Consumer Reports cited fuel-efficient SUV

With gasoline and fuel prices rising steadily, consumers tend to turn their backs on the SUV market. After all, SUVs have a reputation for being gas guzzlers and that’s why most consumers now opt for smaller fuel-efficient cars like a sedan or coupe.

But the versatility and cargo capacity of an SUV are hard to match, even with full-size sedans. That’s why Consumer Reports published a list of the Most Fuel Efficient SUVs to help consumers choose the right type of vehicle to fit their needs and wants, as well as their budgets. The list of best and worst SUVs for fuel economy is the result of a battery of tests conducted by Consumer Reports on SUVs currently available on the market.

“With more car-based crossovers, hybrids and SUVs entering the market, it’s now much easier to find an SUV that gets similar fuel economy to a midsize sedan,” joked Rik Paul, automotive editor for Consumer Reports. The editor also noted that consumers can save a lot of money typically spent on fuel simply by doing their research before choosing a car to buy. And the magazine has provided would-be car buyers with a comprehensive list of the best and worst fuel-efficient SUVs on the market to help them choose a vehicle.

In addition to giving their readers an idea of ​​which vehicles are noteworthy, they also showed them which vehicles to avoid when it comes to fuel economy. The information presented by Consumer Reports is of great help to potential car buyers. What may be more useful, however, is data on choosing aftermarket parts for the vehicle, such as EBC brake rotors or other auto parts.

Some of the SUVs tested by Consumer Reports had fuel economy similar to that of a conventional family sedan. Models like the Ford Escape Hybrid, the Saturn Vue Green Line, and the Toyota RAV-4 model that uses a 4-cylinder engine each clocked in at 23-26 miles per gallon, and that’s not far off the gas mileage ratings achieved by some sedans. While there are SUVs that boast good fuel economy, there are also those that would burn a hole in your pocket with gas mileage ratings that seem to use every gallon of fuel faster than the jag can tell. Small SUVs that have performed poorly in fuel economy tests include the Kia Sorento LX, Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara, and Jeep Liberty Sport.

Testing by Consumer Reports resulted in an equally weighted average of city, highway, and day-trip gas mileage ratings. For the city fuel economy rating, Consumer Reports simulated intermittent driving with a total of 18 stops, four minutes of idling, and speeds reaching 40 miles per hour. For the highway mpg rating, testers drove the vehicles through eight 5-mile laps at a constant speed of 65 miles per hour.

To find out the vehicles’ gas mileage rating for a day trip, testers pushed the vehicles through 155 miles in one day. The trip is made up of 26 percent freeway driving, 11 percent two-lane highway and 63 percent varied rural roads with minimal turns and elevation differences. The tests carried out show the general performance of the vehicles in terms of fuel economy, other components of the vehicles were not tested.

Other noteworthy SUVs in the midsize segment are the Lexus RX400h, with a gas mileage of 23 miles per gallon, and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited, which clocked in at 22 miles per gallon. The BMW X3 3.0si, Nissan Murano and Toyota Highlander Limited also posted good gas mileage ratings of 19 miles per gallon. However, Consumer Reports found no vehicle in the full-size SUV segment with unusually good fuel economy numbers.

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