Kia Niro emerges as leader of the pack
Standout subcompact tops list of most fuel-efficient SUVs and crossovers for 2020
Canadians are buying way more SUVs and crossovers than cars these days, so we thought it prudent to follow up our list of most fuel-efficient cars with a list of efficient utility vehicles for the 2020 model year.
These consumption ratings, just released by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), are based on an assumed 20,000 kilometres a year of driving — with 55 per cent of that in the city and 45 per cent on the highway — and a fuel cost of $1.30 per litre for regular, $1.45 for premium and $1.30 for diesel, which was done before the cost of fuel dropped considerably.
Note: Because they introduce too many variables, we’ve left full electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles off this list, although other hybrids are included.
MOST FUEL-EFFICIENT SUBCOMPACT SUVS
Subcompact sport-utility vehicles — or, if you prefer, “hatchbacks on steroids” — usually offer more headroom and legroom than most small four- or even five-door compact cars. They also offer higher ground clearance, giving drivers a better view of the road.
They’re easy to park, thanks to their small dimensions, and with price tags that easily fly over $20,000, they come with many advanced technologies on board. Think bird’s eye-view cameras, cross-traffic alerts, and automated emergency braking.
The downside? Their fuel efficiency is not that great, even without AWD.
Want to opt for a manual transmission? There are not many to be had in this category, and they’re even worse gas-suckers.
1 KIA NIRO HYBRID
What powers it: A four-cylinder 1.6-litre engine with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, delivering 139 horsepower.
Combined rating: A frugal 4.7 L/100 km for the base version, and 4.8 L/100 km for EX trims. Even the most luxurious Touring sips less than any other non-plug-in SUV competitors, at 5.4 L/100 km.
NRCan estimates a yearly cost as low as $1,222 (or $1,248 for the EX Niro, and $1,404 for the Touring Niro).
2 NISSAN KICKS
What powers it: A four-cylinder 1.6-L engine with a CVT, good for 122 hp. No manual transmission on offer, though.
Combined rating: 7.2 L/100 km, for an estimated yearly gas invoice of $1,872.
3 HYUNDAI VENUE
What powers it: A four-cylinder 1.6-L engine with a CVT, for 121 hp. It’s also one of those rare SUVs offered with a manual transmission.
Combined rating: 7.5 L/100 km, for an estimated yearly gas invoice of $1,950. The six-speed manual is offered with the base Essential version, which pushes the combined rating to 7.8 L/100 km, for a yearly invoice of $2,028.
MOST FUEL-EFFICIENT COMPACT SUVS 1
FORD ESCAPE HYBRID
What powers it: A four-cylinder 2.5-L hybrid engine with a CVT and 198 hp.
Combined rating: 5.8 L/100 km. Yearly cost of $1,508.
AWD: Adding the allwheel-drive system to the hybrid version of Ford’s compact SUV brings the combined rating to 5.9 L/100km, with an added expenditure of just $26 a year.
That makes the Ford Escape Hybrid the most efficient of all AWD SUVs you don’t have to plug in.
2 TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID
What powers it: A four-cylinder 2.5-L hybrid engine with a CVT with an impressive 219 hp, the most powerful engine on this list.
Combined rating: 6.0
L/100 km, for a yearly cost of $1,560. AWD is standard.
3 HONDA CR-V
What powers it: A four-cylinder 1.5-L turbo engine with a CVT, for 190 hp. It’s worth noting the U.S. is getting a 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, but the gas-electric version of the popular SUV has not hit this side of the border.
Combined rating: 7.7 L/100 km, for a yearly cost of $2,002.
AWD: The four-wheel-drive version of the Honda CR-V brings the fuel consumption combined rating to 8.1 L/100 km, for a yearly gas bill of $2,106. Still, with or without AWD, the Honda CR-V is so frugal that, if thrown in with the smaller subcompacts listed above, it would have made top three.
HONOURABLE (THREE-ROW) MENTION
Mitsubishi Outlander AWD
What powers it: A four-cylinder 2.4-L engine with a CVT and 166 hp. This compact SUV is one of the rare ones — along with the Volkswagen Tiguan — to offer a three-row seven-passenger cabin.
Combined rating: 9.1 L/100 km, for a yearly cost of $2,366.
AWD: Mitsubishi’s allwheel-drive system, standard on Outlander, also has the advantage — another rarity in this category — of being manually lockable.