The SUV Full size Pick Up issue..

[Tandemlovers]

Just purchased an 04 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab for the purpose of towing a travel trailer. Our first domestic vehicle in 10 years.

Despite the window sticker's claim of 14-18 mpg, we have not gotten better than 14 mpg (highway miles) and only 12 mpg around town. Needless to say, we don't drive it much.

Now I understand why people who own these tend to drive more conservatively (at least around here).

 

[dex]

Just purchased an 04 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab for the purpose of towing a travel trailer. Our first domestic vehicle in 10 years.

Despite the window sticker's claim of 14-18 mpg, we have not gotten better than 14 mpg (highway miles) and only 12 mpg around town. Needless to say, we don't drive it much.

Now I understand why people who own these tend to drive more conservatively (at least around here).

You most likely got the extra radiator and transmission cooling on the truck so it might not get up to the optium operating temperature when you aren't towing. Try putting a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator. Watch the temp. gage. If it gets too warm cut down the cardboard to expose more of the radiator.

 

[tryan]

Let's see ... driving an EXCURSION, had an Explorer, and a Bronco 2 before that. All bought used so I wouldn't feel guilty about sliding the used: stove, fridge, sofa .... into the back. Tried pulling a trailer load of wood with a Subaru ... not a safe experiance (load nearly out weighed the vehicle).

 

[freebird5825]

My Jeep Grand Cherokee only gets 17 mpg so I'm working from home more, and staying home more to save $.

got one of those Jeep GCs also. mine is 8 cylinder for 2x per year short distance boat towing. and i live in serious snow country. can't tell you how many times i saved myself $50-100 for delivery charges.
i was able to get better mileage by consistently using the cruise control on straight stretches and longer trips. Set, Cancel, Set, Cancel. and keeping my leadfoot under control for starts. it sits during the summer while the 92 Honda Accord and the 'Stang (see avatar) get a workout.

 

[hankster]

We live in a rural area and would basically be screwed without our 4 wheel drive pickup. We need something that can bust through 2 foot+ snow drifts so I can get to work. Also don't have garbage service out here. Don't want to throw stinky garbage in the trunk of the car in August! I also have to haul building materials on a regular basis. We do, however, use the 28 mpg passenger car as much as possible and park the truck unless its special qualities are called for.

 

[lets-retire]

Let's see I had a Pontiac Grand Prix, but when evacuating from hurricanes with a large dog, kid, cat, kid, wife, and enough clothes and sentimental items to keep the wife happy there was very little room. The next hurricane season we traded in the Grand Prix for an Explorer that will carry the cat, large dog, bigger kid, wife and all of the luggage and sentimental things the wife would want. It was rather amusing that the Explorer got the same gas mileage as the Grand Prix, and both got marginally better gas mileage (4-5 mpg) than my F-150. So no, I am not embarrassed, ashamed, or feel bad in any way about the cars I drive. The wife is looking at a smaller crossover for her next car anyway, so it should get even better gas mileage and still offer enough room for the cat, even bigger kid, possibly the dog (she's very old), wife and enough luggage and sentimental things to keep the wife happy.

 

[FinanceDude]

And why does the 4 cyl car (such as the Accord or Camry) only get 2 mpgs better than the 6? Something is up here....

That's the biggest lie ever, I am on the Accord forum and I have never seen so many folks driving a V-6 Accord that LIE about their MPG. Like I should believe a Honda Accord V-6 gets 35 on the highway, and "high 20's in the city??

I have a 4-cylinder automatic Accord, and these are my average mpg numbers over a 2-year 40,000 mile period of keeping track:

100% city: 24.3 mpg
50/50% mix: 28.5 mpg
100% highway 33.67 mpg

I would be willing to bet signifcant amounts of money that an automatic V-6 Accord is NOT within 2 mpg of that............

 

[freebird5825]

got me beat.

my 127,000+ miles, 5 speed 4 cyl 1992 Honda Accord gets 21-23 mpg in mixed town + rural driving. i use the cruise control as much as possible, but some drivers tend to pull out in front of me just as i achieve constant cruising speed.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Hmmm...my v6 pilot gets pretty close to those numbers. I get 22-23 in mostly city driving and around 29 on all highway driving.

 

[REWahoo]

Hmmm...my v6 pilot gets pretty close to those numbers. I get 22-23 in mostly city driving and around 29 on all highway driving.

Wow. On a recent trip I checked the mileage on DW's new Pilot for the first time - 23.3, all highway miles. That's very close to the new/revised EPA mileage estimates which show the Pilot at 16 city, 22 highway.

How are you getting those mpg results? You driving downhill both ways?

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Yep, lots of downhill around here.

Probably because its flat as a pancake around most of the region, so i've always got that "eco" light on.

 

[Insanity]

Mine is a Hyundai SantaFe. on the average it gets 21mpg when I drive it. Last time I drove it was Tuesday. S'cuse me, I'm off to go take the bus again. (Truth)

In other words, it's not just the gas mileage that counts, it's how far and how often you drive. I'm lucky enough to be able to take a bus that picks me up about 1000 yards from my front door and drops me off right in front of where I'm going most days, but even when that wasn't the case, I'd drive down to the train station and take the train into San Francisco. Of all the day's I've w*rked or gone to school, I've probably driven in less than a quarter of them. Probably closer to 1/8th, actually.

Over the years I've found that, when I pick the places I live based on where I'm most likely to go and public transit options to and from, I get there faster than if I had driven, found my parking space, and walked the rest of the way there, and it's way less stressful than sitting in traffic.

Saves me gas, vehicle wear-and-tear, parking fees, door dings and insurance, lets me read, think, and enjoy myself while I'm getting from here to there, live well below my means.

SO forgive me if I have an SUV. I probably use less gas than most Prius drivers.

 

[W2R]

And why does the 4 cyl car (such as the Accord or Camry) only get 2 mpgs better than the 6? Something is up here....

There's something fishy about 4 cylinder Camry mileage. My 4 cylinder Camry Solara gets much higher mileage than it is supposed to get. At times, I have gotten well over 35 mpg on the highway with it and over 30 mpg in town. I don't recall what it was rated for, but the rating was not as good as what I am actually getting.

And I don't even try to keep the mileage down (drive dynamically).

Makes you wonder.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

BTW, it looks like theres a fire sale on Honda Pilots right now. Base models are going in the 21-22k range and the fully loaded jobs that sticker around 37k are going for about 30k. If your dealer isnt advertising a sale, check carsdirect.com.

 

[Walt34]

'03 GMC full-size Sierra 4WD pickup truck, 5.3 V8, on a good day gets 18 mpg. My money, my choice. We use it to haul large bulky and/or dirty things that won't fit in a car, or one wouldn't want in a car. Also in the snow, with the hills around here even with front-wheel drive you ain't going anywhere without 4WD. Absent accident or theft I fully expect to keep it for 20 years since it's over 5 years old and has 49K miles on it.

I'll admit I notice when a fill-up costs $65.

But unless the car is being used by DW, the truck stays in the garage unless it's capabilities are needed.

What I'm seeing from the others is that everyone who owns some "gas-guzzler" uses it for it's intended purpose.

 

[W2R]

BTW, it looks like theres a fire sale on Honda Pilots right now. Base models are going in the 21-22k range and the fully loaded jobs that sticker around 37k are going for about 30k. If your dealer isnt advertising a sale, check carsdirect.com.

MUST wait until 2010 to buy my new ER car.... MUST wait.... I am so tempted to look at new cars but my plan is/was/shall be to do this logically and according to plan. Besides, my car is almost exactly what I want and only has 34,800 miles on it. Maybe I should take it to the car wash and tell them to spray that "New Car" scent inside, instead of my usual choice, "Pina Colada".

 

[Texas Proud]

That's the biggest lie ever, I am on the Accord forum and I have never seen so many folks driving a V-6 Accord that LIE about their MPG. Like I should believe a Honda Accord V-6 gets 35 on the highway, and "high 20's in the city??

I have a 4-cylinder automatic Accord, and these are my average mpg numbers over a 2-year 40,000 mile period of keeping track:

100% city: 24.3 mpg
50/50% mix: 28.5 mpg
100% highway 33.67 mpg

I would be willing to bet signifcant amounts of money that an automatic V-6 Accord is NOT within 2 mpg of that............

You might be surprised.... I have a 3.2 liter TL with 6 speed and sport tires (read, less rolling resistance so less gas mileage).... I get 29 to 30 MPG on the highway... driving 70 plus... I have gotten 34 once when driving 'slow' and for about 100 or so mileage... My overall mileage is now approaching 25 mpg.... so not THAT much less than your 28.5.... and this is before the 'new' cylinder deactivation that Honda has in their V6...

So, instead of '2', let's say 3.5.... still not as much as I would have liked... over 100,000 miles you would use about 3,500 gallons.. I would use about 4,000... and since I have owned it for 4 years and only have 20,000 miles... that means I have put in 100 gallons more..... again, not a big difference considering the huge difference in HP...

I will update my worksheet soon and get a new number if needed...

 

[youbet]

'99 F150, V8, 5 Speed, 2WD. 19 mpg city. 23 mpg highway. The city milage calculation is based on only a couple of tank-fulls since we primarily use the truck for fishing and camping trips and haven't had many chances to use up a tank full in town.

At almost 9 years old, it only has about 35k miles. But now that we're retired, it's being used more.

The other car is a 2000 Honda Civic with 125k.

 

[FinanceDude]

You might be surprised.... I have a 3.2 liter TL with 6 speed and sport tires (read, less rolling resistance so less gas mileage).... I get 29 to 30 MPG on the highway... driving 70 plus... I have gotten 34 once when driving 'slow' and for about 100 or so mileage...

The KEY is the 6-speed, an automatic TL WOULD not get that, like I stated above.........

 

[lets-retire]

I have a 3.2 liter TL with 6 speed and sport tires (read, less rolling resistance so less gas mileage)

I always thought the performance tires were stickier, for better traction in the corners. Wouldn't that mean more rolling resistance?

 

[Sam]

I have a 4-cylinder automatic Accord, and these are my average mpg numbers over a 2-year 40,000 mile period of keeping track:

100% city: 24.3 mpg
50/50% mix: 28.5 mpg
100% highway 33.67 mpg

That's quite average for the Accord. Here are the numbers for my 1991 Honda Civic Station Wagon, FWD, automatic:

50city/50hwy: 32mpg
100hwy: 37mpg

Yes, it's 16 years old, has 150K on the original engine, and driven normally, not agressive, but not as a grandma either.

 

[TromboneAl]

Here's my nice small Tacoma with a full load of free wood from a branch that fell down across the street.

Yes, it's at its limit (it actually looks worse than it is, because the driveway is slanted), but it can handle it.

You can't buy them this small anymore, the new Tacomas are larger. Bummer.

 

[Moemg]

I'll fess up my So & I also have a Dodge Durango . Great for hauling Kayak's ,christmas trees and home depot supplies . I also like it for long hauls .I feel much safer in it than my Solara.

 

[RunningBum]

Wow. On a recent trip I checked the mileage on DW's new Pilot for the first time - 23.3, all highway miles. That's very close to the new/revised EPA mileage estimates which show the Pilot at 16 city, 22 highway.

How are you getting those mpg results? You driving downhill both ways?

I've got a 2004 Pilot. I think I got 23mph once. Usually on long interstate trips I get 19-21. Often I'm carrying a pretty good load, but I wouldn't call it excessive. I've been told, and noticed for myself, that Pilot's mpg falls off quite about above 70mph.

 

[HFWR]

T-Al, your truck needs a wedg[-]i[/-]e...

2000 Chevy p/u with 4.8l V8, gets 16-17 mpg mixed city, 21 or so highway. Might get better if I wasn't driving 80 or so...