i really like the X-Terra, and i priced one out and it comes to just about exactly 25k which is perfect. only thing is the gas mileage…its not really THAT much better that the trail blazer, which kinda defeats the purpose of getting something new. my mom drives a LOT too, we got the thing a year ago in January and it has almost 19k on it. so the whole gas price thing is KILLING her. fortunately, myself, not so much. work and the fire hall are all within a mile of my house, so a half a tank lasts me a week and a half usually. now, when i get the 5.0 back, that will be a different story. it gets gallons to the mile, not miles to the gallon lol.
Eh it varies car to car. 5 speed auto vs 6 speed stick when you’re barely cracking 20 won’t make much of a difference. Especially since with a truck driving style doesn’t change much, as they don’t exactly beg to be revved. 
i <3 the 6 speed my GTO had. going 70-75 down the 990 in was getting upwards of 30 mpg. and you’re right, it all depends, usually theres a bit of a difference, but i think since the X-Terra seems to be more of an off-road vehicle, the gearing is probably really low and the ratios are prob pretty close together for that purpose?
I’d guess that it has more to do with a heavy flywheel and high Cd, but I’d just be guessing.
tahoe hybrid go for gold
Your mom can’t be a lesbian, since she’s your mom, so the Forester is out.
The V6 Rav is actually the fastest car in Toyota’s lineup (or was recently when C&D reviewed it). It’s pretty damn fast for an SUV.
Ford Edge would be on my list to look at as well.
Murano is off my list because I hate CVT’s.
CRV is pretty funky looking but a damn good vehicle.
Surprised no one as suggested the CX-7, or CX-9 is she needs more room.
Any unibody crossover SUV is going to be light years ahead of her body on frame trailblazer in terms of ride and handling. That means bye bye Xterra. Frames are great if you’re using a truck as a truck (towing, off roading etc) but I doubt your mom is doing either.
how about something used so she can actually reap the monetary benefits of getting a new car for gas mileage
Seems like most wagons would suit her well but anyway, I use to own a Pathfinder and if I was buying another suv it would be an Xterra or R50+ pathfinder again. Or a Range Rover if I could afford it…
just have her test-drive all the stuff on the list
and play on here:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm
that should help her
get a crv my mom loves hers
is she trading just for gas mileage or is she actually sick of the TB? Doing the former is really dumb…
Naw I checked the math. If she can go from 10-20 mpg, then at 19k/year and $4/gallon it’ll pay for the change in under 2 years.
But that’s if she goes from 10-20 mpg. From the choices on the list it sounds like she’ll be going from 15 to 17. :ohnoes:
Mike have either of you actually been in the RAV4’s? I think the new ones are bigger, but the old ones are really really small. As in, they had no more interior room than a Corolla. Just make sure the new RAV4’s aren’t too small. Same for the CRV, both of which have gotten bigger recently and probably offer much better gas mileage than any of the full sized options.
Jay had a good idea with the Mazda’s too.
Good luck!
The Rav4 & CRV used to be comparable with the Sidekicks & Trackers…
NOW… they are more along the lines of the escapes. They are decent in seating & cargo size, for “small” SUVs.
I like my mother’s escape, alot actually. But its a ford.
The ricer in me likes the two-toned black and white leather you can get in the Fords. Granted with 2 big dogs it will shortly be black and dirt, but oh well. That’s why God made Lexol…
Ford Escape Hybrid 4WD - 29mpg city, 27mpg highway. 34/30 in FWD. :shrug:
Mom has an 07 with the Dino driven V6 & 4wd… she commutes from Cheek -> DTown erryday + general purpose driving. Averages mid 20s MPGzzz, over a tank.
Dang. That’s really good.
Keep in mind that She drives like she’s twice her age.
Indeed. There’s no way they get 10 MPG with an I6 Trailblazer unless something is horribly wrong, because I get 14 combined with an SS with full-time AWD and an LS2, driving like an asshat and spraying. There’s also very few choices that will take you up to 20 MPG without compromising the utility portion that supposedly is important. Sounds like a higher-sitting Corolla isn’t going to cut it.