Best balance of mileage and capability?

SoCalMonty

Explorer
I'll throw in my $0.02 on the gas mileage in my Tacoma.

Some required background: My 2012 DC Tacoma is running a plate steel rear bumper, steel sliders, and an aluminum front bumper. Winch is a Warn Cti running synthetic line. Tires are Cooper ST MAXX - 235/85R16's on stock rims. Suspension setup is ICON front coilovers. I don't sit much higher than the stock setup.

On the highway, running 70-75mph, I get about 16.5mpg.
Around town I get about 15mpg.
Towing the teardrop at highway speeds (70-75mph), I get about 11.5 mpg.
My running average, since new, is currently 15.2 mpg. (clock is right at 40,000 miles) My running average MPG is a "blood, guts, and feathers number" which includes highway, city, towing, loaded, and unloaded driving.

I have corrected the speedometer for tire size and verified the odometer is correct against highway mile markers and speed verified against GPS.

I don't try to baby the throttle when I drive. I drive just like I would drive any other vehicle.

Good luck.

Nice, thanks for the data! Take this all with a grain of salt, and keep in mind that a lot of people reporting on Fuelly are either (1) hypermiler types, or (2) stupid and can't correctly calculate fuel economy. That said:

http://www.fuelly.com/car/toyota/tacoma/2012

...seems like your numbers are right in line with the Fuelly average given mods and driving style. Those people reporting 26mpg must have a hell of a tailwind. ;)
 

Ozarker

Pontoon Admiral
BTW, check out the Frontier the use on the Discovery channel's Gold Rush show running through the jungles of South America and deserts/beach. Rather stock but bars and a nice rack.
 

nosnerd

wanna be tourist
i am going to throw one out there...one i like (i own a 96 Burb 1500 4dw and a 88 chevy 2500 rclb),,i am a chevy guy....


but i like a HONDA ELEMENT.


edit:

i have no idea what real life MGs are tho....


but i want one as a DD ...flip my 99 caravan..which i hate to love...lol
 

rxinhed

Dirt Guy
MG offered many car models, generally ragtop sports cars. There were coupes and saloons, also. My favorite is the MG V8, which had the Rover V8 with 2 sidedraft SU HD8 carbs...very cool intake manifold.
 

SoCalMonty

Explorer
More MPG numbers, just for fun.

1995 Montero SR (3.5L DOHC, 218hp/228tq). 3" lift, 33's, "wide mouth bass" front end and the aerodynamics of an offspring resulting from the love affair between a brick and a windsock.

~220 mile trip each way, out and back, to retrieve a vehicle. On the way there, I towed an empty trailer. On the way back, it was loaded. Hilly desert terrain; elevation ranged up and down from sea level up to 2500 ft. Temps were in the 90's most of the way.

OUT: Towing an empty auto transport trailer (2,200 lbs), ~700 lbs cargo in the truck, cruising speeds between 55 and 65, O/D off on the climbs. Topped off the tank, reset miles, then jumped on freeway. Refilled before getting on the freeway, and divided mileage by actual gallons used.

13.40 mpg

BACK: Same setup, but now with a 4,500 lb SUV on the trailer (towed weight appx 6700 lbs). O/D off and trans in "PWR" mode for a large portion of the trip. Lots of long gradual climbs at ~40 to ~45mph, ~3000 rpm in 2nd gear. After I dropped off the truck and trailer at home, I filled up again and calculated.

12.10 mpg

20130824_103607_resized.jpg

20130824_092509_resized.jpg


...extremely capable, since this is the question in the thread. 4.636 ratio, 9.5" (!!!) rear ring gear, 8" front. Rear locker from the factory, locking center diff as well. I had a Jeep XJ in between my 2 Monteros, and that thing was like a Honda Civic in comparison. Sure, I can't boast about my "flex" in front, but it hasn't held me back from doing all the same trails I did in the XJ - plus, I've got WAYYYY more cargo room now.

monty2.jpg
 
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Ozarker

Pontoon Admiral
MG offered many car models, generally ragtop sports cars. There were coupes and saloons, also. My favorite is the MG V8, which had the Rover V8 with 2 sidedraft SU HD8 carbs...very cool intake manifold.

And a real PITA to get in sync and tune up! I still have the gauge. Not to mention the electrical gremlins running around.:)
 

jeep-N-montero

Expedition Leader
If you can find one, the 4wd Mitsubishi turbo-diesel small pickups were amazing, there is a local guy getting 30+mpg with 33's under it.
 

98roamer

Explorer
Funny, I'm in a 3gen 4runner and looking at the new outback. We just did the UP a couple weeks ago, running north to south one day all highway RT123 50-55mph, casual drive, fully loaded for camping with a hitch basket but no roof rack: 21mpg= 89oct no ethanol. I'm not a hypermiler but I do watch the gas levels. The best I could do in my old 2000 Xterra V6 auto, was 18mpg with factory rack+.

I would like a 26-30 mpg Land Cruiser if anyone sees one hanging around. :ylsmoke:
 

CYi5

Explorer
Funny, I'm in a 3gen 4runner and looking at the new outback. We just did the UP a couple weeks ago, running north to south one day all highway RT123 50-55mph, casual drive, fully loaded for camping with a hitch basket but no roof rack: 21mpg= 89oct no ethanol. I'm not a hypermiler but I do watch the gas levels. The best I could do in my old 2000 Xterra V6 auto, was 18mpg with factory rack+.

Is this a stock 3rd gen? I'm at 13 cty/17-18 hwy on 33's, armor, and regeared to 4.88's.
 

paddlenbike

Adventurer
I check my mileage at every fill-up as well. 3rd gen 4Runner (same 3.4 engine as the Taco), 5-speed trans, lifted, 32.5" tires, sliders, roof rack, supercharged and my pure city MPG is 16-16.5 MPG, 50/50 city and highway is 17.5 MPG and highway varies between 18.5 and 21 MPG, all directly related to how fast I'm driving. Those aren't great numbers, but I'm impressed that I'm getting the same or better mileage than a stock 4Runner's EPA estimate, and I have lots of mileage reducing modifications.

If your vehicle is holding you back from the lifestyle you want to enjoy, don't let MPG get in the way. I drive 10,000 miles a year and at an average of 17.5 MPG, I'm going to burn 571 gallons of fuel. A 25 MPG car would burn 400 gallons a year. Will the $684 difference per year (171 gallons x $4/gal) make me walk away from all the great trips I take that I couldn't take in a car? No sir.

Now, if I start driving more or the cost of fuel just explodes, then I will be forced to add a commuter car to my fleet, but I'm not giving up my lifestyle, my gear hauler, my Home Depot/cinderblock picker-upper, my 4WD snow truck, my tow rig...you get the idea, it serves more duties than just fun.
 

SoCalMonty

Explorer
If your vehicle is holding you back from the lifestyle you want to enjoy, don't let MPG get in the way. I drive 10,000 miles a year and at an average of 17.5 MPG, I'm going to burn 571 gallons of fuel. A 25 MPG car would burn 400 gallons a year. Will the $684 difference per year (171 gallons x $4/gal) make me walk away from all the great trips I take that I couldn't take in a car? No sir.

Now, if I start driving more or the cost of fuel just explodes, then I will be forced to add a commuter car to my fleet, but I'm not giving up my lifestyle, my gear hauler, my Home Depot/cinderblock picker-upper, my 4WD snow truck, my tow rig...you get the idea, it serves more duties than just fun.

This is a great way to look at it! I've often found myself thinking the same thing. It's gonna cost me a couple thousand extra in gas over a 4-year period to do the things I want to do...that's DOZENS of trips. Heck, that's nothing. People drop $5k on 1-week vacations all the time! I'd say it's a bargain! :)
 

paddlenbike

Adventurer
This is a great way to look at it! I've often found myself thinking the same thing. It's gonna cost me a couple thousand extra in gas over a 4-year period to do the things I want to do...that's DOZENS of trips. Heck, that's nothing. People drop $5k on 1-week vacations all the time! I'd say it's a bargain! :)

^^ Exactly. I am always amazed at the number of people that dump a clean, paid-off 18 MPG SUV for a new 25 MPG car. That new car costs several thousand dollars in sales tax alone, has terrible depreciation, increased insurance and registration premiums, and if that wasn't bad enough, throw your loan payment plus interest into the equation and see where you end up. (You can buy a lot of fuel with that money.) Often does not make financial sense. But the worst part (at least for those of us here on Expo), how limited are you in your travels now that you're stuck in a boring car? :p

That said, we bought a new car for the wife this year. It gets a pretty remarkable 30 MPG (good for the size of car it is), but $550/mo payments for the next four years (even at 0% interest), $700/yr vehicle registration expenses, $1500/yr insurance premiums, our new 30 MPG car costs us way more to own than our 18-19 MPG 4Runner.
 

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