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Saying goodbye to my SUV

DakotaGuy

DakotaGuy

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jan 14, 2002
4,339
4,084
South Dakota, USA
Well there was a time when I was all high, mighty and cool driving my black Explorer around, but tonight I said goodbye to it. With record fuel prices that only seem to get higher I decided it just was not worth it anymore. Even though it was an E85 vehicle, it was hard finding that type of fuel and even the price of that fuel is starting to explode. One of the main reasons why I bought it in 2005 was because I live in a place that has poor road conditions in the winter, but I found that automakers are making better alternatives for those that need extra traction.

Anyhow tonight I bought (actually leased) a 2008 Ford Fusion AWD V6. Granted it won't get exactly the mileage that a compact 4 cyl. will, but it is my only vehicle and I need something that is good on ice and snow in the winter. I figure that I should be getting around an 8 MPG improvement which adds up to a lot of money after 3 years. The payments are actually even a little lower then what I was paying.

I will try and post a picture when I get a chance. I got the best one they had so it did not feel like I was going down. I am amazed at how much better the ride and handling are then my SUV. It is a black SEL with black heated leather. The coolest feature is probably the SYNC system. I know it is made by Microsoft, but it does work exactly like advertised. I also like the remote start. The only thing I did not get is the touch screen navigation. I know that most of you around here don't really care for American cars, but the Fusion is one of the highest rated in quality right now. I'd say it is about as close to an Accord as you can get and I appreciate having all wheel drive for winter driving. The AWD system takes away one MPG on the EPA sticker. It seems like these new AWD cars might be a better option for people that need better traction then the traditional SUV.

Last, with fuel prices like they are I started to feel silly driving my SUV. Almost like people were staring at me. It was time to make a change. If everyone that didn't really need an SUV or truck did what I did I bet it would make a big difference on the oil supply.
 
I'm glad you made that choice, you're saving money and the environment. :) My mom is having a very hard time giving up her Chevy Suburban, but she'll make it.

No one stares at SUV drivers here, I'd estimate at least 70% of this town owns an SUV (No joke; it isn't uncommon to not see any other kind of vehicle for five or ten minutes at a time while sitting on main street)
 
Well I'm glad that someone who doesn't need an SUV has now seen the light. Smaller cars do drive better, and your car isn't even that small! (I had to check Wikipedia for a photo)

Anyway, the car looks quite nice, and I hope you enjoy the transition. I don't believe that the traction in smaller cars is far worse than an SUV. The technology gone into handling slippage, and todays winter tyres make all the difference in the world.

Enjoy your new car. :)
 
What kind of gas mileage did you get in your Explorer? Was it a V8 or V6? And was it a 4x4? I ask because you probably aren't going to get much better gas mileage out of the Fusion, especially with the v6. It will probably pull an average of about 15-20. That's about what I get out of my v8 Eddie Bauer Edition Explorer, well actually, 15 city, 19 highway. My Nissan Frontier with a 3.3L v6 gets about 16 on average, about 19-20 on the highway.

Congrats on the new car though, its always fun to get a new one.

Too bad I can't afford to get a car that gets better gas mileage. I don't have another 6-10k to shell out on top of a trade in just to getter slightly better gas mileage (and I don't do leases or payments). Even with a Prius or Civic Hybrid it would take like 7-10 years of owning the car for me to make up the difference in gas costs, simply not worth it for me. Besides, none of the cars that get great gas mileage look good, have leather, climate control, or navigation systems all in one package.
 
rhsgolfer33 said:
What kind of gas mileage did you get in your Explorer? Was it a V8 or V6? And was it a 4x4? I ask because you probably aren't going to get much better gas mileage out of the Fusion, especially with the v6. It will probably pull an average of about 15-20. That's about what I get out of my v8 Eddie Bauer Edition Explorer, well actually, 15 city, 19 highway. My Nissan Frontier with a 3.3L v6 gets about 16 on average, about 19-20 on the highway.

Congrats on the new car though, its always fun to get a new one.

Too bad I can't afford to get a car that gets better gas mileage. I don't have another 6-10k to shell out on top of a trade in just to getter slightly better gas mileage (and I don't do leases or payments). Even with a Prius or Civic Hybrid it would take like 7-10 years of owning the car for me to make up the difference in gas costs, simply not worth it for me. Besides, none of the cars that get great gas mileage look good, have leather, climate control, or navigation systems all in one package.
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I think it will save me quite a bit. Of course I need some long term driving to see what will change but if you just go by the EPA ratings there is a 2 MPG gain in the city and a 6 MPG gain on the highway. Coming home last night (which is about 50 miles and doesn't mean much) my MPG registered at 25 MPG. If I did the exact same thing on the Explorer, a full tank with a reset on the MPG info center I would get around 17 MPG. If I can improve 5-8 MPG on the road it will save me.
 
congrats on the new vehicle.

I think the biggest consumption of gas has to do with a certain little war in Iraq. The amount of fuel being used by vehicles and aircraft...man, I don't even want to think about it. Plus, they destroyed an oil line a few weeks back.

I think if we just drove smarter, we'd be alright too. I own a toyota tacoma and there's no way i'm giving it up. I love my Tac! I might have bought a smaller car b/c there are some neat options out there, but i don't find them safe driving my kids around. Too many big SUVs which could crush smaller cars. Plus, I love my Tac for hunting season :)

I drive smarter - no 'one off' trips out. I've been doing this for a few years now - when I go out, I maximize my trips and hit all the stores I need to visit. I'm the stay at home Dad so I have the advantage of making my schedule. Or, I'll have my wife stop on her way home from work.
 
Here are pics

n671046554_776170_306.jpg


n671046554_776171_3213.jpg


n671046554_776172_5935.jpg


n671046554_776175_2853.jpg
 
Nice choice! I absolutely love the Fusion's, great looking cars. How does it drive compared to your Explorer?

My aunt is giving up her '04 XLS soon and was looking at Camry's. Gonna have to tell her about the Fusion's.
 
I think Fords are becoming the ugliest of cars. What did they do to the headlight/taillights.
 
I'm tempted to get a Smart Car.

If they made one electric--that I could plug in at home--I'd buy it today.
 
Congratulations on your new car!


But there is NO way I could ever give up my Land Rover; I am just too attached to it to ever give it up for anything else (unless it's another Land Rover). It is quite the gas-guzzler, though.
 
Well, I couldn't see giving up my truck....well except for the next truck I buy but congrats on your purchase (lease). Do you intend to live out the lease and buy it out or will you toss your cash away for 2-3 years and then end up going into another car?
 
ryannel2003 said:
Nice choice! I absolutely love the Fusion's, great looking cars. How does it drive compared to your Explorer?

My aunt is giving up her '04 XLS soon and was looking at Camry's. Gonna have to tell her about the Fusion's.
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Well after driving it for a few days it is actually a breath of fresh air compared to my Explorer. I am sure there will be times that I miss the utility of the SUV, however I enjoy the much improved ride, handling, braking and acceleration. It moves through traffic with more ease and I know that when winter comes I will still have the traction with AWD. I am already seeing about a 6-8 MPG improvement in mileage and it is not broke it nor have I taken it on a long road trip. I am expecting to see somewhere in the middle to high 20's once it is broke in and my Explorer usually did about 16-18 MPG on the highway. I do more highway driving then city driving.

leekohler said:
Good for you. Now let's hope more people follow your lead.
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Well to be honest I started to feel like I was part of the problem, a single guy driving around in a fairly large SUV. I agree when I bought it I was probably more concerned with image then anything...lol I am just being honest. I also did want AWD, but few cars offered it at the time that were in my price range. There are people that really need a truck or an SUV and I don't have a problem with that, but if everyone who did not really need it was to downsize to a midsize passenger car imagine how much less fuel would be used everyday.

jessica. said:
Well, I couldn't see giving up my truck....well except for the next truck I buy but congrats on your purchase (lease). Do you intend to live out the lease and buy it out or will you toss your cash away for 2-3 years and then end up going into another car?
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Well the main reason I did the lease this time was because I am not sure what the world will look like in 3 years. Will I need to downsize further? Possibly. I guess you could say it is throwing money away, however the same can be said about purchasing the vehicle and sucking up the depreciation. The good thing about the Fusion is that it is one of the first American cars in a long time that seems to be holding it's value as well as the Accord or Camry.

By the way the SYNC system works GREAT! I am very impressed with the technology. Considering it comes from Microsoft I was not sure, but it is probably the best voice recognition device I have ever used. I named the woman that speaks to you over the audio system "Pam" :)
 
Congrats on the new car. It looks great. I recently got rid of my '96 Explorer (that I had for 10 years) and bought an '07 V8 Explorer. The new one gets better mileage and is easier for the wife to drive, even though it is bigger. The peddles move up. I use an SUV for the dogs and pulling a trailer in the summer. The roads here really suck in the winter time, so I'm good to go all year round.

To whoever said Ford vehicles are ugly: I didasgree; they may be alittle boring, but GM has ugly all wrapped up.
 
Abercrombieboy said:
Well after driving it for a few days it is actually a breath of fresh air compared to my Explorer. I am sure there will be times that I miss the utility of the SUV, however I enjoy the much improved ride, handling, braking and acceleration. It moves through traffic with more ease and I know that when winter comes I will still have the traction with AWD. I am already seeing about a 6-8 MPG improvement in mileage and it is not broke it nor have I taken it on a long road trip. I am expecting to see somewhere in the middle to high 20's once it is broke in and my Explorer usually did about 16-18 MPG on the highway. I do more highway driving then city driving.
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Not putting you down or anything, but is 20ish US mpg translate to about 25 Imp MPG?
Thats not particularly amazing IMO.
 
Did you get your personalized thank you letter from Al Gore yet? woops, you only get that w. a Hybrid minimum purchase....

I'm lucky enough to have a paid-off SUV (that presently sits but does come in handy) an Accord and a motorscooter. Guess which one gets used the most?

Scooter w. hot days and high gas prices it is.

Good luck w. your new car:D
 
-Alan- said:
I'm tempted to get a Smart Car.

If they made one electric--that I could plug in at home--I'd buy it today.
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Having driven one for a few years on the tarmac at work, I can say that you can beat anyone out of a stoplight with a Smart Car. Although I don't drive it very much, it's gotta be nice as gas over here was €1.67/litre yesterday.
 
The problem with the Smart car is that the technology is quite average. It must be, since the car's fuel economy isn't much better than what I get from my current car.

I'm sorry, but Smart doesn't have some secret recipe for success. The car uses less petrol because the engine is tiny, as is the car. That's why the Smart has an edge over my car in fuel economy. However, I'd consider both a mid-sized hatchback style car, and fuel efficient. If my car was made that small and light, my car's fuel economy may be even better than the Smart. I use around 6.5 to 7 litres/100 km, while I think the Smart uses around 5.5 litres/100 km.
 
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