what is a good tow vehicle with decent gas mileage?

[T and C]

TMMinivan,

I bought my 2330 in July of 2010. I was then towing with a 96 Ford p/u. Since the DW wanted room for grandkids to go with us, I looked at crew cab p/u's and bought a 2010 Ford crew cab with a 4.6 3 valve motor and a six speed trans. It has the factory tow package and a six speed tranny.

The down side of this vehicle is that it is BIG. You have to get used to driving it...but then it becomes automatic. We have a 2005 Camry for local driving anyway.

The up sides are numerous:

1. Very roomy. You can carry six passengers and all sorts of stuff.
2. It is powerful. I usually tow on cruise control. A few days ago I crossed the Donner pass (7200 feet) in both directions this way.
3. It is economical while towing. Around town as a passenger car it gets typical truck mileage-13 to 14 mpg. Towing on the highway is a different story. From San Jose to Reno we got 15.6, and that includes the Donner pass. From Sacramento driving south on 99 along the flat bottom of California's central valley-18.2!!! This is probably due to the computer control of the fuel system and the 6 speed trans.
4. The tow rating is around 8000, so I never even think about it.

It is big and it is heavy. But for me, anyway, peace of mind about the weight and safety issues outweigh that. If I want to carry something along...I do.

One other thing. I learned with my last RV TV combination...the correct order is to FIRST choose the RV and THEN choose to TV to fit. Many on this board already have a TV and then have bought a TM, only to find that their TV is only marginally adequate. So, if you can afford it, try to get a TV that can easily do the job. Peace of mind, IMHO, is worth a lot.

Tom

What is your budget and what else will the vehicle be used for?

Koz

[Mr. Adventure]

Tom,
You have a great tow vehicle. But 90% of our driving is not towing, and the around-town part of the story with 13-14mpg is a problem compared to the 19-20mpg we're used to (19.6mpg, according to the car computer, for the approximate total of 16000 miles in the last 12 months or so, working, playing, towing, local, highway, everything).

Per pound on the road, we have 50% more torque and 100% more hp than we did in the motorhome we drove as we last crossed the Continental Divide in an RV. I agree that it has been too long since our last visit, and current data with a TrailManor should be a priority. However, I'm pretty sure that our next trip will confirm that traffic is a substantially greater problem on the Interstate highways than the upward side of the passes or the altitude once we're there.

The Motorhome taught us that doing more with less is better RVing because it involves less maintenance, better economy, better access to the places we visit, and safer travel, too.

Yeah, the 13-14 around town would be not our first choice. We talked and we are going to see how things go this summer both with towing and with gas prices and then we'll decide. We really like the Highlander option so far of all the ones discussed. Thank you all!

-Amy

I have a Nissan Titan 4x4 that's rated 14/18mpg. I started looking this weekend into trading it for a smaller pickup to save gas. I was shocked to find that both the Nissan and Toyota compact trucks with 4x4 and V6 are rated almost the same: 14/19mpg. However, Toyota makes an overseas version of the Tacoma called the "Hilux" with a 3.0L diesel, 5,000lb tow rating, and gets 21/28 mpg for the 4dr 4x4. I'll have to move to Dubai to get one.

I'm not meaning to be the downer here, somethings to check on if you go with a Highlander. Ours was a 2008, so hopefully the issues I'm going to mention have been addressed. Check the Toyota Forums for updates.

- Transmission, at about 15000 miles ours developed a loud whine at 70 MPH when driven for more than an hour. Figured we were unlucky, but found that a LOT of people had the same issue and the dealers didn't know how to fix it.

- Comfort, the Highlander looks great on paper and for drives around town it was, but FOR ME and the DW, on longer trips, the seats were some of the worse ever. Bad back aches etc. This was probably the number one reason we sold it quickly. After a 300 mile drive to Santa Fe, I was in pain for days.

Just things to check on....your experience may be different. I apologize to other Highlander owners here, please don't take it personal, just our costly bad experience. Nothing against Toyotas....I own one.

You may want to look at the 4Runner (rated at 17/22) and comes in three different configurations (2WD models also).

Koz

Originally Posted by KevinP

However, Toyota makes an overseas version of the Tacoma called the "Hilux" with a 3.0L diesel, 5,000lb tow rating, and gets 21/28 mpg for the 4dr 4x4. I'll have to move to Dubai to get one.

The Ford Ranger and VW Amarok are also available with a diesel engine. Both of these small pickups also have 5000# or higher tow ratings, are excellent Tow Vehicles, but neither are available in N.A.

And diesel fuel is less expensive than gas where I live in Ontario.

We used our VW Passat diesel to tow our 2000# tent trailer for many years before the Elkmont. Diesels, with all their torque, make great TVs.

Maybe it's just a matter of time before these small diesel pickups become available in NA. I hope ...

[T and C]

Originally Posted by Mr. Adventure

Tom,
You have a great tow vehicle. But 90% of our driving is not towing, and the around-town part of the story with 13-14mpg is a problem compared to the 19-20mpg we're used to (19.6mpg, according to the car computer, for the approximate total of 16000 miles in the last 12 months or so, working, playing, towing, local, highway, everything).

Per pound on the road, we have 50% more torque and 100% more hp than we did in the motorhome we drove as we last crossed the Continental Divide in an RV. I agree that it has been too long since our last visit, and current data with a TrailManor should be a priority. However, I'm pretty sure that our next trip will confirm that traffic is a substantially greater problem on the Interstate highways than the upward side of the passes or the altitude once we're there.

The Motorhome taught us that doing more with less is better RVing because it involves less maintenance, better economy, better access to the places we visit, and safer travel, too.

No doubt about it, lighter vehicles get better gas mileage. The choice of a TV is a very personal decision. Many factors influence it. BTW, I just looked at the window sticker that was on my truck when I bought it. The gov't rated it at 15/21. The best mileage I have ever seen with it was driving on the local freeways on cruise control at 55 mph-24.0 mpg on a 75 mile run out to Riverside and back.

To me, safety is a BIG factor. I once experienced the violence of a head on collision. I believe that my '57 Ford's heavy ladder frame plus the seat belts I had installed myself saved me from serious injury. If I had been driving some economy car I would probably not be posting this. The other guy, a 16 year old kid who had been driving one week, was in his daddy's 63 Chrysler station wagon.

Another time, in '88, I hit a cow near Kayenta on the Navaho reservation. That time our '77 Impala saved our backsides. The whole front end was smashed...but that good full size car didn't crush at all. The F-150 has 5 star safety ratings for all tested scenarios.

I was made aware of another safety issue yesterday. As I was driving along in that strong crosswind, a class C motorhome passed me doing maybe 60 mph. He was rocking back and forth and struggling to keep it in his lane, weaving back and forth. I really appreciated all 5000 pounds of truck at that moment.

Incidentally, our mpg from Lake Isabella to home, around 300 miles and crossing some small ranges of hills/mountains was 17.2.

Keem 'em rolling.

Tom

Regarding seat comfort, it has been my experience that seats with springs are much more comfortable that seats that are only foam. I have no idea which vehicles use what. But a simple quick check will confirm that springs are present.

Originally Posted by Redhawk

I'm not meaning to be the downer here, somethings to check on if you go with a Highlander. Ours was a 2008, so hopefully the issues I'm going to mention have been addressed. Check the Toyota Forums for updates.

- Transmission, at about 15000 miles ours developed a loud whine at 70 MPH when driven for more than an hour. Figured we were unlucky, but found that a LOT of people had the same issue and the dealers didn't know how to fix it.

- Comfort, the Highlander looks great on paper and for drives around town it was, but FOR ME and the DW, on longer trips, the seats were some of the worse ever. Bad back aches etc. This was probably the number one reason we sold it quickly. After a 300 mile drive to Santa Fe, I was in pain for days.

Just things to check on....your experience may be different. I apologize to other Highlander owners here, please don't take it personal, just our costly bad experience. Nothing against Toyotas....I own one.