Sunday, July 26, 2009

Driving cross country in a subcompact



Hello from the middle of nowhere Wyoming! (I have no I idea where this was.)

This is the second time I've driven halfway across the country in a subcompact (the first time was in my '05 xB three years ago). This time, it was in our 2009 SX4 AWD (manual trans). We averaged between 27 and 30 mpg driving the Interstate from Portland, OR to Hudson, WI. Keep in mind, most of the posted speed limits were 75, and we drove a tad over that; we had the air conditioning on 90% of the time; and we were fully loaded with stuff. I'm pretty happy with that.

The SX4's small bladder fuel tank made itself abundantly clear. We had to refuel about every 220-250 miles, with the best tank being 256 miles. The good thing about having to make such frequent stops is it helps to keep us awake and lets us use the "facilities" more often.

I will say, after driving 1,885 miles, I will say I do wish we had opted for cruise control, although we use it so infrequently when in Oregon, it still wasn't worth the cash for us.

More updates from the Midwest later!



4 comments:

Unknown said...

On your way back, fluff up the tires to 45psi. It'll make them balloon slightly, which reduces your braking/handling a little bit, but you should also see 1-2 more MPG. :)

Andy Lilienthal said...

I should've checked to see what they were at once they were hot. It was 95 degrees most of the way. The cold PSI was 38.

sleeksilver said...

Good luck on the trek!

I remember you telling me that you were dreading that drive with no cruise!

xBeerd said...

You should have atleast bumped the psi up to 39, based on your name ;)