Fuel efficient tow vehicle.

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

When I was looking for a new tow vehicle, fuel efficency was far down my list of necessary attributes .Towing capacity ,payload ,braking , handling, ride ,comfort ETC were more important than fuel economy . I would rather loose a little gas mileage than being exhausted at the end of the day from white knuckle towing . I have often questioned the logic of buying a 35k + Escape 21 ft and then towing it with an inadequate vehicle just to gain 1 MPG. Gaining better fuel econom at the cost of safety is not a fair trade IMHO. I tow with a 1/2 ton fullsize pickup truck with a 5.7 liter V8 , +WDH and find it adequate for towing my trailer.
Everyone has a different comfort level , so what you value may differ

Image. People are so concerned about that anymore it seems. Have to be this- gotta do that, lest we incurr the scorn of peers, neighbors, etc. Owning gas guzzlers, especially in more liberal areas has been politically incorrect for some time now.
Am with you though, safety first. I used to look at the mpg reading a lot when first starting to tow and my wife asked "can we not afford this?"

[sturski]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I wonder what the hit will be when you go to sell or trade a manual transmission vehicle. Sort of like a trailer without a bath.

I have both, in my case the answer is "who cares?".

I drive vehicles until they aren't worth repairing and have no value. The trailer value will be my daughter's problem when I'm gone.

Both of my daughters drive manual transmission vehicles by choice. They can get $1-2000 more car for their money by doing so. Both are graduates of "Dad's school of driving" and are very proficient at manual transmissions (as well as parallel parking and changing tires).

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by Steve R

Based on the above posts, it looks like the best mpg I can expect when pulling my 17b, is around 15-16 mpg, perhaps with a RAV 4 or Ford Ranger. When thinking about mpg, I'm curious if anyone would recommend any other tow vehicles I should consider, besides those mentioned above.

I might note I bought a new Prius last year, and would like to buy a used tow vehicle. Thanks.

Steve,
I bought a 2011 Honda Pilot for towing. It is factory-equipped with a tow pkg. and is rated at 3500 lbs. V6 - 250 HP; 253 ft-lbs torque. It'll be perfect for my 17; tow weight loaded will be at 2700-2800 lbs, which is right at 80% of capacity.

I also have a Prius for towing (see photo documenting capacity):

[Steve R]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

When I was looking for a new tow vehicle, fuel efficency was far down my list of necessary attributes .Towing capacity ,payload ,braking , handling, ride ,comfort ETC were more important than fuel economy . I would rather loose a little gas mileage than being exhausted at the end of the day from white knuckle towing . I have often questioned the logic of buying a 35k + Escape 21 ft and then towing it with an inadequate vehicle just to gain 1 MPG. Gaining better fuel econom at the cost of safety is not a fair trade IMHO. I tow with a 1/2 ton fullsize pickup truck with a 5.7 liter V8 , +WDH and find it adequate for towing my trailer.
Everyone has a different comfort level , so what you value may differ

Steve Dunham, I'm new to this hobby...I've never owned an RV, and have never pulled a trailer. My hope was that someone would identify a good quality tow vehicle, that had plenty of power, and that would tow my 17b at 25 mpg. I can see now that option apparently does not exist (for now I'm trying to stay away from the new high mileage pickup trucks). Your post makes an important point -- mpg is not everything, and perhaps not even the main thing. Thanks for the good insight.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Rossue

Image. People are so concerned about that anymore it seems. Have to be this- gotta do that, lest we incurr the scorn of peers, neighbors, etc. Owning gas guzzlers, especially in more liberal areas has been politically incorrect for some time now.
Am with you though, safety first. I used to look at the mpg reading a lot when first starting to tow and my wife asked "can we not afford this?"

My sentiments exactly . Why would one buy a trailer when they know that they either do not own or cannot afford to buy an adequate tow vehicle . I live in a rural area and the vehicle of
vehicle of choice is a pickup truck. The choice for us is whether to get a 1/2 or 3/4 or 1 ton - color -and Ford ,Chevy or Ram, To me affording a trailer also includes the cost of a proper tow vehicle , fuel , camping fees ,necessary equipment, repairs ,maintenance ETC,.
I have a buddy who bought a large Class A motor home.
The motor home sits in his yard because he cannot afford the fuel to take it on the road.
It is now a 50K storage shed. According to my PC friends, a travel trailer / motor home falls in the same category as a gas guzzling vehicle. To them ,tenting is the only PC method of camping. I can't win the argument so I don't try.

[Steve R]

Originally Posted by dfandrews

Steve,
I bought a 2011 Honda Pilot for towing. It is factory-equipped with a tow pkg. and is rated at 3500 lbs. V6 - 250 HP; 253 ft-lbs torque. It'll be perfect for my 17; tow weight loaded will be at 2700-2800 lbs, which is right at 80% of capacity.

I also have a Prius for towing (see photo documenting capacity):
Attachment 11436

Dfandrews: Appreciate your comment about the Honda Pilot...my sister pulls her 19' trailer with her 2007 Honda Pilot and it works great for her. I had to laugh at your Prius photo -- looks exactly like mine!

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

According to my PC friends, a travel trailer / motor home falls in the same category as a gas guzzling vehicle. To them ,tenting is the only PC method of camping. I can't win the argument so I don't try.

I hear you Steve. I've had a few PC friends but they don't stay friends for long. They worry too much about trivial crap and not the really important things in life. Not much of a basis for friendship.

I also agree that your tow needs to have a margin and that mpg shouldn't be the first consideration. In our case though, we can almost 'have our cake and eat it too' - a full size and extremely capable tow vehicle that actually gets great mileage.

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by Steve R

Dfandrews: Appreciate your comment about the Honda Pilot...my sister pulls her 19' trailer with her 2007 Honda Pilot and it works great for her. I had to laugh at your Prius photo -- looks exactly like mine!

Steve,
Glad you enjoyed the photo.
The other laugh we have is the morning debate over who will be driving the most during the day: they get the Prius. At the end of the year, I'm guessing that the Prius will accumulate 3X-4X the non-tow mileage of the Honda.
Prius - 44 mpg
Honda - 16-24 mpg depending on the amount of city street driving (and whether it's my wife's light right foot or my Pb foot on the gas).

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by maurerl

Follow-up comments:

My Ranger is rated at 5,600 lbs -- but I'm not at all sure I'd want to tow something heavier than my 17B with it, or that I'd want to tow the 17B with a vehicle rated at 3,500 -- that's my personal comfort-level feeling.

Gas at $3/USgallon!? I (we Canadians) should be so lucky! This week we're closer to or even above $5!

I've done everthing from the US South to Fairbanks, Alaska with my 2011 Ranger with a canopy and kayak on top towing our 19. Tons of high mountain passes. A little slow sometimes but it does the job.

Ron

[Kountrykamper]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

The choice for us is whether to get a Ford ,Chevy or Ram

Hey Steve
I guess they don't drive Toyota's in Wisconsin.

Beep Beep

[David H]

I just returned from a 4 week trip following the rally in Osoyoos, into Washington, Oregon, and a little in Northern CA then back p the coast. Door to door was 4200 km and the 2013 Honda Pilot average towing my 2014 17B was 15.3 litres/100 km, 18.4 mpg imp gal, 15.3 mpg US gal mixed driving conditions. Worth mentioning there's lots of climbing heading east to Osoyoos and especially west from Yakima across the mountains. Also coming back upo the coast in Oregon I was bucking a very strong head/cross wind. The 2013 Pilot (4WD) is factory rated at 4600 lb. and 450 on the ball. It handled all driving conditions with ease. Last year driving to Calgary and to Chilliwack to pick up my 17 B I averaged 8.4 litres/100 km or 33.5 mpg imp gal all highway driving. Generally on Vancouver Island its around 13.4 litres /100 km mixed driving solo mostly city.

[lancenadine]

I am in the process of 'relearning' how to drive.
After not really knowing what to expect with towing mileage - 19' with 2012 F150 Ecoboost 4x4, 3.73 gears & tires more suitable for off-roading - I've had to temper my expectations. Thus far, on 2 trips, we've managed 12-14 mpg Imperial. Unloaded we manage roughly 20 mpg Imperial.
Keeping up with traffic, steep, high mountain passes, headwinds, etc. are not our gas mileage friends at all & I have to revise my thinking towards these factors.
Ensuring tire pressures are at their optimum, for example, has taken on new meaning.
The Ecoboost is definitely capable as a tow rig but I do find myself missing the almost effortless ability of the Duramax diesel I had previously hauling a camper with a smaller mpg penalty, relatively speaking.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by David H

Door to door was 4200 km and the 2013 Honda Pilot average towing my 2014 17B was 15.3 litres/100 km, 18.4 mpg imp gal, 15.3 mpg US gal mixed driving conditions.

This sounds about right, and is just a bit better than towing my 19 with my Pilot. On the flat with no wind, it does better, but in the hills and wind, it does way worse. Of course, the time spent driving around without the trailer while camping, really improves the overall mileage.

If just towing in mostly wind and mountains, my F-350 diesel gets much better economy than my Pilot in those conditions. So, short trips with little driving not towing, sees me using it. Longer trips with lots of driving unhooked, will see the Pilot being used.

Of course, once I fully retire, I will sell the F-350, as it is just way too big of a vehicle for us, so it would not even be a consideration then.

[Jubal]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

When I was looking for a new tow vehicle, fuel efficency was far down my list of necessary attributes .Towing capacity ,payload ,braking , handling, ride ,comfort ETC were more important than fuel economy . I would rather loose a little gas mileage than being exhausted at the end of the day from white knuckle towing . I have often questioned the logic of buying a 35k + Escape 21 ft and then towing it with an inadequate vehicle just to gain 1 MPG. Gaining better fuel econom at the cost of safety is not a fair trade IMHO. I tow with a 1/2 ton fullsize pickup truck with a 5.7 liter V8 , +WDH and find it adequate for towing my trailer.
Everyone has a different comfort level , so what you value may differ

Best post of this thread !!

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Kountrykamper

Hey Steve
I guess they don't drive Toyota's in Wisconsin.

Beep Beep

We have gone camping at many State Parks in Wisconsin.
We once counted over 75 trucks in one State Park and not one of them
was a Toyota . I personally do not know anyone that owns or drives
a Toyota truck . Ford by far is the most popular truck in our area
followed by Chevy then Ram. Living in a rural area there are no Toyota
dealers but several Ford ,Chevy and Ram dealers . i personnaly would
not buy a Toyota but that is my choice. I was not questioning anyones decision on what
to own or drive. My exclusion of Toyota was not meant to offend anyone.

[Jim Bennett]

For many, budget and being environmentally friendly as possible, means a lot. There is no reason to recommend a pickup in favour of a more fuel efficient SUV, just so long as the capacity is there. I have never had an issue with comfort in my Pilot, it beats my F-350 for that, and in no way have I ever felt I was "white knuckle' driving, especially with the addition of the Andersen WDH.

I think it is unfair to use fearmongering with folks looking to buy and consider fuel efficiency, in order to justify ones own decision. I do like though, that some smaller pickups are beginning to show great improvements in fuel economy, making them much more viable alternatives. No need to use fuel hogging engines in our FG trailers any more.

So much also depends on the use of the vehicle aside from towing. Often, non-towing driving FAR exceeds that done while towing, and the vehicle has to work well for them for this use too, short of having a quiver full of vehicles to use.

For over 30 years I have driven a Ford pickup for work, with the exception of one Dodge Ram (the first to offer the Cummins deisel), but if I were choosing a pickup to tow a 5.0TA with, I would not hesitate for a moment to consider some of the great offerings from Toyota or Nissan as well.

[alanmalk]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Only if you want to make your life difficult.
Think about stopping at a light on a hill and then proceeding on green. Or, about trying to inch a trailer tire up on a block to level the trailer. Almost anything can be made more difficult with a manual transmission.

Gee, how can I ignore this?

I love my Tacoma manual. Been driving a manual for - well, skip that part...
Here in Colorado mountains I pick the correct gear for the grade and just cruise.

Need to creep up an inch? Shift into 4X4 Low and I can inch with the best of them.

Even Susannah, who drove the Escape 21 over Gore Pass last week as her inaugural,
said "that wasn't as bad as I thought". I gave her a B+ (should have given her an
A-)


Alan

[Kountrykamper]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

We have gone camping at many State Parks in Wisconsin.
We once counted over 75 trucks in one State Park and not one of them
was a Toyota . I personally do not know anyone that owns or drives
a Toyota truck . Ford by far is the most popular truck in our area
followed by Chevy then Ram. Living in a rural area there are no Toyota
dealers but several Ford ,Chevy and Ram dealers . i personnaly would
not buy a Toyota but that is my choice. I was not questioning anyones decision on what
to own or drive. My exclusion of Toyota was not meant to offend anyone.

Hey Steve

Just pulling your chain some.

[bdornbush]

We have a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 3.6K V-6 and 4WD. We have had our Escape 19' for about a month and have towed it 2 weeks during that time. We travel at about 60 MPH and got 16 MPG at sea level and going down from the mountains (Lassen Volcanic NP) and 14 MPG going up from 3000 to 7000 feet. We got the V-6 because it gets about 3 MPG better than the V-8 all the time. We get about 25 MPG on the freeways and about 17 MPG in the city. We are very pleased with how it tows the Escape 19' and with it in general. It is rated at towing 6200 lbs so we are well within its capacity, which I like. The 25 gallon tank makes gas stops much less frequent.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by bdornbush

The 25 gallon tank makes gas stops much less frequent.

This is one thing I definitely appreciate with the F-350. We never filled up once in the 750 km (470 mi) to Osoyoos from home. Having done the trip a bunch of times with the Pilot, I know there are two stops on the way. So, about 2 1/2 times the range.