So, what's your gas mileage?

[Meghan]

What do you tow with and pull and what kind of gas milage so you get?

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Meghan

What do you tow with and pull and what kind of gas milage so you get?

22-24MPG @ 60MPH Ford Escape 4CYL-5SPD manual and a Scamp 13deluxe front bath.
17MPG @ 62MPH 2001 Ford Ranger 4.0L V6-5SPD manual.... same trailer...

[Mike Magee]

Toyota Highlander V6. Towing my old Burro I got 14 mpg. Towing my new boxy trailer I get 12.

Floyd, I find it interesting that your Escape does so much better than the Ranger. Do you think it might be simply "luck of the draw" in getting a particular, individual vehicle that gets better fuel economy than most others? Or do you believe that any such Escape should get the same if driven the same?

[Andrew GPSMapNut]

Trillium Jubilee behind Buick Rainier V6 at 60MPH anywhere between 12 and 18 MPG
18 in flat terrain 12 in mountainous. I'm yet to drive it slower over a significant distance to get some real average.

[Donna D.]

Don't know and don't care... it is what it is.. I'm not buying another tug to save a few MPGs. I'm still going camping!

YMMV

[Kevin K]

Silverado 4.8 with 13' Scamp driving 60 MPH = 16 MPG

[Meghan]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Don't know and don't care... it is what it is.. I'm not buying another tug to save a few MPGs. I'm still going camping!

YMMV

I agree. But if you are in a position where you are in need of a new tug... This is useful info. Being on a limited budget more MPGs means I can afford more camping!!!!! Woo hoo!!!

[mcbrew]

22-24 MPG. Scion xD towing a 13' Scamp.

[honda03842]

Certainly It would be hard to replace an existing tow vehicle. However, if you have one that gets good mileage, it does provide more money to camp or what ever.

We tow our 2400 pound Scamp 16 with a 4 cylinder 2004 Honda CRV and get 23 mpg when towing and 28 when exploring. This year our loop of the USA is about 9000 miles over 9 months, meaning a 1000 miles of towing and a 1000 miles of exploring each month. Getting 23/28 versus 15/20 amounts to $150 a month of found money at $4 a gallon.

Norm

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

Toyota Highlander V6. Towing my old Burro I got 14 mpg. Towing my new boxy trailer I get 12.

Floyd, I find it interesting that your Escape does so much better than the Ranger. Do you think it might be simply "luck of the draw" in getting a particular, individual vehicle that gets better fuel economy than most others? Or do you believe that any such Escape should get the same if driven the same?

The Ranger has a 4.0L-V6
The Escape has a 2.3L-L4
That explains most of the difference.
A 2.0L Escape from pre 2005 might not do as well.
A new one with the 2.5L version of my present engine can be bought with a 6spd automatic or a 5spd manual.It might actually do better.
We have owned two Escapes 2006&2008 with about the same results.
Each was/is more sensitive to acceleration and cruising speed than the more powerful Ranger.
The Ranger is very consistent and has never seen less than 15MPG nor more than 19MPG while towing at any speed on any terrain.
The Escape(s) are about as consistent (22MPG-26MPG) but only if the speed is held below 60MPH. It drops precipitously above that speed, in fact ... I have driven a couple of tanks at 65MPH and have seen it drop below 20MPG.
On our trip to Oregon and Washington State with the trailer, we averaged 22.6 MPG over 5800miles including all the mountains and several days of driving in extreme weather. The average has been 24 on flatter terrain and even higher on individual tanks.
A recent trip to Louisiana with no trailer, yielded a consistent 29-30MPG at 72-75MPH
The use of A/C will affect the fuel economy on nearly any vehicle, so mileage tends to be better in cooler temps because of that and cooler denser air. proper sized tires and good air pressure are also factors.
My trailer is a front bath 13deluxe and at last weigh-in was 1950# loaded for a week on the road. I may have to weigh it again sometime since experience teaches that, like people, these things tend to gain weight if you don't watch it. we have reduced the stuff we carry considerably over the last few years, but we have also made "improvements".
To answer your question more succinctly, yes I would expect a comparably equipped Escape to behave comparably under comparable conditions.
As I said above, I think the new 2.5L Escape might actually be optimized with the twenty extra HP supplied.
One Note; I don't think you can get a Ford supplied towing package on an Escape with a manual transmission.
A Ranger with the same 4CYL and a 5spd manual should get comparable mileage though.

[Doug Mager]

....Like Donna, "don't know, don't care". Car alone seems to average about 8 mpg and we never bother to check milage while being 'pushed around'....

[rabbit]

Originally Posted by Meghan

What do you tow with and pull and what kind of gas milage so you get?

05 4runner V6 and Burro 17'. 15mpg 260mi trip to Poconos recently respecting the "double nickel" every inch of the way. 23-4 under 65 with no donkey.

jack

[Jon Vermilye]

RAV4 alone - 24mpg. Towing Escape 17B (3K lbs) 15mpg @ 57mph.

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by Doug Mager

....Like Donna, "don't know, don't care". Car alone seems to average about 8 mpg and we never bother to check milage while being 'pushed around'....

Doug, I like your early version "PT Cruiser"! What did they put under the hood back then?

Floyd, thanks. I had forgotten that your Escape had the 4 banger.

[Frederick L. Simson]

2003 Honda Odyssey LX (California Emissions equipment) 115,000 miles on the odometer
Not Towing:

• 18 mpg City
• 22-23 mpg Highway

Towing a 1978 Fiber Stream 16 with "High-Lift" axle

• 16 mpg at 55 mph
• 11 mpg at 70 mph

[KevinWA]

2004 Jeep TJ wrangler....6 kms per liter towing a 78' 4500 trillium. 7.25 kms per liter not towing....yup it sucks,,,but gas aint gettin any cheaper, so todays gas is cheap compaired to what it may be next year. get out there..have fun!

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by honda03842

Certainly It would be hard to replace an existing tow vehicle. However, if you have one that gets good mileage, it does provide more money to camp or what ever.
Norm

Yeah, and I was being a bit factious. Actually, I think there are a lot of other reasons to consider whether I was to purchase one vehicle over another. Towing the trailer would be NOT number one or two or maybe even three based on what vehicle I buy. I don't tow the trailer daily or even weekly, sometimes not even monthly. Every day driving, comfort, what STUFF I could haul... whether that's people, animals, rock, garden manure or junk, etc. And yeah, what it looks like and the COLOR are important to me. IF I was going to full-time and pulling my trailer, the MPGs race up to the top. YMMV

[Carol H]

07 Subaru Outback 4 cyl and a 16' Scamp side bath - every day coastal towing is 21.5 mpg with speed kept under 60. Recent tow of 3000 mile with *lots* of high mountain passes gas milage drops to 19.5 mpg US Gal. over the whole trip. No tow everyday driving combo city & highway is 23 mpg US Gal.

Like Donna I actually dont care/worry about it as I dont tow every day - it eats what it eats and the only reason I actually know what it eats is the darn thing likes to display it all to me on the dash :-)

[Alf S.]

Hi: All...Just got back from a weekaway to "Fake Camp" with Son& Family. Mileage was 19.36 mi./ Imp. Gal or 16.5 mi./US Gal. all towing. 12,500 mi. on the clock and running 2000 RPM@ 55 MPH. +or- usually with OD off.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Greg H]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Don't know and don't care... it is what it is.. I'm not buying another tug to save a few MPGs. I'm still going camping!

YMMV

I'm with Donna, even though I should care but I don't. I pull with the Toyota p/u because it is the only truck that I have left, everything else is an SUV even the Jeep Grand Cherokee we just bought when we moved. I would like to pull my '72 egg with a '72 model American p/u but a decent '72 p/u costs more now than it did in '72.