SUVs are the new favorites of Mexicans. These types of models not only maintained a good level of sales throughout the pandemic, but even surpassed in 2021 other types of bodies popular in the past, such as city cars , hatchbacks and sedans.
Multipurpose vehicles -as SUVs are also known- have positioned themselves among consumer preferences thanks to their height and wide tires, which respond better to potholes, bumps and irregularities on Mexican streets and highways. The share of this type of model as part of the total sales of new vehicles has grown in the last year, going from 27.6% in 2020 to 32.8% in 2021, according to Inegi data.
But SUVs are also heavier, taller, and bulkier than smaller hatchbacks and sedans, so they’re often less aerodynamically efficient. This, added to the fact that they usually have larger engines and off-road tires with greater rolling resistance, made them models with a fuel consumption between 10% and 20% higher than that of a car in the equivalent segment.
In the last five years, manufacturers have focused on improving the performance of their SUVs and several have already achieved it. Models with a hybrid engine offer yields of up to 50 km per litre. This is the case of the Lincoln Corsair plug-in hybrid.
The Volvo XC40, XC60 and XC90 SUVs with plug-in hybrid engines also offer performance between 27 and 29 kilometers per liter of gasoline, while the Kia Niro hybrid gives up to 26.9 kilometers per liter.
Although the traditional or plug-in hybrid models are, for now, the ones that deliver the best fuel efficiency, there are also several gasoline models that offer good numbers, above 17 kilometers per liter.
SUVs that consume less gasoline
According to the latest report from the National Commission for the Efficient Use of Energy (CONUEE), which depends on the Ministry of Energy, these are the SUVs that save the most gasoline.
On the other side, at the bottom of the CONUEE fuel efficiency table, there are larger SUVs or SUVs with a sporty profile that ‘eat’ fuel. In all of them, the performance is less than 10 kilometers per liter of gasoline.
