| Vehicle | Cost to Buy each | Fuel Mileage | Gas Used | Total Cost |
| Chevrolets | ||||
| Suburban | 33,265 | 13 mpg | 1,154 gal. | 12,603 |
| Prizm (2) | 15,028 | 31 mpg | 968 gal. | 11,083 |
| Ford vehicles | ||||
| Excursion | 37,615 | 10 mpg | 1,500 gal. | 14,317 |
| Focus (2) | 14,180 | 24 mpg | 1,250 gal. | 10,828 |
| Imports | ||||
| Toyota Land Cruiser | 52,895 | 14 mpg | 1,071 gal. | 18,845 |
| Honda Civic (2) | 14,835 | 29 mpg | 1,034 gal. | 11,028 |
| Toyota Prius (2) | 19,995 | 41 mpg | 732 gal. | 14,135 |
Basis for the data:
All data is from the April 2001 issue of Consumer Reports that is based
on their tests.
All vehicle costs are for 2001 models; cost to buy given is midway between low
and high costs.
All the compact cars can carry
and have seat belts for five people.
Fuel mileage was Consumer Reports results after testing for thousands
of miles.
Fuel cost is based on $1.10 per gallon for one SUV or for two compacts.
Gas used is gallons based on 15,000 miles for SUV, twice that for two compact
cars.
Total cost is one-third of the car cost and one year fuel -- for one SUV or
two compacts.
Pollution is not included, but is far less for many compacts; see Federal report
by models.
You can view crash test results
by the Insurance Institute for most vehicles.
Insurance is not included due to high variance because of driver records, ages
of drivers, etc. Some insurers have discounts for multiple cars.