I need a mini van to commute in, gas milage questions

[TheQueenMother]

I currently have a Taurus as my commuter car. This year, 2 kids drive back and forth with me. Next year, 4 kids will and I will have outgrown the backseat of the Taurus. Unless I put one kid in the front seat, I will need a minivan. We are in the car about one hour/day 5 days/week and I would like to use the least gas possible for the commute for financial and envromental reasons. The van will need to be an 8 passenger so I can pick up my niece and nephew as well.
What gas milage do you currently get in your minivan? I have looked at all of the averages but have a church member who swears she gets more than 30mpg on her mini van but I can not remember what kind.
TIA
Amanda

[southpawboston]

Originally Posted by TheQueenMother

I currently have a Taurus as my commuter car. This year, 2 kids drive back and forth with me. Next year, 4 kids will and I will have outgrown the backseat of the Taurus. Unless I put one kid in the front seat, I will need a minivan. We are in the car about one hour/day 5 days/week and I would like to use the least gas possible for the commute for financial and envromental reasons. The van will need to be an 8 passenger so I can pick up my niece and nephew as well.
What gas milage do you currently get in your minivan? I have looked at all of the averages but have a church member who swears she gets more than 30mpg on her mini van but I can not remember what kind.
TIA
Amanda

i don't know of ANY minivan that gets 30mpg, let alone an 8-seater! how is she calculating that number?

most 8-seater vans (honda, toyota) get between 23-26mpg highway. smaller vans may do slighter better than that.

incidentally, the smaller 6-passenger mazda5 currently leads the pack (and by a large margin) with 24mpg combined city/hwy mpg.

Sort by Model mpg

2009 Mazda MAZDA5 Sport 24
2009 Mazda MAZDA5 Grand Touring 23
2009 Mazda MAZDA5 Touring 23
2009 Honda Odyssey Touring w/ PAX Tires 20
2009 Honda Odyssey Touring 20
2009 Honda Odyssey EX-L w/ DVD and Navigation System 20
2009 Honda Odyssey EX-L w/ DVD 20
2009 Honda Odyssey EX-L 20
2009 Volkswagen Routan SEL P CARB 20
2009 Volkswagen Routan SEL RSE CARB 20
2009 Volkswagen Routan SEL CARB 20
2009 Volkswagen Routan SEL Premium 20
2009 Volkswagen Routan SEL RSE 20
2009 Volkswagen Routan SEL 20
2009 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 19
2009 Toyota Sienna XLE Limited FWD 19
2008 Chevrolet Truck Uplander Cargo Van FWD 19
2009 Toyota Sienna XLE FWD 19
2009 Toyota Sienna LE FWD with 8 Passenger Seating 19
2009 Chrysler Town & Country LX 19
2009 Toyota Sienna LE FWD with 7 Passenger Seating 19
2009 Nissan Quest 3.5 SE 19
2008 Chevrolet Uplander LT Extended Wheelbase 1LT 19
2009 Toyota Sienna CE FWD with 8 Passenger Seating 19
2009 Nissan Quest 3.5 SL 19
2008 Chevrolet Uplander LS Extended Wheelbase 1LS 19
2009 Toyota Sienna CE FWD with 7 Passenger Seating 19
2009 Nissan Quest 3.5 S 19
2008 Chevrolet Uplander LS Regular Wheelbase 1LS 19
2009 Nissan Quest 3.5 19
2008 Kia Sedona LX LWB 18
2008 Kia Sedona Base SWB 18
2009 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT 18
2009 Toyota Sienna XLE Limited AWD 18
2009 Toyota Sienna XLE AWD 18
2009 Chrysler Town & Country Limited 18
2009 Toyota Sienna LE AWD 18
2009 Chrysler Town & Country Touring 18
2009 Honda Odyssey EX 18
2008 Kia Sedona EX LWB 18
2009 Honda Odyssey LX 18
2008 Hyundai Entourage Limited 18
2008 Hyundai Entourage GLS 18
2009 Volkswagen Routan SE RSE 18
2009 Volkswagen Routan SE 18
2009 Volkswagen Routan S RSE 18
2009 Volkswagen Routan S

from the auto channel

[TheQueenMother]

I thought her numbers seemed off but she kept insisting that she was right, I needed to ask. It will have to be an 8 seater as I will need to put 4 in car seats and have enough room.
Thanks for your info.
Amanda

[sirrahn]

I average about 21 with my 8 passenger Sienna. I live in a metro area so my driving is fairly evenly mixed between highway and city. Strictly highway we've gotten 27 or so.

[Jennifer mom to my 7]

And we get about 24-26 with our 8 passenger sienna (2005) and we are usually going average of 50 or so. Rural roads, 40-55 mph speed limits, then highway.

[lovinwaves]

24-26, and quite possibly a 28 here and there with a newer gen Honda Odyssey 8-passenger.

[Defrost]

Originally Posted by TheQueenMother

I thought her numbers seemed off but she kept insisting that she was right, I needed to ask. It will have to be an 8 seater as I will need to put 4 in car seats and have enough room.
Thanks for your info.
Amanda

Do you mean you need an 8-passenger because you'll have six passengers for the rear seats, or because you need to put 4 passengers in carseats and they have to fit side-by-side?

If it's the latter, you could easily put four Regents in a Mazda 5. There's plenty of room in each seating position.

I went over this same issue a couple years ago, and the Mazda 5 is pretty much IT if your main priority is gas mileage. And I do get excellent gas mileage for a van; I check every time I fill up and average is 25mpg. I've gotten up to 29mpg on a road trip with an empty vehicle.

[CPSDarren]

I once got 30mpg on a full tank in my Odyssey http://carseatblog.com/?p=63 . Never repeated that before or since. Typical highway is 25-27 mpg. Typical city is 17-20. That's pretty good for a minivan. I'd be very surprised to find one that averaged 30 on the highway, let alone overall. Maybe she has a prototype hybrid or diesel!