Commuting

[vvanders]

My mileage drops every fall like clockwork. I assume its a combination of winter blend gasoline and dense air making ecu feed more fuel. According to Bell Performance, summer gasoline blend contains 2% more energy by volume.

Kevin

Depending on how flat your car/truck is you'll see at least 10% increase in fuel usage going from 60F->35F at 70MPH. Air resistance is v^2 so the denser air really takes a hit(as does a good headwind).

 

[NoTrespassing]

In our case we're pretty stuck having multiple vehicles. We have to keep a truck, I refuse to be without one. During the winter AWD is a must to get in and out of the property. My wife has to drop our son off at private school every morning and pick him up every afternoon. We have an old 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe AWD and we just bought a 2014 Honda Crosstour AWD. Both vehicles are able to get in and out in the snow. I drive the Accent to work almost every day. The 2wd F150 sits most of the time and is driven on weekends just to keep exercised. Insurance on all 4 vehicles is up to $1500 per year now and $400 in tags. I'll drop the Honda to liability next year and that will save several hundred. This is my wife's first real winter driving experience. I think I'll take a video of our drive in and out of the property and post it after Christmas.

I seriously considered selling the 2wd F150 and buying a 4x4 truck before we bought the Crosstour but that Honda was so nice and such a good deal I couldn't pass it up.

Kevin

 

[Oaktree]

None, but you half the mileage the vehicle is driven the maintenance cost will close to half.

Not necessarily. Not good for a vehicle to sit...brake calipers seize up from lack of use, rust issues from trapped moisture, etc.

 

[4570Man]

Not necessarily. Not good for a vehicle to sit...brake calipers seize up from lack of use, rust issues from trapped moisture, etc.

I assumed the secondary vehicle in discussion would still be driven every other week or so.

 

[2ndhalf]

I commute an hour one way and have for 22 years.. I started out driving little 4 banger cars, generally used and not very comfortable but good on gas. As I got older I decided I'm in this thing for 2 hours a day so I'm buying something a little more comfortable and I sure don't regret that.

It isn't a truck but it is a mid sized SUV which gets about 25mpg avg. I can live with that and I come home less fatigued from driving a compact car. I talked a buddy of mine into doing the same thing.. he is glad he did also.

 

[juiced10]

The safety argument is not a good one. If that’s the case I am now commuting with a fully loaded dump truck. I will run over all those soccer Mom F250’s

 

[4570Man]

The safety argument is not a good one. If that’s the case I am now commuting with a fully loaded dump truck. I will run over all those soccer Mom F250’s

A full site pickup isn't safer than a compact car? Ok, you keep telling yourself that.

 

[Garandman]

From what I can see, most people drive pickups to transport air back and forth from work. :laughing: We have a 4x8 utility trailer that does most of what they do with them.

How much is the lives of your family worth?
My Suburban will drive right OVER your little Accent and never know it was there.
MY family is SAFER.

Except if it rolls over, which accounts for 35% of traffic fatalities..And just hope you don’t meet the dump truck driver who feels the same way you do.

And when it comes to active safety - the ability to avoid an accident by turning and or braking - his smaller and much more agile car will avoid the accident altogether, rather than plowing into it like most trucks and their drivers will do.

We have a 2016 Tahoe and I do not understand why anyone drives these things unless they have to tow something heavy. Our Honda Odyssey minivan is much easier to get in and out of, has much more room, is faster, rides better, handles better, is faster, and gets 50% better mpg. But my wife wanted a sailboat that weighs 6,000 lbs on the trailer so she gets to drive the penalty box. SUV’s prove Americans have no driving skill.

 

[s219]

Pickup trucks have gotten a lot better, and I am pretty happy with my 2014 GMC (and the 22-23mpg I get on the highway with V8/Crew/4x4). I am sure the size/mass makes it more survivable in some accident situations, but overall I agree with Garandman. I drive a smaller BMW for commuting whenever I can (38mpg) and we have a Honda Pilot SUV as a family vehicle. Both are far easier and nimbler to drive, with much much better braking and stability, and if we were in an accident avoidance situation I'd rather be in those than the GMC. Those smaller vehicles also have quite a few active safety features that have yet to make it into trucks, and in fact may not even be feasible in a truck.

In situations where you plan to crash into another vehicle, the bigger/heavier one will probably come out better, assuming the safety/crash performance is the same. In cases where you plan to crash into a concrete bridge abutment, the lighter vehicle will be better, all else equal. In cases where you hope to avoid the crash, the smaller/lighter vehicle will surely be better. Take your pick to manage the risks, but no vehicle is going to be universally safer.

 

[Tractorable]

From what I can see, most people drive pickups to transport air back and forth from work. :laughing: We have a 4x8 utility trailer that does most of what they do with them.

Except if it rolls over, which accounts for 35% of traffic fatalities..And just hope you don’t meet the dump truck driver who feels the same way you do.

And when it comes to active safety - the ability to avoid an accident by turning and or braking - his smaller and much more agile car will avoid the accident altogether, rather than plowing into it like most trucks and their drivers will do.

We have a 2016 Tahoe and I do not understand why anyone drives these things unless they have to tow something heavy. Our Honda Odyssey minivan is much easier to get in and out of, has much more room, is faster, rides better, handles better, is faster, and gets 50% better mpg. But my wife wanted a sailboat that weighs 6,000 lbs on the trailer so she gets to drive the penalty box. SUV’s prove Americans have no driving skill.

It's irrational to believe that people make rational decisions. Most people make decisions based on emotion, and most people I know wouldn't be caught dead in a mini-van because of their image.

Driving a mini van says "look at me, I'm a doting parent with three kids and a box of poopy diapers in the back." Mini vans are practical family hauling vehicles and that's the image they convey.

Driving a Prius has a different image, one with virtuosity wafting off it as it drives down the road, it's only purpose to save gas and make their drivers feel good about themselves.

Aside from using more fuel, trucks and SUV's can do pretty much everything. They're big and comfortable, powerful, durable, can drive through anything, tow heavy trailers, carry all kinds of stuff for rural living, and let's face it...they're cool.