What car? Modern luxobarge plus mpg

Aspen wrote:

z31maniac wrote:

Devilsolsi wrote: BMW 328d or 335d With the miles you are driving, your best options are hybrid or diesel. Nothing else will come close. BMW and Benz still sell diesels, though they are hard to find. I think Benz only does in E class and some of the SUVs. BMW does in the 3 and 5 series along with some SUVs.

335d gets worse highway mileage than the Mazda 6 I mentioned. While also coming with diesel/BMW maintenance costs and pricier fuel. How is this better?

I looked up the 2015 data and the BMW has the advantage on mileage by 0.6l/100km. The relative price of diesel vs. regular gas may offset this advantage depending on the local cost.

Ahhh, what I ran across said 37mpg highway, but also there was no 335d in 2015. So I guess we all need to make sure we know what exactly we are comparing.

The Chrysler 200 is also depreciating like a rock. I had a rental with the 2.4 with the ZF 9-speed and didn't like it much, but I imagine that the 3.6 would be a lot more pleasurable and get similar highway mileage since it wouldn't have to work as hard.

$25K Gets you a brand NEW Optima 1.6T with the 7-spd DCT. Those see 40mpg, are quiet, comfy, have all the new doo-dads and a 10/100 warranty. Hard to argue that.

Thanks for the ideas. Mazda 6 is high on my list, I want to try one without the stiffer sport suspension, it was a little to rough for me a year ago when I drove one.

In reply to icaneat50eggs:

They all have the same suspension, the only thing that would make a difference is the 19" wheels on some models.

I still think Volvo S60 is the answer. Comfy, good MPG, advanced safety features, depreciation = good deals.

I drove the 6 when I bought my Accord, but prefer the Accord. I've got a 2015 Accord Sport with 6mt and am happy with it. Might be worth a look for you as well.

pointofdeparture wrote: In reply to icaneat50eggs: They all have the same suspension, the only thing that would make a difference is the 19" wheels on some models. I still think Volvo S60 is the answer. Comfy, good MPG, advanced safety features, depreciation = good deals.

I thought my ex-wife's Grand Touring on the 19s was more than comfortable.

Then again I daily a BRZ on Ground Controls and 35 series Dunlop Star Specs....which isn't that comfy.

I forgot about the Avalon Hybrid. Get that.

singleslammer wrote: My FIL has a loaded up Hyundai Sonata(?) hybrid. It isn't a Lexus but it is very comfy. Great seats. Easily knocks back 40 MPG.

my FIL had one too. It got nowhere near forty. Barely made 30.

Now he has Accord hybrid, it gets mid forties.

I have a new accord LX ($20k new) and it gets 37 hwy. And it's new, nice car.

The problem with the Hondas is I believe that there blind spot detection is only on the passenger side, which isn't where I need it.

It is if you're always passing everyone in the left lane while still getting better fuel economy than them.

I was going to come in and say look at the Camry hybrid or the Avalon hybrid.

z31maniac wrote:

Aspen wrote:

z31maniac wrote:

Devilsolsi wrote: BMW 328d or 335d With the miles you are driving, your best options are hybrid or diesel. Nothing else will come close. BMW and Benz still sell diesels, though they are hard to find. I think Benz only does in E class and some of the SUVs. BMW does in the 3 and 5 series along with some SUVs.

335d gets worse highway mileage than the Mazda 6 I mentioned. While also coming with diesel/BMW maintenance costs and pricier fuel. How is this better?

I looked up the 2015 data and the BMW has the advantage on mileage by 0.6l/100km. The relative price of diesel vs. regular gas may offset this advantage depending on the local cost.

Ahhh, what I ran across said 37mpg highway, but also there was no 335d in 2015. So I guess we all need to make sure we know what exactly we are comparing.

The 328 gets much better mileage than the 335, but obviously not as fast.

I like the Mazda 6. My wife has a Mazda 3 and I have owned 2 speed3s in the past myself. While they are nice cars, I don't know that it satisfies the "luxury" requirement of the OP all that well. If fuel economy is the most important thing, then none of these suggestions are that great.

As for the "luxury" requirement, that's why I specifically said the Grand Touring trim level.

Is it a BMW/Merc/Audi? Of course not, is it a damn fine place to put down mileage? Very much so.

By luxobarge I was more referring to the old school caddy feel of floating down the road than what's associated with luxury cars now. The top of the line Mazda 6 or anything else is fine by me. I don't need the fancy hand stitched Burled walnut treatment

z31maniac wrote: As for the "luxury" requirement, that's why I specifically said the Grand Touring trim level. Is it a BMW/Merc/Audi? Of course not, is it a damn fine place to put down mileage? Very much so.

Oh I agree. My wife's 3 is a GT and it is very nice.

I guess we have different ideas of what a luxobarge is if a Mazda 6 qualifies.

Slightly outside the box, but I'm amazed these are available at the price point.

You can get a "new" (3rd gen) bodystyle Cadillac CTS with the 2.0T drivetrain under $25K all day long. They launched in 2014, not sure where you live, but the RWD models sell slightly cheaper typically than the AWD models, but there's not much mpg hit for awd (RWD rated at 20mpg city / 30mpg hwy, AWD at 19 / 28 respectively). You don't buy the 2.0T model to win drag races, but they're no slouch, with the ecotec making 270+HP and like 295 ft. lbs. Being a luxury car, even the "base" models will be a much nicer place to be inside than your last two commuters, and probably be better highway cars with the smaller wheels and a little more sidewall on the tire than the higher spec trim Cadillacs.

A quick AutoTrader search for '14+ models with <45K miles and <$24K with the 4cyl. showed almost ~100 results. Dialing that in found a few with specific collision avoidance option packages.

Like this: $23K '14 RWD 2.0T CTS with Forward Collision Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, and Side Blind Zone Alert, heated seats and steering wheel, etc.

If you don't mind shopping a non-brand dealer, there's reasonable mile examples for sub $20K, but it looks like the most base models might not have the safety equipment package you desire, so you have to weed through them a bit. My dad has one of these (2.0T CTS) and it drives great. People bitched about the gauge cluster and CUE compared to the competition at the MSRP, "A Cadillac shouldn't have a 4-cylinder", etc. but with massive depreciation, these are a bargain, and very nicely appointed against the commuter boxes you've been suffering in.

I'm definitely checking out the caddy.

I have a similar commute. I went with a M-B E320 Bluetec diesel. Comfy and I'm averaging 35 mpg.