Cars
MPG Takes Center Stage
With fuel at record prices, hybrids and gas-muzzling models replace SUVs as showroom stars.
By Mark Solheim, Senior Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
November 2005
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SUV evolution
This year Kiplinger's separates SUVs into two categories: traditional, truck-based vehicles and crossovers, which are built more like station wagons on stilts. The distinction acknowledges the growing popularity of crossovers and the diminishing sales of truck-based SUVs.
On the crossover side, the dependable and roomy Honda Pilot wins Best in Class. But hybrid crossovers are where the excitement is, and Toyota's Highlander Hybrid ($33,595) gets Best New Crossover honors. The affordable, green SUV (33 mpg city, 28 highway) is attracting drivers who wouldn't have been caught dead in an SUV before -- drivers such as Mandie Tarango. The 23-year-old Los Angeles resident got the SUV as a present from her parents this fall when she graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. But a Highlander Hybrid wasn't easy to find: Mandie and her parents waited six weeks for one dealership to get a vehicle before they gave up and scoured other L.A.-area showrooms for prospects. They found a white, all-wheel-drive Limited model, fully loaded, at Longo Toyota. Now Mandie uses it to haul props for her design job at stores and mall kiosks.
The environmentally friendly Lexus 400h hybrid ($49,060) is another new crossover with a gas-electric engine, and so is the Mercury Mariner Hybrid, which joins its year-old cousin, the Ford Escape Hybrid. Among crossovers with conventional powertrains, the retro Chevy HHR small SUV ($16,990 for the LT model) harks back to the 1949 Suburban. And Toyota is introducing a new, slightly larger RAV4 in December.
If you tow a trailer or boat, or you are one of the few people who actually drives off-road, you need the torque of a truck-based SUV. (This year we include towing capacity in our tables.) Leading the category is the Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland ($42,925), a new trim level that combines Jeep's four-wheel-drive capability with a standard 5.7-liter Hemi and stability control.
Land Rover's new Range Rover Sport ($56,750), a smaller and sexier version of the Range Rover, gets the Best New SUV award. It combines a lot of pizzazz with performance, power and luxury. The Ford Explorer, still the best-selling SUV in the U.S., gets a freshened exterior and a more upscale interior, as well as more power and additional safety features. The Hummer H3 -- also known as the baby Hummer -- is another newcomer. The head-turning H3 ($29,500) is more tractable than its siblings, but it got short shrift in the power department -- 220 hp versus the H2's 325.
Among other people movers, the Honda Odyssey minivan ($25,895) continues to outscore its rivals in design and convenience, although the Toyota Sienna is the minivan of choice if you want all-wheel drive. Wagons get a lift from a couple of new entries with minivan proclivities. The Mazda5 is a value-priced ($17,995) category buster -- a mini minivan with seating for six that is reminiscent of compact European vehicles. At the other extreme, the American-size Mercedes-Benz R class ($48,775 for the R350) also seats six, but it offers luxury touches, such as personalized climate controls and entertainment screens.
Roadster revival
The Chevy Corvette wins Best in Class -- the fourth time Kiplinger's has bestowed the honor on it -- based on a rational price ($44,600) and enough cargo room to pack the car for a vacation. This year also marks the debut of the redesigned Z06 'Vette ($65,800), which streaks from zero to 60 in 3.6 seconds.
Best New Sports Car goes to the Mazda Miata MX-5. Why not give the award to the similarly powered and priced Pontiac Solstice? The MX-5 is safer and more practical; the Grand Touring model ($24,995) comes with standard anti-lock brakes and side airbags, and it offers optional stability control. The only safety equipment on the Solstice is optional ABS. What's more, the Solstice's tiny cargo space disappears when you drop the top. With the MX-5, even with the top down you can fit a supermarket haul or two sets of golf clubs in the trunk.
