truck/suv mileage

[dcxplant]

Well, our (mostly) trusty 4Runner is getting long in the tooth, 2005 model and it just turned over 200K.

The earlier generation 4Runners are getting over 300K no problem, but this generation switched from an all iron engine to an iron block with aluminum heads, and we had what others are commonly having; blown head gaskets, ours to the tune of a $2500 repair.

So, we are looking at a replacement.

I Google "high mileage suv" and what comes up are a bunch of 18/21, 19/22 SUV's.

By golly it 2014 and that's the best manufacturers can muster??

That is what our current 4Runner gets, and it was never a high mileage car!

Anything over 25mpg are car-based SUV's with hybrid systems unsuitable for towing more than an REI hang-off bike rack, crummy 4x4 capability, and cost exorbitant amounts of money. Grrrrr

I really don't understand why manufacturers can come up with ever more powerful grocery-getters, 300hp in a family sedan, really? Really?? But let trucks and suv's gobble up mass quantities of fuel.

We want a light duty 4x4 capable of towing a small camper (pop-up type) and motorcycle trailer, that gets over 25mpg, that's less than $45grand, is that too much to ask?

Otherwise, I'll just keep repairing the old 4Runner until somebody comes up with one.

What I would love to see is a hybrid system with the power to get a truck/suv up off the line from a stop to lets say 30mph before the engine kicks in. The big fuel user for trucks/suv's is getting off the line from a stop and passing.

Thanks for the vent, I just started researching so I hope to find what suits our needs.

 

[BarnStorm]

How about a new Grand Cherokee with the EcoDiesel?

Also, that's a rather expensive tab for head gasket replacement! Did it crack a head/overheat or something in the process?

 

[fdw]

Nothing like the older model Toyotas.

I've got a 96 Landcruiser that my son drives that has over 320,000 miles. And I drive a 2000 with over 280,000.

No major repairs yet... knock on wood.

 

[chief38]

While I've seen the OLD Toyota's go several hundred thousand miles (mechanically), their mutual problem has always been RUST. Most of the ones I have seen or my friends have owned have rusted away.

I owned a Toyota years ago that started rusting TWO MONTHS after I bought it new - I sure hope they have improved that.

 

[Wyo]

Well, the mileage isn't getting any better. I have a 2011 4-Runner. Had a '94 at one time. The 2011 gets about 22 on the highway, maybe 18 in town. It's just near 40K miles so far, no problems at all. I don't have the old one any more but the guy who has it still drives it, and it should be up around 250,000 by now. It got about the same mileage. No rust problems - this country is too dry for rust! Don't have any suggestions at all as to a 25 mpg SUV that's any good at all under $45,000. Not sure there is such a thing.

 

[Harrison]

We have three Toyota's two 2008 sand a 2010. We live on the Gulf, and our house is within 50 feet of salt water. The only rust on any of our vehicles is some very mild surface rust on my PU's step bumper, which isn't a Toyota made product. We have never had a rust problem with Toyotas, and we have been driving them since the early 90s.

 

[H Richard]

I've got a 2010 Highlander, and it can get 24-25 if I drive it about 65. When you get up the the current interstate speeds of 70-75 it drops to about 20. I won't complain it gets better than the Trailblaser I traded in on it.

 

[BarnStorm]

While I've seen the OLD Toyota's go several hundred thousand miles (mechanically), their mutual problem has always been RUST. Most of the ones I have seen or my friends have owned have rusted away.

I owned a Toyota years ago that started rusting TWO MONTHS after I bought it new - I sure hope they have improved that.

I have a 2011 Tacoma and the tailgate and good are starting to rust and I love far from the ocean or heavily salted roads!

I was surprised to find out that many of the new Toyotas still do NOT use clear coat on their paint. Particularly the white ones.

A local bodyshop informed me of this when I had the rust spots looked at and I have a friend that works at the Toyota factory and he confirmed that their are several models that don't use clear coat in certain colors. I'm the original owner of this truck so I know that it's not been wrecked or anything of that nature. Just poor quality paint.

Otherwise though the truck has been great with 60k miles logged so far. Gas mileage isn't what I'd hoped for (20mpg MAX if I baby it) and it's a manual trans 4-cylinder. I had hoped for around 24mpg when I purchased it but not so.

 

[CBus660R]

Get over the "car based" prejudice. That isn't a big deal anymore. The new Jeep Cherokee with legit 4x4 can tow 5000 lbs and get's 27 on the highway. Also, if you're willing to spend $45K on a new vehicle, what's a few MPG? Assuming 23k miles per year, the difference between a 20MPG vehicle and a 25MPG vehicle at $3.40/gal is $780/yr. If that is a deal breaker, then I don't understand why you're looking at a $45k vehicle to begin with.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

2000 4wd 4dr 4.6 V8 Tundra. 17 around town. A mile or two better on the highway. Operates and rides like new.

As far as rust, Toyota sent out an advisory on the Tundra to have it inspected for rust on the rear part of the frame. Mine doesn't have any, but we don't have much snow and ice around here.

I don't care what gas mileage a car gets... I ain't riding around in no Prius. And I sure as heck ain't showing up at the club in one... the guys would push it out onto the plinking range.

 

[doublesharp]

I love my 2008 Honda Ridgeline but 23mpg is the best I've ever gotten and that was on I-75 in N Fl running 63mph, no ac, using cruise and in light traffic. Real world mpg is 20 hwy and 14 around town. Tow mode is 12-13.

I've heard GM has a Cat diesel in their 2015 lineup. That might be an alternative but I'd hate to have to deal with stinky diesel fuel all the time and politics keep me from considering GM products. I'd love to see Honda team up with Kubota and put a diesel in the next generation Ridgeline. The current Honda 3.5L 6cyl is near bulletproof and routinely goes 300k and more but it isn't particularly fuel efficient in a pick-up or suv. Does pretty good in an Oddyssey though.

 

[diamonback68]

Have you looked at the Ford Escape. They have a 2.0L EcoBoost engine with a 3500lb Class II towing package. When not towing it gets 22city/30hwy.
I have the 2014 2.5L I-4 without the towing package and I have consistently gotten 23+city and 31+hwy. Love the little SUV.

 

[LVSteve]

When it comes to gas powered body-on-frame SUVs, the methods of improving mileage are limited. First you are up against weight. As models have evolved in the 90s and 2000s they have got a little larger and therefore heavier. Added safety and convenience features have added weight too. Weight is death where mileage is concerned. Ford have announced just today that the next F-150 will have an aluminum body to save weight.

The body-on-frame SUV is an aerodynamic disaster. It has a substantial frontal area and all kinds of stuff hanging underneath rather than a smooth underbody that you can get with a monocoque (unibody) design. All that drag kills your highway mileage if you are in the habit of "keeping up with traffic", or "speeding" as it is known for short.

The third issue is that the EPA changed the test methods for determining the gas mileage figures. Today's 17/21 is more realistic than 17/21 was 10 years ago.

Hope this helps.

 

[wasmeneh]

Mercedes GL 350. 28 highway.
Audi Q7 diesel about the same.
I have the GL 350 on order.

You could get a Tahoe hybrid 20-21.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

 

[dcxplant]

RE $45K and fuel economy: That's my point, I'm not willing to spend that kind of money on a truck/suv that gets good mileage. Sorry I didn't make that clear.

That Italian-made diesel Grand Cherokee is really great, I love it, BUT, to get that diesel engine, Jeep requires a Premium (luxurious) interior. With a camping/shooting family and two 85 pound Labradors, I surely DO NOT want to spend close to $50 grand on a leather interior for my dogs to scratch up.

My frustration is that TEN YEARS after our 4Runner, the new 4Runner and other 4x4's still get the same mileage. That is really mind-boggling to me. My 4Runner gets 21mpg highway and can tow enough and is very tough and capable off-road.

A new 4Runner is big bucks $$$, and to me not worth the money; yeah it's a new truck, but I'm not willing to spend that kind of money with no improvement of fuel economy.

Also, I don't want good mileage for just saving money, I may be corny or whatever to some people, but I don't like gratuitously burning up fuel; it's is a finite resource, money goes to people that want to kill me even with reduced imports, I like to breath clean air, and lastly I'm not willing to sacrifice a precious resource like drinking water to frac up some cheap dino juice, but that's just me…. (no I'm not a weirdo/greenie).

I'm not trying to start a big bru-ha over all that, I just can't believe that ten years after we bought our 4Runner the mileage has not gone up without having to spend $10grand or more extra to get to the higher mileage options, hybrids and diesels, (which are too luxurious for us to use).

Anyway, repairing my 4Runner when it needs it is still the way to go. I am not finding a replacement that fits.

RE, repair bill: The Toyota stealership wanted over $4grand to fix the head gaskets, so a local shop did the work. There is a lot of labor to take all that apart. This engine has shim-under-bucket valves (instead of hydraulic lifters) so the disassembly/reassembly process takes longer than a lot of other engines. The price included milling the heads, which was needed.

RE rust: I've heard that about older Toyota's, but ours has been rust free, and is very solid. Even after 200K miles the steering is still very tight, and is only just now starting to show a little play. Our 4Runner has lived in California, Washington DC, and now Arizona and no rust so far.

RE car-based suv's: I think you're right. I don't need to tow more than 2500 pounds, and I'm sure they ride better than my frame on body 4Runner.

 

[venomballistics]

Long ago I gave up on the single vehicle idea.
Your primary mode of transportation should be a car, Ride quality, MPG and handling will smoke any truck or SUV made.

So you need to haul or tow something a few times a month too.
Thats what the pickup truck is for. The heavy lifting and back trail use.
SUV's, in general, do not enter my equation.
While there are exceptions, most seem to be minivans with slightly better styling and gas sucker engines, offering the worst of all worlds.

By not trying to do it all with one ride, the car can stand a good bit of reevaluation. It won't need to haul logs to the wood pile, or boats to landings, the truck does that. the car may as well be something like say ... a Vette, Stang, or Camero ... Porsche if it fits the bill.
Think about it a while and drive happier

 

[dcxplant]

Good point venom,

I drive a Nissan LEAF all-electric car as my commuter car. I do two 30-mile round trips a day on it, and plug it in at night. I love that car!

Since I was thinking of replacing our beloved 4Runner with something newer, I was hoping to find improved fuel efficiency ten years later…..hmm, no dice, unless I spend way more money than I am willing to only to get an suv that has excellent fuel efficiency but with a fancy interior I won't want to ruin.

Luckily, we take very good care of our 4Runner so the paint and interior are in excellent shape.

 

[Pete99004]

You should consider a late model used SUV off lease - 30 to 40K (or less) miles on it will be 1/2 price of anything new and will run 200,000 miles. At that price difference from new the fuel economy difference is a mute point. The new cars show 24 to 27 mpg on the tag, but that's not real world driving and no one can get that mileage on a regular basis. Look for a late model Explorer or Jeep sized vehicle for what your needs are - they will perform well in that environment. If you are worried about warranty, fine one that's certified from a dealer with additional warranty.

Pete

 

[venomballistics]

Kinda noticed that too DCX
priced to break you as they may be, efficient SUV's do exist. They prove a concept most are reluctant to implement.

But then ... I still like my Mustang better, which puts me right back to the two vehicle concept even if price was of no concern.

 

[dcxplant]

Thanks Pete, I think an off-lease is a good idea. I see no real difference in efficiency between a '12 model over a '14 model (we are looking at summer for our replacement).

As venom pointed out, at this point the manufactures do not seem convinced people like me are out there, or for whatever other reasons, they are only offering high-efficiency suv's at the bleeding edges of price; and even then, Porsche offers a nice hybrid system, but uses it to make more horsepower than to increase efficiency, and again, at a very high price.

This seems odd to me. If Ford/GM offered a truck/suv that had high fuel efficiency at a work-horse trim level and moderate price, I think they's sell like hotcakes. Tell me any contractor wouldn't love to have an F150 or F250 at the lower trim prices with 30mpg!!

I see Ford has a 2015 (possibly delayed to '16) F150 workhorse slated to get 30mpg, that looks promising, hopefully that platform will migrate to an Explorer.

I just don't get that in all the years gone by, efficiency like we've seen in cars has not translated into trucks and suv's.

You should consider a late model used SUV off lease - 30 to 40K (or less) miles on it will be 1/2 price of anything new and will run 200,000 miles. At that price difference from new the fuel economy difference is a mute point. The new cars show 24 to 27 mpg on the tag, but that's not real world driving and no one can get that mileage on a regular basis. Look for a late model Explorer or Jeep sized vehicle for what your needs are - they will perform well in that environment. If you are worried about warranty, fine one that's certified from a dealer with additional warranty.

Pete