Multi use daily driver help needed!

[Soterik]

I'm in the market for a new, or near new multi use daily driver....
The Mercedes E420 went away yesterday, and the Diesel Suburban is getting long in the tooth (and the 11mpg is killing me at $4 a gallon).

It has to be able to tow up to 4500 lbs, but I might be able to get that weight down with a lighter enclosed trailer (thinking about a 16 or 18 enclosed Featherlite).

It has to be a 4wd (skiing in the winter, and a major driveway issue at my cabin).

And it has to have absolutely the best mileage available. This is why I'm willing to kick down the weight on the trailer by getting into a featherlite. Fuel is only getting more and more expensive long term and I'm going to haul to California a minimum of 3 times a year for events. For short hauls with any real weight like my fishing boat I'll still be keeping the diesel Burb.

There's plenty of mid size to upper mid size SUV's to pick from in Europe with small diesel engines, and incredible mileage. Nothing here though.. I might be willing to wait till next year if someone really things that they see something on the horizon that's coming this way. Maybe a quad cab pickup with a diesel?? I've been picking over the pickup forums trying to see if a quad cab 2005ish diesel with the right gears can be made to work, but I'm thinking the towing mileage will once again be in the toilet.

All input appreciated..!!

Eric

[CurtEgerer]

Eric - I think I'd forget about the diesel pickups. They 'should' get decent mileage, but they don't. We took a friend's brand new GMC out to Mt. Washington Hill Climb and he was getting maybe 10-12MPG pulling an enclosed trailer. Now he's got a new Dodge Mega-cab diesel and that's no better.

The biggest factor I've found in fuel mileage when towing is aerodynamics of the trailer. An open trailer can easily increase MPG by 3-4. My Hemi Durango has been a real workhorse for me for 6 years now - plenty of power, decent towing mileage, but the short wheelbase (like any mid-size SUV) can make things a bit 'interesting' with an enclosed trailer and any amount of cross wind! There's no substitute for wheelbase. I'd be looking at a gas Suburban or extended-cab pickup.

[Soterik]

Thanks Curt, I see one good mileage report on those pickups and then 10 others with the mileage you quoted, maybe one with a really tall final drive would be the trick? The problem with an open trailer is that you're always cleaning up the vehicle that's on it once you get there... I've got an open trailer (not a featherlite), and agree with the mileage, but invariably I run into some kind of crappy weather system in the spring towing down for Treffen, and also the LA lit show, and with an enclosed trailer you have storage!

I read some good stuff on a few guys towing with Touareg diesels, the hitch being so close to the rear axle actually helps eliminate the sway, they also weigh a LOT. Trying to get a grip on the mileage those get towing. Maybe a used GLK 320CDI?

E

[CurtEgerer]

I'd vote Touareg over MB for towing.

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[reed]

I have a diesel F250 and the mileage is very disappointing, around 12 to 13mpg when towing an enclosed two horse aluminum trailer. I've been looking at the Toureg diesels. They can't tow anywhere near the diesel pickups--my truck is rated at around 11,000 lbs.--but they just might be able to handle your needs. Truthfully, my truck is a little overkill for my needs, but it sure is nice to have the capacity when you need it, i.e. highway passing, hills. But you sure pay for that piece of mind all other times.

The Toureg diesels are ridiculously expensive, however, new or used. I just couldn't justify the cost for my limited use. I guess if I were putting on 10,000 miles annually, it may pay for itself over the long run. One thing I found is the manufacturer's ratings are very optimistic. I don't think there is any kind of standard, and I found that most vehicles don't comfortably tow anywhere near their rated maximums.

[CamBiscuit]

What about a 200 Series Landcruiser with the Turbo Diesel V8? (I assume these are sold over there?)

[boxster03]

IMO dollar 4 dollar u will not find a better/cheaper alternative than a used 92 to 97MY Toyota Land Cruiser - they will run 500k miles and u can probably pick up one with 125k mile for 6 or 7k in good shape. not best gas mileage but they need little maint. are bullitproof

[karlusmagnus]

Erik, if you talk to John Thornton, he will tell you about towing with his Touareg. I believe he is very happy with it --- and posted a while back a hearty recommendation.

[Jens]

I've got a gas LWB Silverado that switches from 8 to 4 cylinders in flat cruise mode. Full size half ton with the tow package. Rated at 2,000 carrying and just under 10,000 towing capacities. The best I've gotten with a loaded trailer is 17mpg, and the best without (with a cab height cap) is 22mpg. Around town I get 19. This is real world use. Plenty of power.

I've owned every truck brand out there, all great trucks, but I'd buy another Silverado in a heartbeat. My small 2 cents worth of anecdotal experience.

[Soterik]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

"Google"ing the towing mileage of these alternatives through different web boards gives me some interesting information.

It's going to be tough for me to get above 15 mpg towing, and even that number can be hard to get to. The newer diesel suv's seem to get the highest towing mileage. The most information out there on the 2011 Touareg tdi 6 cyl getting into the mid-high teens towing and an easy 30 mpg highway. Of course the cheapest I can find a used one on CL doing a national search is about $42K!

Trying to find a good alternative that's older at half that price is the goal, as you can buy a lot of fuel for $20K. Naturally I haven't done all the math (can you?) on what the relative costs and ending values are on buying a 50 to 75K mile used vehicle for $20K and putting 100K miles on it, vs buying a near new rig for $42K and putting 100K miles on it. Has anyone seen that particular spreadsheet out on the web anywhere?

The alternative in doing boxster03's suggestion is certainly tempting. There's a LOT of rigs out there, and the history of these rigs (and a few others) going many hundreds of thousands of miles is out there. That being said, the servicing of the ancilliary systems of many of these older rigs in electronics, front end rebuilds, A/C rebuilds etc dampens my enthusiasm for that route. I've been doing that for many years personally on several vehicles including the newly departed 1994 Mercedes. I still have a 1992 Jetta GLI 16V sitting in my driveway that runs perfectly that I run to my office with, and it has a relatively low 118K on it. So I can keep that car with just liability on it, but I'd like to rid myself of that one as well.

My wife gets a new car as is necessary about every 4 to 5 years and I get to used it on occasion and it turns into a great family car when we arent going in separate ways with the kids. Right now it's a 2010 Outback (new body) with the 4cyl and cvt trans. Great driver!

Still digging into these and others...

tks again! keep em coming... there's many here that I hadn't really thought about.