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Interior Space plus High(er) Mileage: Does it exist?

BoberFett

BoberFett

Lifer
My girlfriend is starting to think about replacing her Expedition. The thing is seriously beat and she's worried it's going to crap out on her one of these days. It also gets horrific mileage, she feeds so much damn money into the gas tank you'd think it's actually burning dollar bills for fuel.

The catch is that she's a DJ and needs plenty of interior space for hauling around speakers, lighting equipment, etc. We've kind of been looking around and the problem we're seeing with a lot of mid-size SUVs is that the tendency is to slope the roof in the rear, and slope the rear window even further which drastically cuts down on cargo space. In addition, whether for mechanical reasons or not, they often seem to have molded plastic walls and trays and other crap, that while great for a grocery getter just get in the way when loading her gear. A flat floor and flat interior walls would be the best.

There are a couple new options like the Ford Flex, but she doesn't like the ride height on that one, and she thinks it's kind of ugly. Also, she doesn't really want new, she's not looking to spend that much because her vehicles get beat up, she's thinking 3-5 years old. I keep suggesting minivans, even though they might not be the coolest vehicles around, they're big and get OK mileage.

Anybody have any suggestions? We're basically looking for the best combination of large interior cargo space and decent gas mileage in an SUV.
 
Look at the Mazda5. It's technically a minivan, but it's really just a streched Mazda3 with sliding doors. Great cargo room for the size and they'll pull 30mpg or better on the highway. Very fun little car that parks in the littlest spots with ease.

The 08’s are a decent value for around 10-12k.
 
mazda5 was going to be my suggestion too. Available with a manual which gets a hair better mileage than the automatic if the girlfriend can handle a stick 😉. I think they look pretty good too.
 
2010-ford-transit-connect.jpg
 
With cylinder shut down being tested, it's going to happen.

However, most that need all the storage would be better suited to two vehicles.
 
alkemyst said:
With cylinder shut down being tested, it's going to happen.

However, most that need all the storage would be better suited to two vehicles.
Click to expand...

People say that but the math almost never works out. It's usually much cheaper to buy a single vehicle that has the capabilities you need and pay for a bit more gas.
 
I kinda ruled it out for myself, but consider Kia Sorento. 22/32 mpg which is about the best in that class and with the seats folded down, lots of interior space & price can't be beat for what you get.

Hyundai Santa Fe is the same thing but didn't get the facelift the Sorento got a couple years ago. Sorento MUCH better looking, imho.
 
I suggested a truck with a cover, she wants all the space to be interior for her gear. I can understand that.

The Vue is too small and suffers the sloping roof and window problem, cutting space even further.

Heh, the Transit would do the job, but she has to cart her kids around in the thing too, so no go on that one.

I'll mention the Mazda5, see what she thinks of that. Same with the Sorento, that looks pretty spacious.

Someone mentioned the Outback, I was actually thinking maybe the Forrester, aren't those pretty spacious?

Thanks for the input fellas.
 
I've seen some trucks that had a rubberized layer sprayed in the bed (softer then the rhino stuff, fwiw), and a good enclosure area. It lacks the interior accessibility, but it's a solid solution that you can securely lock. I bet it's kinda pricey though.

The Vue really is kind of small. It's a nice vehicle for what it is, and they're cheap comparitively. The Forester is fairly small as well.

It's a tough situation. Maybe the best option would be a Suburban, they seem to get fairly reasonable fuel economy considering their size. If you take out everything but the front seats, you can fit ludicrous amounts of stuff in there.

Also a bargain are used work vans. Ugly as all hell, but the big ones are also ludicrously spacious in the back.
 
What about getting a smaller suv/wagon with a hitch setup and having a trailer that is for the dj equipment. That way when she is done with it she can park it and not worry about unloading if she needs the car.
 
I suggested a trailer setup too, but she wasn't keen on that idea either. She has her preconceived notions that I'm not about to try to talk her out of, so I'm probably just going to stick to the van/SUV/crossover type vehicles.
 
BoberFett said:
I suggested a truck with a cover, she wants all the space to be interior for her gear. I can understand that.

The Vue is too small and suffers the sloping roof and window problem, cutting space even further.

Heh, the Transit would do the job, but she has to cart her kids around in the thing too, so no go on that one.

I'll mention the Mazda5, see what she thinks of that. Same with the Sorento, that looks pretty spacious.

Someone mentioned the Outback, I was actually thinking maybe the Forrester, aren't those pretty spacious?

Thanks for the input fellas.
Click to expand...

Might as well get another Expedition then. You aren't going to get decent mileage with any of those fullsize trucks or truck based suvs.

Disclaimer-This post is not about Ducati motorcycles.
 
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