What's the best MPG 4WD?

Suzuki makes a nice looking small AWD.

Although, for virtually all on-road conditions, snow tires make more sense for winter.

Probably a Ford Escape Hybrid.

jeff

Mostly city snow driving. I need something as fuel efficient as possible, I do a lot of business driving.

We were talking about the Prius but it's now 4WD.

I was wondering what the most reliable 4WD was, that gets the most MPG, if it's a Toyota or some other make.

Ford is reliable? :) I remember the old saying about them.

Then you do NOT want a vehicle that is able to drive all four wheels. Those mechanisms all weigh something, which costs gas to haul around all the time. It's like having another person in the car at all times. That extra gas costs $$$. It's a MPG penalty.

Plus, all those systems require maintenance of their own, above and beyond what their 2wd brothers need. That also costs $$$.

City driving? You'll be fine with front wheel drive and good tires. I heavily recommend Nokian WR. Absolute worst case, you buy snow tires with a more aggressive tread as well as a winter rating, and you run those during winter. But city driving? Paved roads that get plowed? You don't need 4wd or awd at all.

Only the main roads get plowed here and much of my work is driving into the back neighborhoods, where I had a heck of a time last winter with sometimes 6" of snow in the streets.

There's a hill along the street our driveway exits onto and even that gets hard to get out of when it snows more than a few inches, and the city cares not about it.

I have a '97 Ford Contour with 145k mi on it. I have had to do some suspension work (rear struts), oil, two wheel bearings and one axle (one side). Not great, but not bad for a car with 145k on it.

I haven't about the reliability of Escapes, but the Contour is a pretty reliable car, with many going to 250 to 300k or more.

Escapes are now use as taxis in NYC.

Jeff

That's not quite true. It is worse than a person in the truck. There are a whole bunch of extra gears and such that have to turn in the second axle. So the penalty is more than just a big fatso next to you.

That's true. That's an arguement for a Prius or other hybrid.

Jeff

For US 2007 models, getting a combined EPA MPG of greater than 25 and which are 4WD or AWD:

Ford Escape Hybrid 4WD version:

the Mercury Mariner Hybrid: city/27MPG highway/27MPG combined (2008 estimated EPA MPG). Toyota Highlander Hybrid 4WD version: the Lexus RX400h 4WD version: city/25MPG highway/26MPG combined (2008 estimated EPA MPG). for pricing, I'd probably stay with the Ford/Toyota rather than the upscale Mercury/Lexus versions.

For the unplowed snow driving that you are asking about, you'd probably do better with a high ground clearance vehicle with good snow tires, than to just look for 4WD/AWD, though. (A FWD Prius with good snow tires can get you most anywhere (without snow tires you can get stuck) provided you have less than 4" or so of its ground clearance.)

Then I'd stick with front wheel drive, & give it tires which are rated as very good/excellent in snow.

Cathy

She was considering a Prius to be too pricey - my guess is that no way is she going to want/be able to fork out the $$ for these - esp. the Highlander or Lexus. Then factor in their lower (than a Prius) mpg, and...

Cathy

My prediction: Within 60 days of the snow starting, you'll drive your 4WD thing into a ditch and wonder why it didn't work like magic.

Get a front wheel drive SOMETHING, and some very serious snow tires. Blizzak is a good example of a tire that would make you happy. Oh...and learn to drive.

hehehehehe You plainly don't go to the state fairs I go to. ;-)

Just get real snow tires for your Corolla, and see what that does for you this winter.

I'm pretty sure you'll be amazed.

BTW--I charge only 10% of what you save with my advice. So let's see.....$23,000 you saved by not buying a Prius, less $500 you spent for good snow tires.....$22,500....you owe me $2250.

If one REALLY knows how to drive they would buy a RWD vehicle with a traction lock axle, traction control and equipped with a set of winter rubber tires.

When one lets off the gas, while driving their FWD car on a wet or icy turn and slides into a ditch, that is what cop comes to the scene in to investigate the accident. LOL

mike

Thanks for providing me with a much needed laugh for the day.

he was talking engine revolutions, not miles.

No, i was talking about miles. My engine runs as smoothly as the day it was new.