Buyers remorse? MPG

[NoXiDe]

I bought the truck with the idea that it would tow. It checks that box with the 7,500 towing capacity. However, I didn't account for the importance of gas mileage while towing.

This is where it falls short... I believe at 65 mph I was seeing 10 mpg. At 55 mph, I was seeing 13-14 if IIRC. However, I discovered discussing this with a friend who tows... he gets 28 mpg in his diesel power motor which brought a lot of disappointment once I heard about this.

Is there any way to tow at 65 mph and have great gas mileage?

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[Gibs45]

Doesn’t seem all that surprising, and comparing the diesel motor is definitely not apples to apples so don’t beat yourself up. Lol

 

[Grumpaw]

NO !!!! I'm towing 7000 lbs, and have never gotten over 12 mpg at 65 mph. At 55-60 mph it's get around 13-14 depending on terrain, wind, traffic, stop n go. Some may get a mile or two better or worse, but it is what it is. Climbing a grade for any distance....7-10 mpg at 55-60 mph.
As for your "bud" and his 28 mpg diesel towing....I'd like to know what he's towing. I don't think too many big pick up's with a diesel manage 28 mpg too much even solo, much less towing a heavy trailer.
You have a 4 banger turbo that makes great power and torque, but it is "working" to tow that heavy load....it is what it is, and no add-on's or tunes will get you much better.

 

[NoXiDe]

NO !!!! I'm towing 7000 lbs, and have never gotten over 12 mpg at 65 mph. At 55-60 mph it's get around 13-14 depending on terrain, wind, traffic, stop n go. Some may get a mile or two better or worse, but it is what it is.
As for your "bud" and his 28 mpg diesel towing....I'd like to know what he's towing. I don't think too many big pick up's with a diesel manage 28 mpg too much even solo, much less towing a heavy trailer.
You have a 4 banger turbo that makes great power and torque, but it is "working" to tow that heavy load....it is what it is, and no add-on's or tunes will get you much better.

We tow our race cars and he tows with a VW Touareg TDI SUV with 7,700 towing capacity which I'm considering switching over to at this point. I can't find any reason to keep the Ranger... convince me if I'm forgetting something.

Tangent, are you using 87 or 93 premium gas?

 

[NOVA_Ranger]

When you find a truck that checks all the boxes, let me know.

 

[Grumpaw]

Sorry, not gonna try to convince you of anything.....you asked a valid question, and got a valid answer. I have towed our trailer over 12,000 miles over almost 3 years, and the mpg's suck. But it is better than a previous class c that got 8-10, and a class a that got me 6-7 mpg.
We travel/camp for a reason, and I'm not concerned with mpg's....the Ranger does what I need it too, and I am satisified.
There your vehicles, and if not happy with the Ranger, than dump it...it's not gonna get better.

Oh, I use midgrade 89 for everyday use, and premium 91-93 when towing.

 

[RangerPNW]

Gas engines with turbos means poor towing economy unfortunately... not much you can do there aside from tow slower and get a smaller trailer...

 

[NOVA_Ranger]

We tow our race cars and he tows with a VW Touareg TDI SUV with 7,700 towing capacity which I'm considering switching over to at this point. I can't find any reason to keep the Ranger... convince me if I'm forgetting something.

Tangent, are you using 87 or 93 premium gas?

List it up in the classified section, it'll probably sell fast.

 

[NoXiDe]

When you find a truck that checks all the boxes, let me know.

That's my point... I didn't realize SUVs could tow like a truck could so it wasn't ever thought of. It didn't need to be a truck.

 

[Grumpaw]

That's my point... I didn't realize SUVs could tow like a truck could so it wasn't ever thought of. It didn't need to be a truck.

It is all dependent on what you want to tow, and an SUV is not a proper tow vehicle for a lot of trailers, and perfectly fine for others.
Your buddy's VW may be fine with a flat bed with a car on it...it's low to the ground and probably tows great.
Hook my 7000 lb, 28 foot long camper up to it, and he's going to have all kinds of problems, and I guarantee his mpg will take a big dump.
Our Rangers are notorious for getting crappy mpg's especially while towing. It is not a "small" truck at all, and weighs more than an F-150 from just a few years ago. Add a large trailer, 4 cyl turbo== bad mpg.
But, it fits in my garage, tows my camper just fine, is comfortable for me, wife, two pups, and I can easily do an 8 hour day driving it if needed...usually 6 or so. It "checks" all my boxes.

 

[Jason B]

Remember, it's Eco(or)boost. Can't have both.
Normal driving is the eco mode, for me around 24MPG.
But when I'm boost mode, the MPG drops significantly.

 

[mtbikernate]

it's pretty well known that diesels will get better economy while towing than a gasoline engine. but there are lot of other factors at play. they certainly won't drive quite the same, and typically a small diesel is going to have a higher cost up front.

 

[Big Blue]

First, are you towing a racecar like your buddy? Most of the people answering this post are towing TTs, two entirely different tows. Towing a car on a trailer has much less frontal area unless your using a box trailer. When towing frontal area is a bigger mileage killer than weight.

Second, I have to question your buddies 28 mpg towing, even if it is a turbo diesel. Diesels will always get better mpgs than gas towing, but that seems a bit high. What does he get normally? If it is really true you best buy one quick before they are pulled from the U.S. market. I doubt you can find another SUV to match that.

Lastly, that is impressive tow rating for a uni-body SUV.

 

[deleriumtremor]

Doesn’t seem all that surprising, and comparing the diesel motor is definitely not apples to apples so don’t beat yourself up. Lol

He isn't my friend, so I can say what I think, he isn't getting 28 mpg.

 

[Grumpaw]

He isn't my friend, so I can say what I think, he isn't getting 28 mpg.

I looked up the VW Touareg TDI stats....it has never achieved 28 mpg while towing....only rated at the highest, running solo at a combined city/hwy 24 mpg.....that was NOT towing, but empty/solo.
Maybe OP's buddy was using diesel and some VW "happy dust" to get the 28 mpg.....or had one of the famous VW "mileage claims" from the factory.

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