Need Vehicle Advice !

[Trigger50]

Currently my wife & I have 2 small cars for commuting & my full size, 12 mpg, pickup for hunting & fishing. Well, a job change is forcing my wife & I to relocate to a smaller home & downsize to 2 vehicles. The pickup has to go ! It's too expensive to drive to work. I'm looking for recommendations on a small to midsize SUV/CROSSOVER that gets 20+ mpg, my wife will feel comfortable driving but still can pull my lighter weight 16ft fishing boat. I've never been a fan of SUV'S in the past but now I see that they have a place. Fortunately I still have access to my dad's Tahoe for my western hunting trips. Thanks for the advice.

 

[JohnCushman]

MNpublichunter can chime in on his Toyota FJ cruiser. It's got some nuts for towing and I think it gets decent gas mileage.

 

[T Bone]

Subaru forester.

 

[Trigger50]

T Bone. I actually like the Subaru Baja cause its seats 4 and has a small bed. However, there is some serious probs w the turbo's on Baja's. The Forester sounds like it has a better track record.

 

[utah400elk]

I have a Toyota FJ and I love it. The FJ is great off-road and is my hunting vehicle. I am sure it would pull a small boat but it will not get 20+ mph. It also has a small gas tank.

 

[7MAG]

One good option would be a Mercedes ML320. They are well built and there are good deals out there to be had on them. We work on a couple which are owned by fishing guides and towing a drift boat is no issue. Mileage should be around 20mpg. Plenty of other good options out there as well just be sure if you buy used the vehicle is thoroughly inspected and has been well cared for.

 

[SFC B]

Depending on the weight you have to tow, my wife has a CRV and it is a great little suv. Not to mention that the lil joker gets 30+ on the highway and about 28ish back and forth to work. Plenty of room and very comfy. If you need the V6,look at the RAV 4. I have the Tacoma V6 4x4 Double Cab and get 19 back and forth to work and abou 21-22 on the highway. Just some food for thought.

 

[dustinf]

I had a 2006 Tacoma 4x4, 4 cylinder 5 speed, and it averaged 21 around town and 26 highway. It wasn't much for towing though.

Just a point of reference, I drive my 4.7 liter Tundra 4x4 double cab everyday to work, and it gets 16 mpg.

 

[1_pointer]

If the trucks paid for, be sure to pencil out the cost, including payments, insurance, etc, for a new vehichle. When I did for us, it didn't pencil out as cheaper. Though the truck gets worse mileage, the monthly costs due to payments, insurance, gas and tags for something with better milage was higher. FWIW...

 

[roadhunter]

Diesel Jeep grand Cherokee. I used to have an 07 and it had plenty of power to tow and got 24 MPG. The 3.0 Mercedes diesel is the same one they use in the dodge sprinter vans.

 

[Muskeez]

If you get to looking at diesels be sure to pencil out the price of diesel fuel vs. regular unleaded in your area. My diesel fuel is much higher priced per gallon and in the winter I also have to either burn #1 diesel from the truck stop at an extra 30-40 cents per gallon or put additives in the blended fuel, OR risk it gelling up. It has been a nasty cold winter for us in the Upper MW, and I have ran #1 in mine all winter = expensive! but it has kept running and pulling. just another thought and calculation for you.

 

[deer_shooter]

MNpublichunter can chime in on his Toyota FJ cruiser. It's got some nuts for towing and I think it gets decent gas mileage.

My wife has a FJ and loves it. She gets around 22-23 mpg. It would tow a small boat no problem. I was going to say an xterra but I had on and mileage was awful

 

[putm2sleep]

Sorry you gotta downsize in this UpsizeME world. I see you have your dad's Tahoe for trips. Well get yourself an e-car and call it good. My wife drives a Hyundi Tuscon(sp) - it hooks up good in snow - like a honda crv - economical.

 

[emrah1028]

How about a Honda Element? AWD, great mileage. Even for such a boxy car, we got 33 mpg on the highway from MN to California to visit family.

Emrah

 

[----]

I personally would never take second hand info on MPG. It's convenient how some people 20-40% better than even the factory claims.

I'd use this site- http://www.fueleconomy.gov

It'll be hard if not impossible to find a truck based SUV that gets an honest 20 mpg. You're probably going to be looking at a crossover like a forester/crv/escape.

 

[----]

I've heard good things about Highlander, and it looks like it might be close to your MPG wants .

 

[putm2sleep]

Get a moped and keep your truck!

 

[roadhunter]

Found it for you.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-Othe...9e8f113d2&item=111282295762&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

 

[Malbo]

I have a 2012 Ford Escape XLT with the almost 4WD. It averages 23mpg. I have set the pucker factor pretty high on more than one occasion while in the woods or desert and have always made it back home. Out of the small SUV's they have the best ground clearance, but you may have to dig big rocks out of good way from time to time. It's been a reliable vehicle.

 

[Frenchy]

I've had an older Nissan Pathfinder that was a beast! Not sure what the gas milages are though. I also had a little Toyota tacoma that towed my boat just fine, and got decent mileage. Loved that little truck.