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• Sunday, January 4, 2009 10:11 PM

  Why does one car have to do it all?

  Mark's Outlander is capable of the following mission profiles:

  • People mover mode: Move 6-8 people and no cargo, burning 5.6 gallons per 100 miles.
  • Road trip mode: Move 4-5 people and reasonable amount of cargo, burning 5.6 gallons per 100 miles.
  • Hauler mode: Move 2 people and 36 cu. ft. of cargo, burning 5.6 gallons per 100 miles.
  • Commuter mode: Move 1 person and little or no cargo, burning 5.6 gallons per 100 miles.
  • Family outing mode: Move 4 people and little or no cargo, burning 5.6 gallons per 100 miles.

  On my last trip through the dealerships, I considered the Outlander, and I also looked seriously at minivans--but in the end I wound up going in a completely different direction: I bought two Honda Fits.

  • People mover mode: Move 8-10 people (two of whom must be drivers) and no cargo, burning 6.6 gallons per 100 miles.
  • Road trip mode: Move 4 people and reasonable amount of cargo, burning 3.3 gallons per 100 miles.
  • Mini-Hauler mode: Move 1 person and 20 cu. ft. of cargo, burning 3.3 gallons per 100 miles.
  • Maxi-Hauler mode: Move 2 people (both of whom must be drivers) and 40 cu. ft. of cargo, burning 6.6 gallons per 100 miles.
  • Commuter mode: Move 1 person and little or no cargo, burning 3.3 gallons per 100 miles.
  • Family outing mode: Move 4 people and little or no cargo, burning 3.3 gallons per 100 miles.

  In my case, 90% of the use of the vehicle will be commuter and family outing mode. This means I burn an average of 3.6 gallons per 100 weighted mission-miles, across both vehicles. I also get my choice of driving a white or silver car to suit my mood, unless one of them is down for maintenance, in which case I have a spare.

  I also burn 300 gallons less fuel per year (I average 15,000 miles per year). Back when I made the purchase, gas was $3.50 and headed for $4.00 - at those prices, the fuel savings easily paid for acquisition cost of two Fits vs one crossover SUV.

  Now that fuel prices have crashed, I'm probably a little worse off financially. But I've put 3 tons less CO2 into the atmosphere per year, which ought to be worth something.

  —moonbat Read moonbat's other letters
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