That's way too pessimistic.

Among SUV drivers in the US the biggest segment is compact SUVs (think Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR-V). Then midsize (like Toyota Highlander or Hyundai Palisade), subcompact (Mazda CX-30, Hyundai Kona), then full sized (Chevy Tahoe, Ford Expedition).

RAV4 non-hybrid is around 35 mpg highway. CR-V 34 mpg highway.

In midsize, Highlander is 29 mpg highway, and Palisade is 25 mpg highway.

In subcompact CX-30 is 30-33 mpg highway depending on options. Kona is 29-34 mpg highway depending on options.

The full size category, which does get down to around 20 mpg, is only around 3-4% of SUVs in the US. Tahoe is 20 mpg highway. Expedition gets 23 mpg highway.

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dylan604 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Great, but it's still 9.5 hours of time on the wheel. Train/plane eliminates that. So even if it is 1/3 cheaper in fuel, it's something that needs to be considered.

	▲	gruez 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		>So even if it is 1/3 cheaper in fuel, it's something that needs to be considered. Not to mention wear on the car.

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Arainach 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

> RAV4 non-hybrid is around 35 mpg highway. CR-V 34 mpg highway.

....35mpg at 60mph and little traffic, maybe. I can't speak for that specific model, but most vehicles I've driven do significantly worse than advertised.

My Subaru Legacy advertised 27 City, 35 Highway, 30 Combined. In practice I average 25-26 while commuting and on extended highways drives more like 29, still on stock tires.