Captain Compost and Mr. Captain Compost have had cars on the brain lately. With all the talk about high gas prices and offshore drilling, they can’t help but think about the options that are becoming available for consumers.
The Compost family has two very small vehicles but could not afford, at the time of their purchase, to buy hybrids. They have been pleasantly surprised with how earth friendly a non~hybrid car can be!
Mr. Captain Compost drives an ’03 Toyota Echo. It seats four people comfortably but only has two doors. Since Mr. CC has a long commute, he is always conscious of his MPG’s and even in the dog days of summer averages 42~46 MPG’s!
Captain Compost purchased an ’07 Nissan Versa last year ~ her first manual transmission and a much smaller vehicle than the mini~van she was driving. When she realized that she was driving said mini~van mostly alone, with six empty seats surrounding her, it seemed silly to not make the down grade. The Versa is surprisingly roomy inside ~ there is enough room in the trunk for all of Captain Compost’s reusable bags and the kids have plenty of leg room! And the best part is ~ average MPG’s of 32~36 for this car.
CC and the mister have been hearing about better hybrids and electric cars coming in the very near future but you may find yourself in the position to need to purchase a new car sooner rather than later. One of Captain Compost’s favorite sites to use when comparing vehicles she’d like to purchase is this one.
Besides the Versa, here are some other great options for Small Cars: The Toyota Corolla
averages 30 MPG’s and Captain Compost can’t say enough good things about the Toyota they currently own as far as reliability and stability go.
If American cars are more your thing, the Chevy Cobalt and Chevy Aveo are also great choices ~ both averaging about 30 MPG combined, too.
For larger family style cars, Captain Compost found that there are several hybrid options available. 
But for those that are looking for a less expensive car, the more eco~friendly options include the Hyundai Elantra at an average of 28 MPG Pontiac G6, coming in right behind at 26 MPG average.
But what about those families out there with enough children that a mini~van or SUV is necessary? 
Captain Compost likes the Mazda 5 a lot ~ and even drove one as a rental on a vacation last year. It’s roomy and fun to drive but smaller and less “mini~van~ish” than it’s bigger competitors. And at a combined 24 MPG, it’s not too far behind a slightly smaller family sedan. The Toyota Sienna came in first place with a combined 19 MPG’s for the other mini~van options currently available. CC is hoping that hybrid mini~vans are something car companies are thinking about for the not so distant future!
And then there are SUV’s ~ for the folks that need more room than a standard family sedan but can’t quite stomach the mini~van persona. Captain Compost was surprised to find that there are lots of hybrid options ~ not only the Ford Escape, but the Mazda Tribute, Mercury Mariner and Saturn Vue are all available
in a hybrid. And with averages from 28 ~ 32 MPG’s, she would likely consider one for her next purchase as the Compost Kids’ legs get longer and longer. The better non~hybrid options were the Chevy HHR ~ a funny looking vehicle that averages 26 MPG’s and the non~hybrid Ford Escape that averages 24 MPG’s. Captain Compost begs her fellow Eco~Warriors not to consider the worst offenders ~ the Hummer H3 and the Saab 9~7x, which only get 14 and 13 MPG averages, respectively. CC gives all Hummer drivers dirty looks while shaking her head at the waste and wishing the vehicle had never been born!
With the exception of purchasing a home, a new or used car purchase is the biggest decision consumers have! If all Eco~Warriors made smart decisions and tried to find the highest MPG’s available while also driving sensibly, it would make a big impact on the money we spend on gas and how quickly we use up this resource!
I yearn for a hybrid, but we’ll drive our current minivan and Taurus until they die. I’d love a hybrid station wagon! Until then, we’ll just bite the bullet and pay what we pay and probably drive less.
We drive two Mazdas — an 8 y.o. MPV (van) and a 2 y.o. Mazda 3 (compact car). The car averages 30 mph overall and 37 mph on the highway. We’re very pleased with it.
Our van doesn’t get much use, except as a second car for schlepping children hither and yon and for when we buy something large. Still, when we do trade it in for something newer in a couple of years, we’re looking at the Mazda 5, which is larger than a station wagon and smaller than a van. It gets great mileage too, which is important to us.
I’d like to test drive the Saturn hybrid Vue. We’ve had two Saturns and really liked them, so the Vue would be a viable replacement for my minivan. I drive it alone too often, but we still need the cargo space for our college kid and our disabled kiddo. Hybrid minivan? Let me know when you find one!