For all the talk of gasoline-electric hybrid cars and electric vehicles, the cheapest, easiest and most efficient way to cut your fuel bill is simply to downsize your ride.
That does not necessarily mean trading in your GMC Yukon Denali XL for a Toyota Yaris. Odds are, the person who's been driving the big, ritzy Yukon either needs something fairly large and fairly functional or craves the tall seating position and safety-in-size benefits of a larger vehicle. That means the logical downsize here is not to a Yaris or some other pint-sized runabout, but, say, a Toyota Venza car-based crossover.
Obviously, the Denali is bigger and more powerful, and its tow rating is twice that of the Venza. But the Venza is still a good-sized wagon with a 268-horsepower V-6 and all-wheel-drive. Consider the Venza an interim ride, the sort of vehicle that weans the owner off a gas-guzzler.
And if you move from the Denali to the Venza, and if you typically drive 20,000 km a year (split 55 per cent city driving/45 per cent highway), the annual fuel cost savings are huge: $1,188. If you hold on to a new vehicle for eight years, it all adds up to fuel savings worth $9,504 - until trade-in time arrives.
Oh, and did we mention that a loaded Venza ($32,250) costs $43,910 less than the Denali at $76,160? We tracked down fuel-savings figures using fuel consumption ratings and the online cost calculator provided by Natural Resources Canada at oee.nrcan.gc.ca; look under Transportation and the Tools section. According to the numbers there, the Venza is rated at 11.5 L/100 km city and 7.9 highway. That translates to 1,980 litres of fuel used per year.
The Denali? It is projected to slurp down 2,880 litres of premium fuel for an annual cost of $3,168. Yes, size matters, alright.
The massive Denali weighs in at 2,648 kg, while the Venza tips the scales at 1,835 kg. Oh, and under the Denali's hood is a 6.2-litre V-8 rated at 17.5 city/10.6 highway. That powerplant uses pricier premium fuel.
The downsizing strategy seems obvious. But tactically, how does an owner go about implementing this approach? Here's our Top Six Best Downsizing Moves.
Oh, and to give credit where it's due: We were inspired here by the work of David Kiley, a Bloomberg auto writer who's covered the auto industry for decades. Kiley knows his stuff. He's written several books about the car business, focusing on companies such as Germany's Volkswagen AG and Japan's Nissan.
We think our suggestions here make sense overall. And they certainly make dollars and cents.
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1 Downsize from a big minivan to a small one
- or to something very close
The something-close would be a wagon like the Kia Rondo. This Kia does not have the sliding side doors, but the tall roof and big cargo area are very minivan-like. Also, the Rondo can be had with third-row seating, just like a minivan.
But among small minivans, we think the Mazda5 is the best alternative to the larger minivans out there, such as the Honda Odyssey, Dodge Grand Caravan/Chrysler Town & Country and Toyota Sienna. The Mazda has three rows of seats, sliding doors on either side and, because an updated version is due by the end of the year - or early next - look for deals out there in the marketplace.
Your old minivan: 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan
Price range:
$27,445-$32,695
Fuel consumption (litres/100 km):
12.6 city/8.4 highway
Annual fuel cost:
$2,140
Your new downsized minivan: 2010 Mazda5
Price range:
$20,495-$25,495
Fuel consumption (litres/100 km):
9.6 city/7.0 highway
Annual fuel cost:
$1,680
Annual fuel savings:
$469
Total fuel savings over eight years:
$3,752
2 Downsize from a heavy, truck-based SUV
to a lighter, car-based crossover wagon
The new era of SUVs is here and it's not dominated by passenger vehicles riding on pickup trucks mechanicals. It's all about cutting weight, without losing (most) functionality.
Buyers have all sorts of options here. One of Kiley's suggestions is a move from the Chevrolet Tahoe to a GMC Acadia. Kiley is correct to suggest that GM's full-size crossovers drive wonderfully and more smoothly than truck-based SUVs like the Tahoe. The Acadia is also quite capable of towing some fairly large rigs. Best of all, gassing up the Acadia is much less painful than a fill-up for the Tahoe.
