Most Fuel Efficient Rig?
Equipment
With gas prices soaring, what is the best solution for a new rig. Prius with an electric quad?
Just take a solar pannel! I would ride a horse before I would drive a Prius!
Diesel VW Jetta. 40 plus mpg plus serious HP. My friend's will get up the Eisenhower tunnel at 75 mph...in 5th gear.
I like cars that can actually pass other cars.
To me, a Prius is useless.
I drive a 17 year old Volvo for my commuter. But it has about 270 hp..turbos rock.
What are you talking about,a new car for the daily stuff or a hunting rig?
Hunting Rig. Filling up my Avalanche has exceeded $100.00.
A buddy and I drove my '78 Chevette from IN to CO to backpack in for elk. That was pretty minimal. 31 mpg avg for the hiway portion of the trip, including the 85 mph part in KS while we drafted a Greyhound for hours in the middle of the night.
All depends on how spoiled you are regarding creature comforts. Anything that can be backpacked by two guys can be carried in the back of a small econobox, and just about anything made now will outrun that '78 Chevette with ease.
I lived in luxury on a solo trip to ND and AZ for three weeks total in '99. Slept in the bed most nights, took a homemade game cart, and brought back close to half the boned meat from the cow elk I got in AZ in a marathon drive in my '89 S-10 shrtbed regular cab (we divvied up the meat as we boned it out between me and the two locals I hunted with, my brother and his neighbor). Very close to 28 mpg for the trip home, and that included doing most of NM at 85+ with no help except a light tailwind. That 4 cyl 5 spd got 'er done on very little gas.
Another solo trip to ND got my best mileage, in the wife's '82 Citation coupe. Just enough room for one guy to get a comfy night's sleep in the back. 34+ hwy mpg with the 4cyl, stick.
Current rig is a 2000 Jeep Cherokee 4X4, 4L six w/AT. three trips with it. Two were two-up and loaded to the gills, including stuff on the roof rack and out back on a hitch hauler, and were running the hiways at 75 or better, only averaged a bit over 17 on those two trips on the hiway parts.
Third trip, year before last, was to NE by myself, no outside storage of gear needed. Just out of curiosity, set the cruise on 58 mph and relaxed on the way out....got 24 mpg into a light headwind most of the way. Bumped it to 62 for the trip home under similar conditions and still got 22.
A good friend has a Prius and has driven to several archery shoots with me along. I was actually very impressed with it. Bigger inside than it looks like it would be, quiet and comfortable as riding in a Caddy, and 40+ mpg avg.
The late model VW TDI diesels will get mid to upper 40s all day long with some breaking 50 MPG. I think they are around 140 HP. I had a 1977 VW rabbit diesel in college...55 HP and 52 MPG with a top speed of 74 MPH!
Suzuki Sidekick 4 door , A little under powered but the ride is great and they get over 20mgp.
This Fall I will be heading to Wyoming in a 2 door 96 geo tracker. If you find one with a good body you got a good small suv.. I see lots of them with 180k miles on them running pretty good. Mine has 88k on it gets in town 23mpg's. I have one size bigger lug tires on it and am surprised at how long the lug tires are lasting on it, They got 20k or so and have half the tread left. Never checked gas on the highway, but hoping for 25 or 26 mpg's.. Mine is a standard shift, more power that way, with lockout hubs. I took the back seat out for more room. It dose not ride all that bad. It's small and light and get around pretty good on the trails and much better then my friend bigger trucks. Throw in a tow strap and a come-a-long and i don't worry to much. The kicker is you can get them pretty cheap.
This is a buddy of mine's Geo Metro with one kick ass grill guard!
bohuntr: How much mileage did you lose with that bumper? I like the mileage of the VW jetta Diesle, but not sure how I would outfit it.
my f250 gets about 12 mpg. I won't drive anything that gets less than that.
My honda ridgeline with V6 gets 17mpg average driving. It has a lockable waterproof compartment under the truck bed that is great for hunting gear, but I'd like better mileage.
Some of the modern V8 trucks with cylnders that shut down when cruising get pretty impressive highway mpg +20.
Does anyone have mileage reports on the latest pickups? Ram hemi with cylinder deactivation or Ford ecoboost?
The 2011 F150's get around 18-20 MPG. My 07 F150 gets about 14-16 on a good day, but it is paid for. I had a Geo Tracker and wish I had kept it. Good luck and hopefully the US will start drilling and refining so we get out of this trap.
My F350 V10 gets around 10mpg. Of course it can also haul or pull more than my class of license allows.
EST gas prices buy summer are 5.00 per gal ouch , I have 2400 miles one way to get out west ,
What's a cummins/dodge getting these days?
Wish someone would wake up n start giving us smaller diesel options in the 30 mpg range for light duty p/u's
My dodge gets 13 mpg, now that the weather is getting nicer I ride my enduro bike everywhere I need to go at 65-75mpg.
Cost $400 to fill mine. But I do have a 100 gal tank Last fuel I bought was in November.I just drive my jeep around here leave the diesal parked.Sold my 30 ft camper and went to a popup pickup camper and a ten ft trailor to pull my rhino get over 20 with it now.My jeep wrangler only gets 15 but the gas is cheaper than diesal.
I have a 2008 Dodge 3500 diesel dually C&C model with a heavy flatbed on it. The pickup trips the scales at a little over 10,000#. I average 17 mpg on my daily 20 mile round trip work commute. On the highway at 65+ mph it will average 19+ mpg on my 100+ mile round trip jaunts to the big city (Grand Junction, CO). Get it on the interstate and keep it at 70 the whole time and it will break 20 mpg. If I go to 75+ mph fuel mileage starts dropping off. When pulling my company's 22,000# parts trailer my mileage will drop down to 12+/- mpg. I am surprised it is that good with that much weight being pulled.
Bremach Trucks
4 engine options
I have a 99 Saturn manual that gets close to 40 mpg. I drive it most of the time when just running around. Also have a f-250 with a diesel..... Close to 20 on the highway and about 16 when not. It's a no brainer what to drive when you don't need the extra stuff. These prices are crazy!
Wall street speculators are raising the price;s, 09 Ram hemi, 19-21 on highway depends on how ya drive and speed. 15-17 drivin around, also seems better since it got warmer out, Runs on 4 cylinder's when 70mph and under and no head wind or hill, has good towing but coil springs in rear for ride, but not much tongue weight
On my 5th 3/4 ton diesal pickup....Fords got about 18 mph and Dodge cummins about 20 mph...towing a 14' trailer with quads and motorcycles and enough gear for a comfortable camp with fuel shared by 3-4 guys (quad cab trucks) is affordable. We park the truck in camp and don't move it again unless we go to town for supplies or locker plant....use ATVs to travel the forest service roads to trailheads. To be honest, stated mph above goes down about 2 mph towing the trailer.....Fuel prices are horrendous, but I am going elk hunting for 2 weeks as long as I can still walk!!
Joe
I'm selling my 94 4runner and planning on going to elk camp this year in a 98 Camry 5spd I just picked up. It has a trailer hitch and pulls a small trailer pretty nice. I may look funny pulling a trailer with a 4wheeler in it. (of course it will look better coming home with the 7 X 7 strapped to the top of the 4 wheeler) But I can camp next to the highway and save a ton on gas getting there and back. I get 35 on the highway without the trailer. If I draw a tag, I'll let you know what I get pulling it. :)
Newer Chevys are good. I got a 2010 Silverado with a 5.3 liter engine, averages a little over 20 mpg freeway.
i have a 96' f250 cc/sb diesel. 15mpg around town 20mpg highway no mods yet.(128000mi).
1989 bronco II 18city/21hw(138000mi).
Man, if one of the big 3 would come out with a real truck that would get at least 20 mpg they would sell zillions of them.
The 2011 Ford F-150 with the new dual turbo V6 (did I get that right?!) is supposed to get 23 MPG. I read an article while getting the oil changed in my 06 F-150 and the article said that the one they tested over a "varied" course that they routinely use got 22 MPG. Ford put like 100,000 miles on the V6 on a dyno, then installed it into a truck bound for a logging company. Then they were going to pull the engine and put it into a car that was going to drive the Baja 500 course or race or something. They're trying to show that the V6 will last.
If they would only realize that most of teh trucks are used like cars adn maybe 10 days a year do actual work. Who cares about torque, how fast it can go up a hill towing 6,000 pounds! Give me one that will get 25 MPG!! Change the damn rear axle ration from 3.77 to something like 2.77!!!
Maybe a redesigned Ranger or a downsized F-150. Problem with teh Rangers and Tacoma's and other little trucks is that they still SUCK fuel. My 2000 Ranger only got 17 highway, my 06 F-150 gets 15 highway.....
Good thing the glacier has retreated and I can drive my 1994 Mustang GT. I can get 25 highway with that and my kawasaki Vulcan Classic 1500 gets about 42 if I ride easy....
>>>>----frustrated truck guy------>
'01 Sport trak about 19 on the highway if I drive like I normally do, Drive 65 and get close to 21.
They announced they are putting a 3.0 liter diesel in the Grand Cherokee, they say it should get 30-32 on the highway 26 in town, that may be 2-wheel drive. They also are putting a 465hp 6.9 liter Hemi, 0-60 in 4.3 seconds, that will haul some gear. Chevy debuted the 2013 Colorado supposed to be out late 2012, possibly made in Wentzville Mo. with the 3.5 V6 and 2.4 4cylinder, rated to pull up to 5,000lbs. It is bigger then the current Colorado by a few inches.
Jeeps are pretty much known for poor mileage.
I also have a Jeep Commander with a 4.7L V8 and it gets maybe 16 mpg averaged.
Shoot my Titan gets 20-22on the Highway if I keep my foot out of it and on cruise control...That's better than the Tacoma I once had...all else fails carry a hose! ;-)
If they could just put a diesel in a half ton pick-up, I think that would sell like hot cakes. Just like that 3.0L mentioned earlier going into that Grand Cherokee. I think CA might have laws preventing that from happening though. I know a few years ago, you couldn't buy a new VW Diesel in CA.
My 2010 Tundra Crew Max is sitting in the garage with storage insurance on it. My hunting rig will be a Toyota Corolla with a hitch pulling a little motorcycle trailer!!!
FYI: They are going to put a 4.0 diesel in the 1/2 ton Ram later this year. I was hoping for a 3.0, as I do not need all that torque. Also coming out with a new Dakota but have not heard what engines they are going to put in it.
My F350 four door long box diesel. As long as you haul 4 people(hunters) to split the cost.
the toyota rav4 or honda crv would make a decent hunting rig. especially the rav4 with the v6. research i have done on this rig have owners consistently reporting mid 20's MPG on the hwy. power is awesome when needed with some towing ability.
i have a '00 dodge cummins 2500 approaching a couple hundred thousand miles. i have the 5 spd with 4.10 gears. 16-18 around town if i go easy, 19-21 on the highway if kept under 65 MPH. type of tires and air pressure make a noticeable difference. i just got rid of toyo MT's for the hankook RF10's.
i recently figured my fuel budget for scouting this spring and summer. it brought tears to my eyes.
"FYI: They are going to put a 4.0 diesel in the 1/2 ton Ram later this year."
That is GREAT news. I hope they get it right n put fuel economy 1st.
I've got a Dodge 3/4 ton with a V-10 that gets about 12-13 mpg.
I also have a Prius, and I take it hunting to Texas once a year. The guys I hunt with down there usually take a pickup from Minnesota getting 15 mpg, and my wife and I get 40-45 mpg. We can fold down the back seats and put in all of our equipment plus a 150 liter cooler and a smaller cooler. We've come back with the big cooler full more than once. The other cooler is for skulls and/or capes. We took the Prius to Alaska once, 10,000 miles plus at 50 mpg.
I also have a Dodge and now it sits in the driveway like a monument. 4 years ago I got a Subaru Loyale wagon from a guy at work for 500 bucks 4wd on demand good shape 30 to 33 mpg I love that thing all I added was camo seat covers C.B.A. Pee on Peta and Bowtech stickers and poof I have the Safari edition Subie as my buddies call it. Al
Subaru Outback- My wife got one for her work vehicle and I have to admit, I have been thinking it would make a good hunting rig if not pulling anything. I drove it a little this winter after a snowstorm just to see what it could do and was impressed at how well it got around. The newer ones have more ground clearance than the older ones also.
If that Cherokee Diesel is a 4x4, that would be awesome at 32 hwy and 26 in town.
'03 f-250 diesel with the CC long bed and the 7.3. That truck scales at 8000# empty and if I keep it at 65 with stock sized tires, it will get 22 mpg. That trip from Pa. to Co. this year solo is gonna kill me!
I too would like to see a half ton diesel from ford geared towards milage.
Just heard gas to be around 6.per gal come end of summer ouch
If gas gets to $6.00 a gallon, the economy will fall through the floor. So much for the end of the recession.
