High-MPG Tow Vehicle

mdomb529

Hi everyone.  We just purchased a 2006 T@b 320s in really great condition.  I'm super excited about this camper and to be part of this vibrant community. 

We already have a larger TT, which we tow with our 2007 Nissan Pathfinder 4.0L.  The Pathfinder gets ~18 MPG on its own, 11 MPG pulling the T@b, and 7.5 MPG pulling the larger TT.  I would like to find another tow vehicle to pull the T@b that meets the following criteria:

• AWD or 4WD (we live in the country in Wisconsin, so winters can be rough);
• Good gas mileage on its own (preferably at least 25 MPG); the vehicle will not be pulling a trailer 97% of the time;
• Good gas mileage while pulling the T@b (at least 15 MPG?  Is that realistic?);
• Can pull the T@b comfortably, including for longer trips (I'm planning to do a 1-month national parks trip next fall, which will take me through mountains).

Is there a vehicle that meets these criteria?  I was looking at both a Subaru Outback and at a Honda Element, but I suspect both of these vehicles have shortcomings in the power department.  Has anyone else found the unicorn I describe above?

Many thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Best,

Matt

pthomas745

I have a VW Touareg TDI Diesel and can get easily 19-20 mpg while towing.  There are dozens of threads about tow vehicles, and when I briefly considered selling my TDI back during the "cheating scandal"  the only car that I thought measured up (according to the threads here) was the Ford Ecoboost.  I have no idea how it fits your other requirements for AWD/snow/etc.

https://www.google.com/search?biw=1920&bih=1098&ei=GfJ5W9vkC42WsAXflYPoBA&q=escape+ecoboost+mileage+site:tab-rv.vanillaforums.com&oq=escape+ecoboost+mileage+site:tab-rv.vanillaforums.com&gs_l=psy-ab.3...3027.4350.0.5427.7.7.0.0.0.0.139.729.3j4.7.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.ntVU10iMHkw

rcuomo

Honda Ridgeline. I’m getting more than 24 mpg since new with now more than 12,000 miles and have averaged more than 18 mpg in Eco mode while towing our 2018 320S under 65 mph. 

DougH

BMW 328d estate (station wagon).  All wheel drive.  Diesel with 280 lb-ft torque.  3900 lbs pulling, 350 tongue weight with Execuhitch class 3 hitch installed.  Have gotten >50mpg long trips not towing.  25-30 mpg towing 320S at 60mph.  Had to put adjustable spring perches under rear coils to keep vehicle level when towing.  Ground clearance only 5.7" so not great with deep snow, but have driven through plenty of blizzards and winter tours of the Rockies. Can be found lightly used $25-35k.

jkjenn

I think when discussing mpg, it's important to know the terrain, as well as driving speeds. I get better mileage in the mountains and driving west to east. I get my worst mileage in the plains. 

jcfaber1

+1 for diesel.  I purchased a Ram 1500 Eco Diesel.  They got tied up in the VW cheating mess.  Picked up 2017 EcoDiesel for 32% off MSRP brand new in April.  We sold the T@B, but the truck had no idea it was back there.  Perhaps there's a few left out there.

dhauf

I have 1999 Volvo S80 in-line 6 201hp 207ft-lbs torque it has a max 3300lb trailer weight rating and 350 tongue weight rating.  I get about 25-29 highway not towing 23 city/hwy combined and about 19-20 when pulling the T@b including some fairly steep hills in CT.  I’ve even been able to do about 80mph pulling it with no trailer sway, not that I would regularly recommend going that speed just helps to get up some steeper grades and stay about 65mph without downshifting so much.  I will be installing a transmission cooler to the vehicle soon just to make sure the transmission holds up well over time.  It has not overheated or run too hot so far, but don’t want to take a chance especially in the really hot summertime heat.

BirdieJane

Just got the new Subaru Ascent. It meets all of your list. Just finished a trip over the cascades. Averaged 16 mpg while towing, handles the tab well. 

Getting 26 Mpg on the Hwy, and 19 in town. First trip over the pass was great.

5,000 lb towing 500 lb hitch weight, AWD. 

rkj__

"Efficient tow vehicle" usually points you towards a diesel powered vehicle.  Do you have any objections to that?

The Chevy Colorado with the 2.8L Duramax diesel should have no issues beating 15 MPG when towing a T@b, and is rated for up to 7,700 lb.

https://www.coloradofans.com/forums/226-diesel/366705-towing-diesel.html

Arwen

I tow our T@B 320S Boondock with my Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk (V6 4x4), with 4,500 pound towing capacity.

Our T@B is less than 3 months old, and so far all our towing has been fairly hilly, which is normal for northern New England.  But so far, we've average 17 mpg, including our longest trip with two long sea kayaks on the Jeep's roof.

Without the camper, the Jeep gets 24 mpg average on the highway, not great, but decent for a 4 wheel drive V6, with large off road tires, which has plenty of power while towing the T@B. I really like the fact that I have plenty of ground clearance on both vehicles, and I have used low 4x4 drive to back up slow into some tough camping spots.

Trailpixie

The tradeoff is simple. Either get good fuel economy while towing or get good fuel economy all the other times. 

rfuss928

2014 Touareg TDI

30+mpg highway

25 combined - most typical

18 avg towing T@B (30k miles)

Photomom

At some point physics is gonna say if you want to move more mass you gotta expend more energy. 

4ncar

++ on diesel. I have a 2014 Jeep GC with the ecodiesel. 420 ft/lb torque! 20+ average towing my 320 outback, 30ish on the hwy with out. Not sure if FC Jeep will put it back in the GC again, but it is coming out in the wrangler and the dodge 1500 again.  

ecyfoto

I'm looking at buying this baby. The link has been shared around here before.

https://autoweek.com/article/car-reviews/2016-chevrolet-colorado-crew-cab-review-love-engine-utility-lacking#ixzz4vzy6OYXo

DougH

Has anyone found any details on the "new" LM2 I6 diesel in the 2019+ Silverado?  Supposed to have a new generation Duramax 3.0L Inline 6 diesel, and that will be connected to a ten speed transmission.  I'm crossing my fingers that it'll have a big bump in the mileage, but haven't been able to find any EPA or real world numbers.  Just supposed to be >440 lb-ft torque and >30mpg so we can pull the T@B 500 or 600 when they come out.

tybladesmith

@ecyfoto, I don't think you will regret the Diesel. Well engineered for towing!

Marceline

ecyfoto said:

I'm looking at buying this baby. The link has been shared around here before.

https://autoweek.com/article/car-reviews/2016-chevrolet-colorado-crew-cab-review-love-engine-utility-lacking#ixzz4vzy6OYXo

This summer I met a couple who use a Colorado to tow their T@B. They have been all over the country (literally). They really like the Colorado and almost had me talked into getting one.

ecyfoto

DougH said:

Has anyone found any details on the "new" LM2 I6 diesel in the 2019+ Silverado?  Supposed to have a new generation

http://gmauthority.com/blog/category/powertrain/engines/lm2/ 3.0L Inline 6 diesel, and that will be connected to a ten speed transmission.  I'm crossing my fingers that it'll have a big bump in the mileage, but haven't been able to find any EPA or real world numbers.  Just supposed to be >440 lb-ft torque and >30mpg so we can pull the T@B 500 or 600 when they come out.

You might want to follow its progress with this link:

http://gmauthority.com/blog/category/powertrain/engines/lm2/

N7SHG_Ham

Big diesel fan here. I have a 2001 Dodge Ram, almost 300k miles and last tank was over 600 miles solo mixed driving and 17.5 MPG. Weighs over 8000 pounds all the time (work truck). I am shocked at the low mileage figures of much smaller vehicles, what you get with the bigger TV is a huge safety margin and not much worse economy. Towing my cargo trailer cuts it down some, but 16 is typical. On the car side I have a 2005 VW Jetta TDI Pre cheating and I can get over 40 on Highway trips solo. Diesel is simply more efficient and not nearly as affected by adding a load.

You are pushing wind even with a Tab and higher speeds will kill mileage. Nothing wrong with slowing down and running in the right lane and enjoying the journey. I drove that full size Dodge cross County once and ran 62 or under in the slow lane, NY to OR, 20.5 MPG, not bad for an 8000 pound vehicle.

ecyfoto

ecyfoto said:

DougH said:

Has anyone found any details on the "new" LM2 I6 diesel in the 2019+ Silverado?  Supposed to have a new generation

http://gmauthority.com/blog/category/powertrain/engines/lm2/ 3.0L Inline 6 diesel, and that will be connected to a ten speed transmission.  I'm crossing my fingers that it'll have a big bump in the mileage, but haven't been able to find any EPA or real world numbers.  Just supposed to be >440 lb-ft torque and >30mpg so we can pull the T@B 500 or 600 when they come out.

You might want to follow its progress with this link:

http://gmauthority.com/blog/category/powertrain/engines/lm2/

Oops. I might want to read a bit more carefully so I'm not repeating info around here. Good luck DougH

DougH

@ecyfoto : don't think you did.  all is well.

Lesley_and_Ian

Welcome.  we live in western Wisconsin and have a 2007 DM T@B. Where are you located? Also interested in  energy efficient TV.

Swolf

Can anyone speak about towing with a Subaru Outback with the larger 3.6 engine?

Sharon_is_SAM

@Swolf

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/4683/blown-subaru-transmission/p1

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/155/subaru-outback-tow-vehicle

Search “Subaru 6 cylinder” etc.

mdomb529

Lesley_and_Ian said:

Welcome.  we live in western Wisconsin and have a 2007 DM T@B. Where are you located? Also interested in  energy efficient TV.

Hi there, Lesley_and_Ian.  I'm in Appleton.  Sad to see the T@b and other camper put away for the season.  But at least the T@b is easy to winterize compared to our bigger camper.

LSkrabut

I now use as a TV a GMC Canyon Denali diesel 2.8l 4 cylinder pulling a 400. I only been getting around 14 to 20 mpg towing depending on how and where I drive (note - the motor only has 5k miles on it and still is breaking in). This small 4 cyl diesel pulls the 400 without any real notice that I have the 400 behind me. I am able to do the speed limits and accelerate while keeping up with the traffic in high mountains and passes. 

Without the T@B behind the Canyon, while it is only EPA rated at 28 mpg, I been getting around 33 to 38 mpg on the open road and in the mid 20's in town. I have even seen my dash mpg best 50 mile range at 45.2 mpg. I have pulled a car on a dolly for 200 miles on I-15 and got 25 mpg with the elevation was over 5k' to 7k' with many passes to cross. That load was more than a 320 weighs, but more aero as a 320 vs a 400 to explain the difference in mileage.

This truck is very comfortable to ride in and carry those extra's we tend to want to bring on a camp. I just did a 2 week travel and pulled the T@B for 1500 miles and did another 900 miles without the T@B during that trip. It was nice to get the higher MPG exploring the areas was camped in.

In comparison, I was using a MB GLK 250 diesel as a TV. The mileage was really close, maybe 1-2 mpg better with the GLK and really the ride quality was close between the 2. To me having a comfortable ride while traveling and the feeling the TV has when towing is a big factor in deciding on a TV. I am a bit OCD on mileage and comfort. The Canyon just feels better when towing the 400. The Canyon has 2/Auto/4WD Hi/Lo  while my GLK was only Auto 4WD. The Canyon longer wheel base is probably the reason why it just feel better when towing in my opinion. It is also nice to have a true transfer case if one is ever needed and I do a lot of boondocking.

marchule

We have a 2019 KIA Sorento EX V6 pulling a T@B 320s.  Rated towing is 5000 lbs.  20mpg with tailwind going to Idaho from Utah; 16mpg with headwind.

trainwrecked

Swolf said:

Can anyone speak about towing with a Subaru Outback with the larger 3.6 engine?

Just got back from a 1500 mile trip to Maine - usually cruising around 70 and averaged 13mpg.  If I keep it to 60-65 I get closer to 15mpg.

trainwrecked

Not the best gas mileage with the outback, but I’ve never had any complaints about the ride or felt like I had to push her too hard.  We love our Subaru and it’s nice enjoying that along with the tab.  Have about 8K miles on the combo now.

N7SHG_Ham

Any Titan owners with the Cummins diesel? Seems like the smaller pickups from GM, Nissan and even the light duty Dodge's with their Diesels are the MPG winners in this thread. Realize not all folks want or need a pickup but if you do those non heavy duty pickups seem to be a good choice. These newer diesels are very clean and quite and on the downside covered up with sensors and electronics, but what modern engine isn't?