Can you recommend a highly economical family-sized car for high-mileage mountain driving?

We have just moved to Spain and we live in the mountains. We intend to do a LOT of driving so we need a very very economical car which can cope with steep inclines. As it will be a business car and we will often have guests we would like a 4 door executive style car like a BMW or the like but perhaps smaller as I am used to smaller cars (Laguna etc). We have just bought a PT Cruiser which is lovely but it cannot cope with the mountain drive and it drinks so much petrol it is bankrupting us. Can anyone recommend anything from personal experience? Thanks!

Answers:
Seeing as you are in Spain I'd recommend a SEAT Toledo, or perhaps a larger car in their range. They build them in Spain so they are made for the conditions there, and spare parts and finding mechanics will be no problem either. Also, they have some very good diesel versions and they actually go quite well. I drive a Toledo 1.8 diesel here in the Czech Republic and it was fine even in the Tatra mountains in Slovakia. Only uses 4.5 litre per 100 km (about 55mpg) on the highway when cruising at around 120 kph, which is very good indeed. In the mountains you'll use a bit more fuel, but I'd say 40-45 mpg is doable.

The modern diesel cars have ultra-clean motors so don't worry about pollution; that problem is pretty well taken care of in respect of cars. And they're very reliable.

And no -- I don't own shares in the company! But I wish I did :)
get some donkeys
You can't have it both ways. If the vehicle is going to have the power available to handle the mountains and extra people, it will not get the gas mileage you want.
subaru wrx, mistubishi lancer rs, those are the best because you can find parts to make them even more fuel economic than they already are. plus they are fun to drive as well.
The Ford Escape hybrid, for example, has been rumored to be sluggish in mountain driving. Yet, a hybrid Escape owner told me that he, "SURPASSED the EPA rating of 31 MPG highway. Over 400 miles of mountain driving I averaged 34 MPG at speeds between 65 and 80 MPH."
34 mpg during mountain driving, in a SUV? Are you kidding me? Those are awesome numbers. Ford and Toyota deserve kudos for that - since Ford leases Toyota's hybrid technology. This too should bode well for the Lexus RX400h hybrid and Toyota Highlander hybrid SUVs.
Your best bet would be a Saab or one of the larger VWs. Very economical but still has that 'executive' look that you're after.
kia sedona

7 Flexible seats
Twin sliding rear doors
Tri-zone controlled air-conditioning
CD audio with MP3 player
You need to make the change to a high-torque diesel engine that won't be revving it's nuts off trying to climb steep gradients. Try a BMW Diesel, or if you want ultimate reliability, a Japanese diesel, such as the new Honda CDTI.
Subaru Legacy

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