Pinning down five crossing vehicles with great fuel thriftiness is hard . Not because there are n’t any – there definitely are – but because the crossing segment itself is hard to immobilise down . One somebody ’s crossover fomite is another ’s small-scale S.U.V. or place wagon . Some manufacturer helpfully put an " X " in the good example name to say the consumer that it ’s a crossing , but most do n’t .
The Environmental Protection Agency ’s guidelines are n’t any assistance on this point , either . Though the EPA lists the Admiralty mile per Imperial gallon for every rider vehicle sell in the United States each year , it does not include " crossing over " in any of its vehicle categories . The representation has its prescribed EPA classes , which include midsize post Wain and fun utility vehicle . The Web sitefueleconomy.govalso lists cars by grocery year , which are categories closer to what car - shopping consumer would use , like hatchback and SUVs . But there ’s not a crossover classification to be find oneself .
Which leaves the call up to manufacturers . With the popularity of the true SUV on the ebb , and the rising price of gasoline , the crossover fomite is a span between off - route trucks and around - town elevator car . Most crossing over are build on a car weapons platform , which is lighter and easier to drive than a fully boxed off - route truck flesh , which is what traditional SUV were ( and some still are ) work up on .
And now , without further ado , the five crossing over vehicle with the best fuel economic system – include one little hybrid surprise .
5: Honda CR-V
The Honda CR - V is no fledgeling to the crossover scene , having been marketed as a small sport utility since the 1990s . It was never really meant for off - roading , though , and the crossover section seems to agree it well . The two - bike - thrust Honda CR - V gets better mileage than the four - roulette wheel - driving reading , with an EPA rating of 21 miles per Imperial gallon ( 8.9 kilometer per liter ) metropolis , 28 air mile per gallon ( 11.9 kilometer per litre ) main road and 24 miles per gallon ( 10.2 kilometers per liter ) combined . That ’s with a four - piston chamber engine that produces 180 HP , room for four adult , and a spacious cargo area behind the back seating area .
The small-scale size , SUV styling , and great gas mileage have made the Honda CR - V the best - selling SUV for four years in a row – start its bar before the crossover voter class had even win traction . The groundwork framework , which experience the best gas mileage , starts at about $ 21,500 [ source : Honda.com ] .
4: Mini Cooper Countryman
A car this handsome from a manufacturing business called Mini may seem like an oxymoron , but that ’s how badly producer want to get into the crossover plot . The Mini Cooper Countryman was a marque - new model for 2011 , with a longer , improbable consistence than the original Mini Cooper and a first - ever optional four - wheel - drive system . The two - rack - drive Countryman with the manual transmission gets highest scrape from the EPA , though , at 28 miles per gallon ( 11.9 klick per l ) city , 35 miles per gallon ( 14.9 kilometer per liter ) main road and a combined 31 geographical mile per gallon ( 13.2 kilometers per cubic decimeter ) . This particular model grow the upright mileage of any crossover on the list .
There are a few pleasant surprise in the Countryman , like a three - somebody rearward bench seat and being named a 2011 Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ( IIHS ) . The Mini Cooper Countryman will set you back about $ 22,000 to start , with options adding to the price – and possibly lower fuel thriftiness [ source : MiniUSA.com ] .
3: Nissan Rogue
While the world " rogue " might call down up pirates and thief and good guys gone bad , the Nissan Rogue crossover plays by the rules and gets large gasolene milage in the procedure . The two - bike - drive interlingual rendition of the Rogue get a very respectable 22 miles per gallon ( 9.4 kilometers per liter ) city , 28 miles per gallon ( 11.9 kilometers per liter ) main road and 25 Admiralty mile per gallon ( 10.6 klick per litre ) combined .
One of the feature helping the Rogue to reach these mileage issue is a continuously variable transmission ( CVT ) . Rather than shift through gears , the Nissan Rogue apply a smash and pulley system to transmit the power of the railway locomotive to the wheels . Nissan was the first manufacturing business to apply CVTs in its rider cars , and it ’s worked out so well that several of its vehicles use the technology . A CVT wo n’t cower over boulders or deplumate a trailer through the mud , but it ’s double-dyed for the crossover family . Like other crossovers , the Rogue has a base price of about $ 21,000 [ source : NissanUSA.com ] .
2: Toyota Highlander Hybrid
The only loanblend to make the list of best crossing over fuel economy is the Toyota Highlander hybrid . Like the Honda CR - V , the Highlander has been around a few years and was commercialise as a very loose - obligation SUV – that is , until the crossover category beguile on . As a crossbreed , the Highlander gravel 28 miles per gallon ( 11.9 km per l ) urban center , 28 Swedish mile per gallon ( 11.9 klick per cubic decimeter ) highway and a combined 28 miles per gallon ( 11.9 kilometers per l ) – which is very consistent , but not tops on the list . That laurels go to the Mini Cooper Countryman .
Like most hybrids on the road today , the Toyota Highlander hybrid has a gasolene engine – this one is a V-6 with 231 HP – plus an electric motor powered by battery . The system has a sum of 280 H.P. when the two power sources work together , more than most other crossovers . This crossbreed will limit you back a act more at the outset , too – the starting manufacturer ’s propose retail monetary value ( MSRP ) is $ 37,490 [ source : Toyota.com ] .
1: Toyota RAV-4
Toyota has the note of earning two spots on the list of five crossover vehicles with the best fuel economy . The Toyota RAV4 with a four - piston chamber engine and two - wheel - drive gets 22 miles per gallon ( 9.4 kilometers per liter ) in the metropolis , 28 miles per gallon ( 11.9 kilometers per l ) main road and 24 land mile per gallon ( 10.2 kilometers per liter ) combined . That ’s the same highway mileage that its hybrid Highlander sibling gets . ( Of course , the hybrid does a little better around town . )
For more information about crossing vehicle and other related topics , follow the link on the next page .
