VOLVO XC70 T6 vs BMW X3 3.0si - Cedar Rapids to Iowa City, Iowa

Hard on the environment with an unwanted social stigma and terrible fuel economy. That is the story of the modern SUV. We live in 2008. Model year 2009 vehicles are arriving and expected sales totals of most sport-utility vehicles are tumbling.

But what if you were told that the SUV in this fuel efficiency comparison (called a sport-activity vehicle by BMW) is expected to return better mpg numbers and emit about a ton less CO2 than the station wagon that's also part of this fuel efficiency comparison? You might not care. However, you may realize that preconceived notions regarding SUVs, even small ones like this 3.0L BMW X3, are ofttimes unapplicable. More importantly - and more unfortunately - assuming that a car, even large jacked-up wagons like the turbocharged Volvo XC70, will be gentler on the environment and save money at the pump is erroneous.

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2.73 - total gallons of premium gasoline required by an automatic-transmission BMW X3 3.0si to complete its round trip commute between Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Iowa City, Iowa

3.03 - total gallons of premium gasoline required by the Volvo XC70 T6 to complete its round trip commute between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City

10.24 - total cost for the BMW X3 for one day

11.36 - total cost for the Volvo XC70 for one day

51.20 - total cost for the BMW for one week

56.80 - total cost for the Volvo for one week

2,508.80 - total cost, in USD at today's premium gasoline prices, for a BMW X3 3.0si owner to travel from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Iowa City, Iowa five times a week, 49 weeks per year

2,783.20 - total cost, in USD at today's premium prices, for a Volvo XC70 T6 owner to travel from Cedar Rapids to Iowa City five times a week, 49 weeks per year

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Oh, so now you see? It's insulting for Volvo to realize that their large wagon costs more to run in fuel economy terms. One must also realize that, along with the extra annual cost for the more powerful Volvo (seen in this comparo at $274.40), the Volvo also has extra space and extra power while being similarly heavy laden. More importantly, that fuel cost differential works out to about $10.00 per paycheque. BMW does want less money for ownership privileges though; $900 less, in fact. 

Though it seems tough to compare these cars directly, The Good Car Guy discovered that's exactly what plenty of buyers do. You can read about that at GoodCarBadCar.net.