In reply to John Welsh (Moderate Supporter) :
Thank you. I will go look at an Avalon Hybrid this weekend. Any thoughts on how these compare to a late model Accord Hybrid?
In reply to John Welsh (Moderate Supporter) :
Thank you. I will go look at an Avalon Hybrid this weekend. Any thoughts on how these compare to a late model Accord Hybrid?
I've been driving 130 miles a day in a 12' JSW TDi since April last year, a big step up from the 98' Legacy I drove for a year in the same commute. The JSW isn't nearly as comfortable as my wife's Touareg, but it gets the job done without costing nearly as much as a newer car.
In reply to V12 :
I own multiple Prius and owned a '02 Avalon and' 97 & '98 Accord but never have even driven a modern Avalon or Accord.
I think I'd go looking for a Lexus CT 200h. Basically a Prius in drag. I haven't spent any time in one, so grain of salt, but I like five door hatches and these looked decent to me.
i would go es 300h instead, fancier avalon hybrid
MrChaos said:I really like my Avalon Hybrid. Its a 2015 and i am averaging 37-40mpg, drives so much better than the prius or volts i have driven.
Honestly either a Camry Hybrid or an Avalon Hybrid would be my choice.
I picked up a 15 Avalon Hybrid limited with 95k miles on it for $13k. Which is top trim level so leather, heated and cooled seats, good sound system, etc. $46k msrp
It is much faster than a prius, and it does 50-70 really well.
This is absolutely what I would get to soak up that kind of mileage. And I don't even like Toyota that much.
I have a 100 mile round trip commute. I bought a used 2014 Lexus CT200h in 2016 and have put nearly 100k miles on it in the last four years.
It is underpowered and not super fun to drive, but has great fuel economy (I've averaged 43mpg over the life of the car), is practical, comfortable enough, and absolutely bulletproof.
During my ownership - I've changed the oil once every 10k miles, did air filtes and cabin air filters as needed, and changed pads and rotors at 115k miles. That's it. Car has nearly 140k miles on it now and has not required a single repair.
Also - everyone hated these things when they came out so they're dirt cheap. Here's mine. I'd be lucky to get 10-12k for it.
Mazda 6 is a good albeit conventional choice. Adaptive cruise, nice interior, mid 30s highway and it's been kinda fun to drive. Early ones with lowish mileage are just above $10k in my area.
If anyone is interested, I'll be getting rid of my old friend in a week or two. Watch for her in the For Sale section.
Agree that you want a hybrid powertrain in something mid-size or larger. That mostly limits you to Camry, Fusion/MKZ, or Malibu hybrids or Avalon/Lexus GS hybrids.
The Ford/Lincoln stuff is easy to find a good deal on these days, and the Fusion was even available with a PHEV model that could increase the fuel economy a decent amount, especially if you ever do shorter trips closer to home.
Cars I plan to test drive:
Lexus CT200
Camry Hybrid
Avalon Hybrid
Unfortunately I have had less than stellar experiences with Ford and Mazda sedans, so I'll be passing on these. Would love to get a TDI, but dieselgate permanently soured me on VW. If you are willing to lie to regulators, you as a company will have no qualms about lying to me as a consumer.
I recently bought a Grand Caravan from Hertz. I checked their site on your behalf. I know you mentioned you are in FL but did not say where but Hertz has a glut of 2019 Kia Optimas. Sure, they seem to be "rental spec" as in low options and cloth interior but if you are just buying as a tool....
Many to choose from, there are 2019 Kia Optimas from $13k to $14k. Sample $13.5k w/ 42k miles. The 2.4L 4cyl is still rated for 24/30/33. The low buy in price buys a lot of gas. According to fueleconomy.gov, when compared to an Avalon Hybrid the Optima will cost $650 more in gas for 40k miles @ 75% hyw. That $650/ 12 months is $54 more per month. But, your car payments will be cheaper considering $19k for Avalon and $13k for Optima. Four more years of 40k per year gets you to 200k. At that time, the Optima might be worth $3k. So, $10k depreciation over 4 years is a just $2,500 depreciation per year.
The Optima is a $24k car new. The Hertz price is then about 45% off new price.
Granted, the Optima will be less lux but being a 2019 it is still probably well equipped since things like back up camera, lane departure, apple car play/Android, Bluetooth, are standard now, etc. The Optima is also the big car of Kia (Camry sized) so it should have a more substantial feel than small cars. No wiz-bang hybrid tech in an Optima. Service anywhere.
BTW the fusion hybrid used toyota hybrid systems so it is solid.
Camry hybrid and Avalon Hybrid are the same drivetrain, the camry theoretically is faster but its a barely smaller car. i think its only 4" smaller.
I do 80 miles round trip in the Bolt. I love it. KIt's very relaxing to drive a pure EV. No shifts, no engine noise, no nothing. Just wind and comfort. Highly recommend, plus, depending on what gas and electricity costs, it could pay for itself quickly.
In reply to tuna55 :
I considered an EV, but don't believe there is a charging station within close proximity of work.
V12 said:In reply to tuna55 :
I considered an EV, but don't believe there is a charging station within close proximity of work.
So?
I don't charge at work either. A Bolt can do the 80 mile round trip three times before it needs a charge.
nderwater said:Sonic said:Spending that much time in the car you also want it to be a nice place to be.
Totally agree. It should be comfortable cruising, but you also don't want to hate it. Sensible options have already been mentioned so here's some less sensible alternatives:
- Civic Si, 38 mpg
- BMW 428i Coupe, 35 mpg
- Cadillac ELR, 35 mpg
- Mercedes C 300, 34 mpg
- Subaru BRZ, 33 mpg
I will say my 2020 Civic Si nets about 30mpgs on my 50+ mile round trip commute in LA. That's part surface streets with a lot of lights/stop signs and going 85+ on the 405. If I drove a reasonable 70 it would easily get those higher 30s numbers. It is comfy and has a great sound system; but, the lack of a proper headrest sucks, it's a manual so for a long distance DD that might be a no, and it takes premium. It's a solid DD and would be a fun one at that for OP.
OP - what's your budget? What are must haves and haven'ts?
In reply to DirtyBird222 :
This is the first car I ever bought where fuel economy is a primary deciding factor.
Reliability is close second.
Ideally I would like a manual, high-mpg car. Some fun to drive characteristics would be greatly appreciated, but only after the MPG and reliability.
Price range: ~25K or less
In reply to V12 :
Putting this into the power search function of fueleconomy.gov yields...
28/35/38
'11-'13 Hyundai Elantra just be careful. Manual trans on Korean cars can often mean no cruise control on these base models. Check to verify.
26/33/35
'18-'20 Accord 1.5L
24/30/34
12 - '17 Accord 2.4L and '11-'13 Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima (also check for cruise control)
BMW 320's also show 35 hyw but not sure if meets your reliability standard and also call for Premium fuel.
If you add in the requirement of rwd then the #1 choice is Caddy ATS w/ 29 hyw.
I had a 100 mile commute up a mountain pass and a 2nd gen prius I bought for 2 grand really saved my ass. I was getting about 38mpg in the winter and 42 in the summer which was anywhere from $15-20 bucks in fuel a day. You can't beat the prius for cheap to run, 15" tires, doesn't really use it's brake pads. I really didn't find mine as much of a penalty box as most people claim. Mostly because I was so tired from the long hours that my commute was really putting on a podcast on some noise cancelling headphones, pointing the car down the freeway and doing 85 for the next hour. I doubt any vehicle could be considered as fun to drive in that situation.
The best feature was that it burned about 1qt every 1000 miles. So I figured by the time I hit 5000 miles I really didnt need to do an oil change cause it was constantly getting topped up.
The other thing you have to consider is the MPG ratings are for legal speeds. At extra legal speeds you're going to need a car with a good cd to minimize the mpg hit.
You can get a 2018ish Hyundai Elantra GT Sport with a 6 speed in the $15-18k range. Most will still be under factory warranty. Its official MPG rating isn't that good, but Car and Driver saw 37mpg highway on their test.
I think it is the same 1.6T as the Veloster Turbo, but the Elantra hatchback isn't hideous and has 4 doors.
The Lexus ES is a tatted up Camry, not Avalon.
If you can flex on your manual requirements I'm going with the crowd to suggest the Avalon hybrid, ES Hybrid, or the Kia Optima. For an appliance I am a big fan of the Toyota Hybrid system. My Prius has 125k, I've owned it for 45 of those and maintenance has been 100% scheduled with the exception of changing the cvt fluid (the Prius forum geeks recommend). It is buzzy and fatiguing to drive though, so I'd recommend something that does more to isolate you from road and wind noise.
Sonic said:Spending that much time in the car you also want it to be a nice place to be. I'd also look at the Avalon Hybrid and an Accord hybrid.
This. Driving position is going to be crucial I am also personally partial to cloth seats as a comfortable place to park a butt for several hours a day.
I love my Volvo but if I had to drive it 160 miles every day, I'd have a For Sale sign on it, the driving position is just too damn high and my hip joints start screaming in pain. (I'm built like Hank Hill, all thighs and no butt, so high seats have me sitting on my thighs more than my sit bones) Oddly and conveniently enough, the FoRS with Recaros seems just about right, but so far nobody has offered me one to sample for long trip testing yet.
Current plan is to go look at a Camry Hybrid and an Avalon Hybrid this weekend.
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