Can you tell me what sort of larger car/suv has the best ride comfort-to-mpg bang for the buck under 35k that can also fit a 200lb Newfoundland?
If only car sites alllowed for this sort of discovery process!
If only car sites alllowed for this sort of discovery process!
Fitting a 200lb dog is a matter of perspective too. What do you mean by fitting? I have a 100lb dog right now and he fits into my crv just fine, but he fits into our Odyssey a lot better. He can lie completely spread out, doesn't have to curl up, etc.
Sites that have tried to do things like this in the past have been very cumbersome and ultimately unuseful.
You need to decide if you dog can fit into a compact SUV or if you need a medium sized SUV/crossover. There is a big difference in size/mpg/and cost between those two categories of vehicle.
If you want a compact SUV look at ford edge/subaru forester or outback/mazda CX-5/toyota rav4/honda CRV or subaru tribecca on the compact, but larger size. The CRV will have your best real world mpgs there, but gives up a lot in power.
If you get into larger crossover/SUVs you should look at the honda Pilot/toyota highlander-4runner/subaru tribeca/mazda cx-9/ford explorer or flex (if you don't care about off road at all).
The problem is they all have their good and bad things and some of the stylings are way off. Also, reported mpgs and real life mpgs are sometimes very different. The best thing to do is to troll user forums for these vehicles and learn as much as you can. Good luck!
The use cases that lead to my thought were: - what cars on the market, both new and used in the last 4 years, offer a 3rd row of seating? - what cars offer a big enough back seat for two rear facing car seats and a twin stroller? (far fewer than you'd believe)