If you drive an SUV, you’ve likely faced the wrath of your environmentalist friends. Although SUVs have some great advantages over their smaller counterparts—superior visibility, off-roading capabilities, larger trunk and seating space—they struggle to compete on gas mileage.
But as fuel efficiency technology improves, that’s starting to change. These
10 midsize SUVs provide the best of both worlds: they maintain their large car practicality while offering above-average fuel economy for their class. And all for under $30,000.
If you’re looking for a practical vehicle with solid fuel economy, these are the cars for you.
2015 Toyota Highlander
This SUV achieves respectable gas mileage for a midsize SUV/crossover, at an overall 22 miles per gallon (city MPG of 20, and highway MPG of 25). This means it is 4.8% more fuel efficient than its similarly-sized peers. This model uses regular unleaded fuel.
2015 Dodge Journey
Although it has the same combined gas mileage as the Toyota Highlander, the Dodge Journey is $9,070 cheaper.
This SUV achieves respectable gas mileage for a midsize SUV/crossover. With a combined 22 miles per gallon (city MPG of 19, and highway MPG of 26), the Dodge Journey is 4.8% more fuel efficient than its similarly-sized peers. This model uses regular unleaded fuel.
2015 Nissan Pathfinder
The 2015 Nissan Pathfinder gets good gas mileage for a midsize SUV/crossover, at an overall 23 miles per gallon (city MPG of 20, and highway MPG of 27). This means it is 9.5% more fuel efficient than the average midsize SUV/crossover. This model uses regular unleaded fuel.
2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
The 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe gets the same gas mileage as the Nissan Pathfinder, but comes at a more reasonable price.
With a combined gas mileage of 23 miles per gallon (city MPG of 20, and highway MPG of 27), the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is 9.5% more fuel efficient than its similarly-sized peers. This model uses regular unleaded fuel.
2015 Kia Sorento
The Kia Sorento is $650 cheaper than the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and $5,210 cheaper than the Nissan Pathfinder, despite having the same overall gas mileage of 23 miles per gallon.
Like its two competitors, the Kia Sorento is 9.5% more fuel efficient than its direct competitors and uses regular unleaded fuel.
2015 Nissan Murano
This SUV achieves great gas mileage for a midsize SUV/crossover, at an overall 24 miles per gallon (city MPG of 21, and highway MPG of 28). This makes it 14% more fuel efficient than the average midsize SUV. This model uses regular unleaded fuel.
2015 Ford Edge
The 2015 Ford Edge has excellent gas mileage for a midsize SUV/crossover, with an overall 25 miles per gallon (city MPG of 20, and highway MPG of 30). This represents an impressive fuel efficiency advantage of 19% over its similarly-sized peers. Unlike the other SUVs on this list, this model uses premium unleaded (recommended) fuel.
2015 GMC Terrain
With a combined gas mileage of 27 mpg (22 mpg in the city, 32 mpg on the highway), the 2015 GMC Terrain is 29% more efficient than the average midsize SUV/crossover. This model uses regular unleaded fuel.
2015 Chevrolet Equinox
While the Equinox has identical gas mileage to the GMC Terrain, it ranks higher due to its lower price tag.
This SUV has outstanding gas mileage for a midsize SUV/crossover, at an overall 27 miles per gallon (city MPG of 22, and highway MPG of 32). This represents a very impressive fuel efficiency advantage of 29% over its similarly-sized peers. This model uses regular unleaded fuel.
2015 Mitsubishi Outlander
The 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander takes the top honor as the most efficient midsize SUV under $30,000.
This SUV has an outstanding gas mileage of 28 miles per gallon—33% greater than the average midsize SUV/crossover. Like most other cars on this list, this model uses regular unleaded fuel.
If you want an affordable, fuel-efficient SUV, it’s hard to get much better than this.
source: blog.sfgate[.]com
