This is going to be an issue. I just know it.
Our little Suzuki SX4 has a little fuel tank; I believe it's just under 12 gallons. Combine that with (relatively) dismal fuel economy and you get a sane, usable range of around 200 miles. If your last name is Jacquot, you might see 280 miles before having to fill up. But I doubt anyone will get 300 miles on a tank with this car.
What's the big deal with that? Well, this idea of 'pain at the pump' comes from always finding yourself at the gas station, constantly having to fill up your car. It's a psychological thing more than anything else, but when you buy a cute, little four cylinder car you might have it in your head that you won't be filling it up all the time. With the Suzuki, you'd be wrong.
For the record, I was the one who recorded our best fuel economy for this car at 23.2 mpg. That was in 2WD, with 80 percent open highway driving. Maybe there's a Z06 endurance tank option we missed?
Kurt Niebuhr, Photo Editor @ 2,314 miles
dougtheeng says:
11:34 AM, 01/22/09
Thats embarrassing fuel economy. I'll take a Fit please - I can live without 4wd.
carlisimo says:
12:35 PM, 01/22/09
My Miata's like that, especially in the winter and especially with E10.
m_thrizzle says:
12:40 PM, 01/22/09
That is pretty bad. Chock it up partly to the tranny . Suzuki needs to update their drivetrains to get more MPG.
rsholland says:
12:55 PM, 01/22/09
The larger, similarly-marketed Subie Impreza Outback Sport, with a much more powerful engine, will do much better than that in terms of gas mileage, and has a 16.8 gallon gas tank.
stingray454 says:
12:59 PM, 01/22/09
BTW, the C5 Z06 has an 18.0 gallon tank.
kurt_ says:
01:08 PM, 01/22/09
I was referring to the 'Big Tank' Corvettes from 1963. They came with a 36.5 gallon tank suitable for endurance racing, which was part of the Z06 package.
empowah says:
01:36 PM, 01/22/09
Well, at EPA 21/29, it is still the most fuel-efficient AWD non-hybrid with an automatic transmission.
7driver says:
01:50 PM, 01/22/09
It's a little bit more than psychological.
If you drive 20k miles a year, you'd be filling up 100 times a year
instead of closer to 50 like some other cars. If each fuel stop takes 10 minutes, then you're wasting 8 hours (a full work day!) each
year.
But if your commute doesn't have a gas station conveniently
located off your route then that figure goes up even more not
to mention adding a few miles each time.
And then I knew a few people who had a 80 mile commute each way. A good portion of that was through rural areas where gas stations are limited, so that amounts to a fuel stop every day vs. every other day (21hrs extra a year on fuel stops). Of course, they tended towards vehicles closer to 500+ miles in range, which would amount to 28hrs extra a year in a SX4.
haub says:
02:49 PM, 01/22/09
Should have ordered it with a manual. Or get an SX4 AWD with a manual and compare the numbers.
Experience tells me that N/A 4 cylinders dont get along with automatics. Especially with AWD.
kurtamaxxxguy says:
02:51 PM, 01/22/09
"our best fuel economy for this car at 23.2 mpg. That was in 2WD, with 80 percent open highway driving"
The '09 Forester XT I drive gets 24 or better on open road driving, with AWD. It'll run circles around the SX-4. Ditto for the Tiguan or the V6 Rav4.
It would be nice to see Suzuki improve engine efficiency next time around.
firstwagon says:
03:43 PM, 01/22/09
I was talking to a neighbour today today who has had his 2wd SX4 (5 speed) for the past 6 months.
He averages 7 -8 L/100km or about 29 to 33 mpg US.
Not too bad considering my 2.2 Legacy wagon averages 9 - 10 L/100 km (23 to 26 mpg US) on the same commute as he does.
cah11705 says:
04:23 PM, 01/22/09
a little bit of modern fuel saving technology could make this an excellent little car
bankerdanny says:
04:24 PM, 01/22/09
Wow, my much larger full time AWD Forester consistently gets 26 on the highway. Under 24 is pathetic for a car of this size and power.
billt9 says:
04:26 PM, 01/22/09
That's too bad. Should have got a Subaru Forester AWD.
subytrojan says:
04:50 PM, 01/22/09
I thought Subaru Imprezas have a 16.9 gallon fuel tank, Bob.
jahfakin says:
06:31 PM, 01/22/09
I'm sure millage will improve when it warms up. cars tend to see a big drop in mpg during the winter
firstwagon says:
06:36 PM, 01/22/09
LA has winter? LOL
estreka says:
07:54 PM, 01/22/09
That's silly that my sports car goes farther (220 miles) on less gas (~10gal/fillup) with well over twice the hp (320) in city driving. Oh, and I'm not exactly using low rolling resistance tires, either.
What gives?
iancar says:
08:28 PM, 01/22/09
Can anyone think of a car with the longest range currently on sale in America? Remember, not the most fuel efficient, but the longest range between fill-ups.
1487 says:
06:25 AM, 01/23/09
maybe the Jetta TDI
dougtheeng says:
06:25 AM, 01/23/09
"Can anyone think of a car with the longest range currently on sale in America? Remember, not the most fuel efficient, but the longest range between fill-ups."
One of the VW TDIs? They advertise 1000+km a tank in Canada. I've seen over 900km (560 miles)
rsholland says:
07:05 AM, 01/23/09
Loren, you're right, all Subies (I think?) have a 16.9 gal. fuel tank.
firstwagon says:
09:00 AM, 01/23/09
"Can anyone think of a car with the longest range currently on sale in America? Remember, not the most fuel efficient, but the longest range between fill-ups. "
My neighbour has gone over 1200km (about 750 miles) in his 2001 Ram 2500 Cummins on the hwy. (I know it's not a car but he uses it as one)
I think the tank hold 130 litres.
klutz_33 says:
08:52 PM, 01/23/09
Wow this is kind of embarrassing especially seeming that I really like a lot of things about the SX4 and actually like the looks of the sx4 sedan sport. My Saturn SL2 also has a 12 gallon tank but has a range of about 400 miles, sees a 100 mile round trip commute every Monday through Friday, has 172k miles on it, and is lowered with 17" rims. Fuel economy is definitely a sore spot for the sx4 but hopefully in time Suzuki will improve in this area.
greenpony says:
06:42 AM, 01/24/09
Aww, you lowered a Saturn??
"Can anyone think of a car with the longest range currently on sale in America? Remember, not the most fuel efficient, but the longest range between fill-ups."
-- What about the Altima? 600+ mile range.
tusitala says:
07:44 AM, 01/31/09
There's something very wrong here. Last year, I averaged 27.3 mpg in my 2007 SX4 (AT, convenience package, usually in 2WD). The worst tank I had was 22.1 (all in-town), best 35.1 (all highway Asheville to Raleigh - yeah, mostly downhill). I managed to get 300 mile out of a tank twice, both times during long-distance trips, but I usually filled up well before 250.