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Best commuter car

H

Hockeygoon

Member
I'm about to start driving some serious miles to work everyday - my 14 MPG Tahoe isn't going to make the cut. What is your favorite commuter car and why? I am looking hard at a newer Impala with the 3.6 V6 and the 6 speed transmission - old or "new" body style. I've driven them in the past and 300 hp and 30 MPG in a nice big comfortable car is a no brainer for me.
 
I would choose a 4X4 like a Subaru Forrester. Unless you live in the south, two wheel drive is very questionable. I can not imagine an Impala getting 30 MPG and 300 hp, unless it is drafting other cars at about 2 feet, or down hill both ways. Jim
 
I've always been partial to the LI/Pennsy's MP54 commuter cars. There's 740 HP between the two traction motors & good on gas, too. ;v)

cvphoto61214.jpg


Mike
 
Well a 1964 Cheverlet Impala had 300 hp 327 engine,but had to burn Ethel gas as i remember, but wouldn't get close to 30 MPG, the small 409 was fine ,340 HP, there was one in our area,but that sure as heck didn't make but 15-16 MPG!!! Tell me what Impala, you are talking about!
 
300 hp and 30 mpg in a nice big comfortable car, humm what kind of car is that?? maybe get a smart car if you want mileage.
 
I'm not a fan of "cars", not that useful. Ford is only making a model or two of them now. I like something AWD/4x4. My '18 Escape is what I have for a road vehicle, it's creeping to around 30mpg, bit over at times, overall average. It's 30 miles to town at 65mph with no slowdowns and only one stop at the highway, there are 2 stoplights total in town. I'm about 70 miles from the closest 4 lane and a higher speed limit. (So I'm saying it's mostly highway, it would get less in stop and go traffic, which I'm never in).
 
That's what they are....2014 Impala with the 3.6 liter engine rated at 305 hp will exceed 30mpg on the highway..comfortable good handling car too.

Ben
 
I have had 2 Impalas as company cars. I absolutely loved them! My second one had the big V6 but I don't remember what the engine model was. You would of thought it was a V8! Very peppy and great fuel mileage. Never had a problem with either one and put over 130,000 on both.
 
We have a 2014 Impala with the 200 hp 4 cylinder engine...40 mpg on the highway is realistic. Very good handling car, lots of room, very stable platform over the early Impalas. The V6 will use just slightly more fuel. Good car, you won't be disappointed.

Ben
 
I second the subaru.We have two foresters here,one is a 2001 and the other is a 2005,both are great cars that get 30 mpg,they handle unbelievably well in any weather you can throw at them.They are built very tough,and are surprisingly easy to work on.When you get a chance,watch some videos of what they can do.I don't know what part of the country your in,but in the snow belt,every other car on the road is a subaru.They are great cars that won't stop running,and I highly recommend them.

Rock
 
Low mileage five year old cars generally sell for about half of what the same car would cost brand new. I'd look at popular mid-size and smaller cars with a reliable power train. Tires, fluids, brakes and other parts are smaller and less expensive than for larger vehicles, probably about half the cost of the same items for the Tahoe. Avoid engines that require expensive timing chain replacement every 100,000 miles, it adds up. If you have a lot of steady speed cruising and don't have much of hills, definitely consider 4 cylinder cars.

See it you can carpool with a coworker.

When winter roads are really bad, you can always drive the 4WD Tahoe to get through.
 
Indeed.

I had a 64 Impals SS with 327/300 and 4 speed.

The 327/300 had 10:1 CR and did, indeed, require premium fuel at (gasp!) 30+ cents/gallon.

Dean
 
Well 300hp sounds a little far fetched for an impala.On a side note,my dad has an 04 lincoln town car with the 4.6 v8,and it consistently gets 26-28 mpg believe it or not.And for the record there is not a more comfortable car out there.It really depends if you need awd/4x4 ,or if you only need 2wd.obviously the town car ain't 4x4.

Rock
 
I read the replies and my 2 cents is be wary of the all wheel drive. Nice to own but the newer ones need all the tires to be evenly worn. So if your tires are 1/2 good, one blows due to a road hazard, congratulations. You just bought 4 new tires to keep the rest of the drive train happy. E=MF // If your commuter "Smart Car" runs into an F350. . . My money is on the F350. Small is nice until it's crunch time. Then I will take a Tiger Tank.
 
Dean Centash is right. They are 300hp and very peppy and get great milage. My second Impala company car had the big V6. It was impressive.
 
Not that hard to swallow ive got sn over 300 horsepower truck that weighs over 10,000 pounds that gets 15 shoving 6 wheels down the road with 3 tool boxes diesel air compressor and an 8 foot wide 9 foot long steel bed so a car shouldn’t have to work to hard to achieve around double that I don’t think
 
It's REALLY hard to beat a Volkswagen Jetta with the TDI engine. From people I know and trust they get 50-55 MPG and haul 4 adults comfortably. There's no more new ones being built, find a low mile one owner used one. Only problem I've ever heard with them you have to drive them hard, keep them warmed up good. idling around in cold winter weather causes problems.
Your problem will be finding one with less than 250,000 miles.
I bought a brand new 2006 Volvo S40 T5, 6 speed manual Frt WD as my last work car. The winter we had over 100 inches of snow I put a pair of Firestone Winterforce winter tires on the frt drive wheels. DAYS we had less than 6 inches of snow it got around fine and it was dragging bottom in the snow. The day we got almost a FOOT of snow I took my 4WD F-250 diesel to work. They closed our plant at 10 AM. I left about 1 PM to get my Son from his work 20 miles on the OTHER side of home. On the 90 mile trip there I saw three stuck semi's spun out on a steep curved entrance ramp, 2 stuck state snow plows, and only 2-3 stuck cars.
 
In my opinion, the first thing to consider in a car is safety. If it costs a little more in price or mpg, think of it as paying for insurance to lesson the chance that you or your family will injured in an accident. Todays cars have numerous safety features and some have more than others. Also as was said earlier size does matter in an accident.
 
We have a 2014 Impala 2lt with the 3.6 and 6 speed. We like it a lot. 25 city-30 Hwy.....great car. We also have a 05 Silverado I drive to work 12 miles round trip......not so good on fuel....lol
 
I didn't think we were comparing commuter cars to 1 tons in an accident!In that case,if your 1 ton got into an accident with a freight train,I will put my money on the train.Back on topic,Subarus are 5 star safety rated,and even safer than volvo.They are one of the safest,
if not the safest cars out there.

Rock
 
My commuter car is a 2014 Ford Focus Hatchback, black leather interior and loaded with power options, including XM radio. I like the hatchback for groceries, etc., and the gas mileage is great for running errands around town. It's super easy to park too!
 
(quoted from post at 18:45:48 10/30/20) I read the replies and my 2 cents is be wary of the all wheel drive. Nice to own but the newer ones need all the tires to be evenly worn. So if your tires are 1/2 good, one blows due to a road hazard, congratulations. You just bought 4 new tires to keep the rest of the drive train happy. E=MF // If your commuter "Smart Car" runs into an F350. . . My money is on the F350. Small is nice until it's crunch time. Then I will take a Tiger Tank.
Click to expand...

Seems ridiculous to have to do, but you could buy one tire and have it shaved for not too much to match the rest if there's enough of a difference, instead of buying the set. I need a road vehicle for hospital/doctor runs. Pickup is too high without getting some kind of ramp or something every time (my Mom). I can lift her into an SUV type vehicle, cars are too low to the ground, seat height in most. Plus, SUV, seats in the back go flat, I can load a lot of ranch supplies in the back.
Roads were washed out ruts last year for months, literally with all the flooding, wouldn't have made it to the highway without 4wd. Snow too, don't have to clean the yard if I have an emergency run and don't have time. I won't own a vehicle without 4wd/awd now that I've had it (escape calls it 4wd, more features than plain awd, they say...).

I know brands like Toyota, Volkswagen, Honda, etc. are ok, but dealers for those are close to 100 miles away, probably wouldn't need warranty work, but I'd rather have a dealer only 30 miles away. The other dealer in town used to be Chevy. They sent out a letter a couple years ago or so. Paraphrasing, they got tired of dealing with Chevy, and wanted a company that seemed more focused on customers, so, they switched to Chrysler after many decades of Chevy....

If I was needing to be in town, I'd look at a hybrid, not a full electric. They will be more popular, before they start phasing out gas engines in a few years (which it looks like they will). Ford Escape version is rated for 37 highway, 44 city. Not that much more expensive, if looking new (ish). I went new, payments weren't much different at the time (yes, longer), and no down payment, warranty vs. little to none.

Fuel use reports for Impala.
https://www.fuelly.com/car/chevrolet/impala
 
I had a Ford Fiesta 1.6 L with 5 speed. (Yes they made a few). I liked it a lot,
got 40 mpg. However, rear tires only lasted about 25,000 miles each time. My brother
keeps buying 3.8 Buicks.

I would think you'd be checking out the electric cars. Such as Chevy Bolt?
 
I forgot about that 300 horse V-6 GM came with in middle 21st century, a friend had a Buick, that had that 305 horse engine, that would move, i think it had a 6 speed tranny too, that would make a nice commute car/engine! I got a OLds Aurora,he could beat my North Star, by a tad!
 
But I am worried about living through a 70 mph impact with a deer. There is a reason I'm looking at mid to full size cars - about the smallest I would go is a a Malibu, Fusion, Camry or Accord. Maybe a Sonata or an Optima. The little cars might claim to be safe - but I've seen what a newish Civic looks like after bouncing off a deer then a guard rail. They lived but they had to be cut out of the car.
 
From 2006 to 2011 the Impala had the 3.5 engine and the 3.9 engine. The 3.9 was a great engine and got about the same mileage as the 3.5 - we had both as company vehicles and the 3.9 was one everyone tried to get the keys to. Supposedly there wasn't just a lot of difference in power and torque but the seat of the pants difference was huge.

The 3.6 has even more power than the 3.9 and gets better mileage. 30 MPG highway is the EPA's rating they could even do a little better. I never drove a turbo 4 in the Impala - just seemed like too much car for too little engine.

Everyone drove those cars like they stole them because the company paid the gas bill and repairs - we drove the 3.9s and 3.6s to 200K before selling them. I kept track of two of them as they were sold to friends - both of them have over 300K on them now.
 
300 hp and 30 MPG is the Chevy Impala from 2012 to current.

https://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/impala/2014/features-specs/
 
The 3.6 V6 that has been in the Impala since 2012 is 295 to 305 HP depending on the year and options. Flex fuel and other options will change the HP ratings by a few. The torque ratings are about 265

LFX
The LFX is an enhanced version of the LLT engine. Introduced in the MY2012 Chevrolet Camaro LS, it is 20.5 pounds (9.3 kg) lighter than the LLT, due to a redesigned cylinder head and integrated exhaust manifold, and composite intake manifold. Other components like the fuel injectors, intake valves, and fuel pump have also been updated. Power and torque are up slightly from the LLT. The compression ratio is 11.5:1. The LFX also features E85 flex-fuel capability.

Applications:

Year(s) Model Power Torque Dyno chart
2012–2016 Buick LaCrosse 303 hp (226 kW; 307 PS) @ 6800 rpm 264 lb⋅ft (358 N⋅m) @ 5300 rpm link
2013–2015 Cadillac ATS 321 hp (239 kW; 325 PS) @ 6800 rpm 274 lb⋅ft (371 N⋅m) @ 4800 rpm link
2012–2014 Cadillac CTS
(2014 Wagon & Coupe only) 318 hp (237 kW; 322 PS) @ 6800 rpm 275 lb⋅ft (373 N⋅m) @ 4900 rpm link
2014–2015 Cadillac CTS
(2014 Sedan only) 321 hp (239 kW; 325 PS) @ 6800 rpm 275 lb⋅ft (373 N⋅m) @ 4900 rpm link
2012–2016 Cadillac SRX 308 hp (230 kW; 312 PS) @ 6800 rpm 265 lb⋅ft (359 N⋅m) @ 2400 rpm link
2013–2019 Cadillac XTS 304 hp (227 kW; 308 PS) @ 6800 rpm 264 lb⋅ft (358 N⋅m) @ 5200 rpm link
2012–2015 Chevrolet Camaro 323 hp (241 kW; 327 PS) @ 6800 rpm 278 lb⋅ft (377 N⋅m) @ 4800 rpm link
2012–2017 Chevrolet Caprice PPV 301 hp (224 kW; 305 PS) @ 6700 rpm 265 lb⋅ft (359 N⋅m) @ 4800 rpm link
2015–2016 Chevrolet Colorado 305 hp (227 kW; 309 PS) @ 6800 rpm 269 lb⋅ft (365 N⋅m) @ 4000 rpm link
GMC Canyon link
2013–2017 Chevrolet Equinox 301 hp (224 kW; 305 PS) @ 6500 rpm 272 lb⋅ft (369 N⋅m) @ 4800 rpm link
2012–2016 Chevrolet Impala 302 hp (225 kW; 306 PS) @ 6500 rpm 262 lb⋅ft (355 N⋅m) @ 5300 rpm
2014–2020 Chevrolet Impala 305 hp (227 kW; 309 PS) @ 6500 rpm 262 lb⋅ft (355 N⋅m) @ 5300 rpm link
2013–2017 GMC Terrain 301 hp (224 kW; 305 PS) @ 6500 rpm 272 lb⋅ft (369 N⋅m) @ 4800 rpm link
2011–2015 Holden Caprice 281 hp (210 kW; 285 PS) @ 6700 rpm 258 lb⋅ft (350 N⋅m) @ 2800 rpm
2011–2013 Holden Commodore VE II (MY 2012) 281 hp (210 kW; 285 PS) @ 6700 rpm 258 lb⋅ft (350 N⋅m) @ 2800 rpm
2013–2017 Holden Commodore VF 281 hp (210 kW; 285 PS) @ 6700 rpm 258 lb⋅ft (350 N⋅m) @ 2800 rpm
 
My son is driving a 2005 Impala LS with the 3800 series II. They are pretty good but there are two types, those that have had the lower intake manifold replaced and those that will have the lower intake manifold replaced. His was replaced twice - they put the factory style back in the first time and it blew a second time after another 50K miles.

The 3.8 NA at its best had about 240 HP, the newer 3.9 had the same HP rating but a little better mileage.
 
Highway mileage in a Town Car with the 4.6 is pretty good - I had an older Marquis with that set up and got as much as 25. Stop and go mileage is absolutely horrible though. The last version of the 4.6 in the Panther platform had about 250 hp - late 1990s versions only had about 190 hp. Not that great for a modern V8 engine with a full computer set up - and down right horrible in a big fat heavy vehicle like the Town Car. Passing on a narrow two lane with hills is an adventure.


Ford was getting very similar performance out of the 302/351 engines - a 1960s design with fuel injection and computer controls added on as the engine evolved. The 4.6/5.4 was designed from the ground up to meet emission requirements and take full advantage of computers. Ford's engines just seemed a full step behind GM and their 4.8 and 5.3 engines. FOrd tried to catch up with the 3 valve versions of the 4.6 and 5.4 but those engines (especially the 5.4) became more powerful but with a lot less reliability.
 
I would make regular trips to Tulsa from Topeka - 28-32 MPG running 65 to 85 MPH was what I averaged. The EPA gives the car 29-30 MPG as a rating and they meet and exceed that regularly. Fill the car up with gas the the computer would estimate 550 miles to empty.
 
That's why I'm keeping the Tahoe as a backup - about 10 work days a year the snow and ice are an issue in NE Kansas. It's too nice of vehicle to give it way in trade - it does have 160K miles on it but the body and interior are spotless and I know its previous care and running condition. Trading it might get me $2500 - $2800 - I'd rather keep it as backup for me and my wife if her minivan goes down. The Tahoe can hold 8 - her minivan only holds 7.


I don't why people are having a hard time believing a 3.6 engine makes 300HP - that's not exactly rarified company. The wife's Kia minivan only has a 3.3 V6 engine and is rated 270HP in 2014 and that house on wheels gets 23 MPG with every tank of fuel - most of its trips are 10 to 18 miles.

You want to see a high output engine look at the the 3.6 engine in my brother's Cadillac. Similar engine that they slapped a turbo on - 420 hp and 430 FTPDS of torque.
 
I am not trying to beat you to death with a subaru emblem,but if you are looking at sedans,consider a subaru legacy.You can also find these cars with manual transmissions if that's what your looking for.And they are the same size as any of those sedans you mentioned.

Rock
 
I commuted 42 miles each way for many years. Some years about 65. I chose a ½ ton P/U (Ford XLT with Velour Captain's chairs) for a lot of those years) and the reason was I could see over the little sedans far enough ahead to be able to avoid a lot of freeway traffic problems. Gas mileage was secondary.
 

A little more info is needed here.
How often are you going to make this 440 mile round trip commute?
Every day, once a week, once or twice a month?
Every day would be one heck of a commute, figuring fuel at $2 per gallon a car getting 30 mpg would save you around $680 per month, more than enough to justify a payment and insurance on another vehicle, once a week will only save you around $136 per month so another car is going to take money out of your pocket until it's payed for.
How long is this commuting job going to last.
If that 3rd vehicles cost won't pencil out in fuel savings I get whatever type of vehicle I liked, mpg be d-med.
 
To get 30MPG from a 300HP capable engine, you are gonna have to resist the urge to use that 300 HP much. My 400+HP toy car gets high 20s to low 30s if I cruise the highway calmly. I've seen it get as low as 9MPG doing a track day!
 
(quoted from post at 11:24:31 10/31/20) Highway mileage in a Town Car with the 4.6 is pretty good - I had an older Marquis with that set up and got as much as 25. Stop and go mileage is absolutely horrible though. The last version of the 4.6 in the Panther platform had about 250 hp - late 1990s versions only had about 190 hp. Not that great for a modern V8 engine with a full computer set up - and down right horrible in a big fat heavy vehicle like the Town Car. Passing on a narrow two lane with hills is an adventure.


Ford was getting very similar performance out of the 302/351 engines - a 1960s design with fuel injection and computer controls added on as the engine evolved. The 4.6/5.4 was designed from the ground up to meet emission requirements and take full advantage of computers. Ford's engines just seemed a full step behind GM and their 4.8 and 5.3 engines. FOrd tried to catch up with the 3 valve versions of the 4.6 and 5.4 but those engines (especially the 5.4) became more powerful but with a lot less reliability.
Click to expand...

My commuter car is an 05 Mercury Grand Marquis. It gets 26 mpg on my 100 mile round trip commute. That being said I wouldn't call the stop and go mileage "absolutely horrible". Since nnalert started I've been working from home so my driving has been strictly around town and I still get low 20's, usually 22 to 23 mpg. Much better than my other car which is a Jeep Wrangler. That is close to being "absolutely horrible" in stop and go traffic.
 
Chances of wrapping up with a one ton are a slight bit better than a freight train on most any major roadway. If I was looking for a safe car, Mercedes might take a higher position than a Subaru. I liked the story where a '72 Cadillac was run into a newer Caddy with the built in crumple zones, etc. The newer model passengers compartment looked better.
 
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