10 Most Fuel-Efficient Non-Hybrid SUVs Of 2018
They’re far from being the big fuel-swilling behemoths you may have grown up with.
Khodrocar - Crossover SUVs are the darlings of the auto industry these days, with consumers ditching their sedans in earnest to avail themselves of added practicality and perhaps a more rugged or expressive appearance. Families have long-embraced three-row models as their rides of choice, but a tsunami of smaller crossovers that still continue to enter the market are likewise attracting singles and empty nesters.
Car-based crossovers are more well-mannered and sophisticated than their truck-based predecessors, but they still afford a higher ride height and more commanding outward visibility, with generally more interior room and cargo space than same-sized sedans, and available all-wheel-drive (AWD) for added foul-weather security.
And while the current generation of crossovers get far better fuel economy than the truck-based gas-guzzlers that rose to prominence during the 1990s, crossover SUVs still get fewer miles per gallon than similarly sized passenger cars, due largely to their added curb weight and less-aerodynamic exteriors. For example, while the subcompact Honda Fit hatchback is EPA-rated at 33/40 mpg (city/highway), its crossover equivalent, the Honda HR-V, gets 28/34 mpg, which will cost an owner an estimated additional $200 a year in fuel costs at 15,000 miles driven. Also, adding AWD generally drops a model’s fuel economy by one or two mpg, given the system’s added heft.
We’re highlighting the 10 purely petroleum-powered SUVs in the accompanying slideshow – all of them are car-based crossovers – that are the most fuel-frugal for the 2018 model year; all prices include the automaker’s destination charge. As always, the EPA’s website should be your go-to resource for fuel economy ratings and other related information for all current and past car and truck lines.
10. Nissan Rogue
MPG: 26/33; Base Price: $25,655. The compact Nissan Rogue is the only SUV on our high-mileage list to offer a third-row seat, but it’s brutally cramped. Ironically, the Rogue gets slightly better fuel economy than its somewhat smaller showroom sibling, the Rogue Sport (at 25/32); a hybrid version is also available, but it’s of most benefit to urban drivers (at 33/35 mpg).
9. Jaguar F-Pace
MPG: 26/33; Base Price: $47,270. The compact Jaguar F-Pace is the automaker’s first-ever SUV, and it’s both appropriately sporty and features a top-notch interior. It gets the line’s best fuel economy with the 2.0-liter "Ingenium” turbodiesel engine in the base 20d models that generates 180 horsepower and a forceful 318 pound-feet of torque. (Four-cylinder and V6 gasoline engines are also offered with added muscle, but fewer mpg at 22/27 and 18/23, respectively.)
8. Toyota CH-R
MPG: 27/31; Base Price: $23,495. The Toyota CH-R is the automaker’s new subcompact crossover SUV; it comes dramatically styled along the lines of the expressive Nissan Juke, and is tuned to afford somewhat livelier handling than the norm.
7. Subaru Crosstrek
MPG: 27/33; Base Price: $22,710. As with most of the automaker’s models, the winter-friendly Subaru Crosstrek comes standard with AWD. It’s essentially an Impreza wagon with a higher ride height and SUV-like styling cues; in that regard it can be thought of as a smaller version of the Subaru Outback. This rating is with the available seven-speed automatic transmission; the standard six-speed manual gets an estimated 23/29 mpg.
6. Buick Encore
MPG: 27/33; Base Price: $23,985. The subcompact Buick Encore is the brand’s top-seller, and it’s arguably the most sophisticated small SUV for the money. A 1.4-liter turbo-four engine affords peppy acceleration, while occupants are treated to a surprisingly roomy and especially quiet interior.
5. Hyundai Kona
MPG: 28/32; Base Price: $19,500. Just coming to showrooms, the new-for-2018 subcompact Hyundai Kona assumes a burlier appearance than most comelier crossovers, and packs a choice of four-cylinder engines. The optional 1.6-liter turbocharged version gets the best fuel economy in the line, but only slightly, with the base 2.0-liter version rated at 27/33 mpg.
4. Honda CR-V
MPG: 28/34; Base Price: $25,125. Perhaps surprisingly, the compact Honda CR-V gets the same fuel economy rating as its smaller and less-powerful relation, the HR-V. This rating is for the CR-V’s 1.5-liter 190-horsepower turbo-four engine, which is included in all trims but the base model (which packs a 2.0-liter four with 184 horses and similar fuel economy at 26/32 mpg).
3. Honda HR-V
MPG: 28/34; Base Price: $20,645. The subcompact Honda HR-V is a more-diminutive alternative to the compact CR-V, delivering solid overall performance in an amenable package. This mpg rating is with the available CVT automatic transmission; its 29/36 with the standard six-speed manual. Among its nifty features, second-row "Magic Seats” can fold flat or tumble forward for enhanced cargo-carrying flexibility.
2. Mazda CX-3
MPG: 29/34; Base Price: $21,085. Small enough to park in the tightest spaces and assertively nimble around corners, the subcompact Mazda CX-3 is an ideal city vehicle. It’s fun to drive a is nicely designed, especially on the inside, but it comes up short in terms of rear legroom and cargo space behind the seats.
1. Chevrolet Equinox
MPG: 28/39; Base Price: $32,400. Redesigned for 2018, the compact Chevrolet Equinox offers a choice of three turbocharged four-cylinder engines, and this rating is for the 1.6-liter turbodiesel –included on select versions – that nets 137 horsepower with a lively 240 pound-feet of torque. A 1.5-liter turbo-four gasoline engine with 170 horses (at 26/32 mpg) comes standard with a 2.0-liter with 252-horsepower (22/29 mpg) optional.
Car-based crossovers are more well-mannered and sophisticated than their truck-based predecessors, but they still afford a higher ride height and more commanding outward visibility, with generally more interior room and cargo space than same-sized sedans, and available all-wheel-drive (AWD) for added foul-weather security.
And while the current generation of crossovers get far better fuel economy than the truck-based gas-guzzlers that rose to prominence during the 1990s, crossover SUVs still get fewer miles per gallon than similarly sized passenger cars, due largely to their added curb weight and less-aerodynamic exteriors. For example, while the subcompact Honda Fit hatchback is EPA-rated at 33/40 mpg (city/highway), its crossover equivalent, the Honda HR-V, gets 28/34 mpg, which will cost an owner an estimated additional $200 a year in fuel costs at 15,000 miles driven. Also, adding AWD generally drops a model’s fuel economy by one or two mpg, given the system’s added heft.
We’re highlighting the 10 purely petroleum-powered SUVs in the accompanying slideshow – all of them are car-based crossovers – that are the most fuel-frugal for the 2018 model year; all prices include the automaker’s destination charge. As always, the EPA’s website should be your go-to resource for fuel economy ratings and other related information for all current and past car and truck lines.
10. Nissan Rogue
MPG: 26/33; Base Price: $25,655. The compact Nissan Rogue is the only SUV on our high-mileage list to offer a third-row seat, but it’s brutally cramped. Ironically, the Rogue gets slightly better fuel economy than its somewhat smaller showroom sibling, the Rogue Sport (at 25/32); a hybrid version is also available, but it’s of most benefit to urban drivers (at 33/35 mpg).
9. Jaguar F-Pace
8. Toyota CH-R
MPG: 27/31; Base Price: $23,495. The Toyota CH-R is the automaker’s new subcompact crossover SUV; it comes dramatically styled along the lines of the expressive Nissan Juke, and is tuned to afford somewhat livelier handling than the norm.
7. Subaru Crosstrek
MPG: 27/33; Base Price: $22,710. As with most of the automaker’s models, the winter-friendly Subaru Crosstrek comes standard with AWD. It’s essentially an Impreza wagon with a higher ride height and SUV-like styling cues; in that regard it can be thought of as a smaller version of the Subaru Outback. This rating is with the available seven-speed automatic transmission; the standard six-speed manual gets an estimated 23/29 mpg.
6. Buick Encore
MPG: 27/33; Base Price: $23,985. The subcompact Buick Encore is the brand’s top-seller, and it’s arguably the most sophisticated small SUV for the money. A 1.4-liter turbo-four engine affords peppy acceleration, while occupants are treated to a surprisingly roomy and especially quiet interior.
5. Hyundai Kona
MPG: 28/32; Base Price: $19,500. Just coming to showrooms, the new-for-2018 subcompact Hyundai Kona assumes a burlier appearance than most comelier crossovers, and packs a choice of four-cylinder engines. The optional 1.6-liter turbocharged version gets the best fuel economy in the line, but only slightly, with the base 2.0-liter version rated at 27/33 mpg.
4. Honda CR-V
MPG: 28/34; Base Price: $25,125. Perhaps surprisingly, the compact Honda CR-V gets the same fuel economy rating as its smaller and less-powerful relation, the HR-V. This rating is for the CR-V’s 1.5-liter 190-horsepower turbo-four engine, which is included in all trims but the base model (which packs a 2.0-liter four with 184 horses and similar fuel economy at 26/32 mpg).
3. Honda HR-V
MPG: 28/34; Base Price: $20,645. The subcompact Honda HR-V is a more-diminutive alternative to the compact CR-V, delivering solid overall performance in an amenable package. This mpg rating is with the available CVT automatic transmission; its 29/36 with the standard six-speed manual. Among its nifty features, second-row "Magic Seats” can fold flat or tumble forward for enhanced cargo-carrying flexibility.
2. Mazda CX-3
MPG: 29/34; Base Price: $21,085. Small enough to park in the tightest spaces and assertively nimble around corners, the subcompact Mazda CX-3 is an ideal city vehicle. It’s fun to drive a is nicely designed, especially on the inside, but it comes up short in terms of rear legroom and cargo space behind the seats.
1. Chevrolet Equinox
MPG: 28/39; Base Price: $32,400. Redesigned for 2018, the compact Chevrolet Equinox offers a choice of three turbocharged four-cylinder engines, and this rating is for the 1.6-liter turbodiesel –included on select versions – that nets 137 horsepower with a lively 240 pound-feet of torque. A 1.5-liter turbo-four gasoline engine with 170 horses (at 26/32 mpg) comes standard with a 2.0-liter with 252-horsepower (22/29 mpg) optional.
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