×4 versions :
Hyundai ix35 – combined 49.6mpg – 134bhp 2.0 litre chain cam ‘R’ Type diesel
Honda CR-V III – Combined 43.5mpg for the manual and 38.2mpg for the auto. – 2.2iCDTI
Skoda Yeti – 2.0 TDI 140or170bhp – approx 45 mpg
go for diesel engined one, maybe a suzuki vitara or similar,
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A Cooper Mini (Countryman in the U.S.).
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All 4×4 versions :
Hyundai ix35 – combined 49.6mpg – 134bhp 2.0 litre chain cam ‘R’ Type diesel
Honda CR-V III – Combined 43.5mpg for the manual and 38.2mpg for the auto. – 2.2iCDTI
Skoda Yeti – 2.0 TDI 140or170bhp – approx 45 mpg
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The problem with all wheel drive is simply that it takes more power to operate and therefore is doomed to have greater fuel consumption than front drive….or rear.
Unless you anticipate driving in deep snow, you can get by with a set of WINTER tires on most front drive high mileage cars. I capitalized WINTER because there is a HUGE difference between all season and WINTER tires.
From tire rack .com I found some tires that claw through ice and snow. They are soft rubber and should not be used in warm weather.
There are expensive ones that have famous names but the "winterforce" tires lasted four seasons on my old Dodge Omni, and do exceptionally well on my minivan.
A friend now has them on his Ford Taurus and it can go up a grade on icy roads with little trouble.
You are most likely going to need a diesel all wheel buggy to get that kind of mileage, but be warned. Buying diesel at lower elevations will get you a tank of fuel that is most likely not winterized so you will have to add anti-gel treatment before you drive to the mountains or your diesel fuel will turn to jelly overnight and the engine will not start.
I have a Jeep Liberty CRD diesel with all wheel drive and if I set my speed control at 55 it will get 30-32 miles per gallon. At 45 miles per hour I have seen it show 38 mpg on the overhead indicator. But that is in rear wheel drive with the all wheel turned off. So a diesel can offer great mileage even in something as tall and heavy as a Jeep Liberty.
A smaller vehicle like a Subaru might even do better mileage wise but again you need to consider ground clearance. Will there be snow drifts higher than two feet to worry about or are you only concerned with occasional light snow and ice?
If not, buy a high mileage vehicle you can live with during the majority of driving and install a set of the winter tires for winter.
Oh, and keep some tire chains in the trunk just in case.
That should do it for you.
Best of luck…………..
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