I think its the rising gas prices that are what really hurting people. What is the best vehicle for gas in ski country?

happygirl wrote:

I think its the rising gas prices that are what really hurting people. What is the best vehicle for gas in ski country?

I've had 2 Subaru Outbacks that handle great , especially with good tires. They do well on gas but I couldn't tough out the 3 hour drive in their seats. So I had a couple comfy SUVs over the last 6 years. ( I lease ). Gas Hogs. So I leased a crossover this year. A sporty little Pontiac Torrent. It gets over 20 on average City & Highway. Not bad for a sorta SUV. Real comfy seats , too. Sometimes we take Hubby's Subaru Baja which is great on gas and not as uncomfortable as the Outback for some reason. And they were top-of-the-line. Go figure.

skiladi wrote:

happygirl wrote: I think its the rising gas prices that are what really hurting people. What is the best vehicle for gas in ski country? I've had 2 Subaru Outbacks that handle great , especially with good tires. They do well on gas but I couldn't tough out the 3 hour drive in their seats. So I had a couple comfy SUVs over the last 6 years. ( I lease ). Gas Hogs. So I leased a crossover this year. A sporty little Pontiac Torrent. It gets over 20 on average City & Highway. Not bad for a sorta SUV. Real comfy seats , too. Sometimes we take Hubby's Subaru Baja which is great on gas and not as uncomfortable as the Outback for some reason. And they were top-of-the-line. Go figure.

I love my Outback (4 cyl turbo) and have no problem with the drivers seat although it is the power adjustable one. The OEM tires are great, but would recommend snow tires for VT in winter.

I traded my expedition in for a mazda cx-9 in november and am very happy with it. Getting about 17 mpg.

Another vote for Subarus.

Vera is my 4th, over the span of 24 years. She is an Impreza RS. Love the AWD, and I'm getting 28 mpg.

I just got a CRV and it kicks arse in the snow. LOVE IT. Gas mileage is decent too - I get anywhere from 22-26 mpg in winter (with snow tires) and 25-30 in summer.

I parked my Chevy 2500 HD for the winter and bought a used Subaru Outback. Also four new Blizzak studless snow tires.

The only thing wrong with it is that I didn't buy it five years ago. I cut my gas bill in half, while not putting big miles on a $35K truck.

Drove Subaru WRX with snows this winter. Handles and drives great. I did run out of clearance on Roxbury gap last weekend though. Just one more thing to keep that in mind when choosing the car.

While my '88 Land Cruiser is out of this world as far as where it can go and in what terrain is thrown at it, the gas mileage leaves a lot to be desired... 15 mpg if I'm lucky. Then again, I only drive it weekends the 30 mile roundtrip to the 'Bush. Longer trips is a little more pain in the wallet, though, but if there's 3 feet of fresh snow on the road, I'm getting there in one piece, same if the road is covered with mud.

happygirl wrote:

I think its the rising gas prices that are what really hurting people. What is the best vehicle for gas in ski country?

Here is another vote for Subaru Outback. I have had two Subaru Legacy wagons and loved them too, although the Outback does seem to have better clearance. Combined with studded winter tires and it feels like it will climb walls.

The only drawback is when you are sitting at a multi-laned intersection making a left turn, and an overcompensation SUV pulls up next to you to turn right and you can not see over, under or around. But that is a drawback of any regular height auto.

YMMV

jkvt

AWD, the same interior size as an Audi A6, 280 HP, 27 MPG Highway, Heated seats, Xenon HIDs, leather, sport package, NAV. Basically every thing I want.

While I still love my outback and continue to recommend it, I blew out the turbo at 75k miles 2 weeks ago. 15k miles beyond the warranty. The only other issue I have with Outback is that the OEM wheels/tires are a snug fit in the wheel wells so snow/ice accumulations can be problematic.