What are some options for good gas mileage in overlanding vehicles?
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I think pound for pound, size for size the Subies aren't great on gas because they are all wheel drive, right? My girlfriend has a 6 cyl 2013 GMC Terrain Denali, and that gets the same fuel economy as my 5.3 liter v8 full size Sierra! We could have opted for a 4 cyl engine in it, but not in Denali trim more importantly, the 4's that came in those werent very good.
I figure with a Forester, theres still an element of SUV-ish lool and capability while being Korean fuel efficient than any of our current vehicles, including the '99, 40 liter straight six Jeep Grand
Advocate I
mostly because of the symmetrical awd system and crap engine. I had the auto, a 4 speed slushbox. I was so intrigued by it , that I made an effort to trace its origins, it was developed in the 80's still used on a new car up to 2008.. amazing. Manual was better on the fuel if you find any in the US, maybe even 25% better.
Well, I've nothing against something developed decades ago. Chevy 350 engine, Colt 1911. And so on. As long as it was good when developed and stayed good.
Yes, my preference would be manual transmission, which are harder and harder to come by in new vehicles. So I want 10 years old or so for initial outlay costs and availability of the manual
Explorer I
Bwahahahaha! I care deeply about my Jeep named Brandon. I tell it "Lets go" every-time we go somewhere. Just like those inane Tom Brady/Hertz commercials.so....basically any jeep
Autism Family Travels
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Something like 36- 37 gallons! Nice!
I had two '90's big Chevy Blazers, k1500, Silverados. Those had 30 gallon tanks right where a pickup truck spare is, inside the tow hitch box. For a truck that got 16 mpg on the highway, that thing had respectable range and was far easier to park than my double cab Sierra, which anly has a 25 gallon tank
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Bought a new Honda Passport AWD this year for my wife and it gets consistently 26mpg on the Interstate. Does amazingly well on trails. And with stupid gas prices this summer, projected, we're going to take the Passport to Colorado instead of my GX470. Cruising range on the Passport is 425-450 per tank. Plan on doing the Alpine Skyway with it.
Great thread and great insight. The answer to the question is somewhat relative. One's man Overlander may be the next's daily driver. Also depends on the load you'll carry and how far you want to go, and the terrain you'll cover and how fast you want to cover said terrain... etc. If you want to stay on fire roads to just get your girlfriend to the next Instagram hotspot, get a 4cyl crossover with a RTT and call it a day. I feel that you'll (and most of us here) will soon outgrow that type of platform though.
I started with a "misfit" in this world, full size Silverado with a crewcab, short bet, and huge 6.2l petrol V8 that ironically does pretty good on fuel given its displacement. Without getting into HP/cubes argument, it is a pretty efficient rig, and goes toe to toe with the v6's efficiency that are common with the added benefit of being able to carry much more payload (yeah, yeah, departure angles ;))
Throwing my hat in the ring to vote for a full-size rig with an engine that isn't struggling to get out of its own way, let alone all of the Jed-Clampet crap that ends up getting bolted on :D
Fwiw, most of us on this thread are also looking for extended range options like aux fuel tanks etc. It's a topic that needs to be considered if you want to build a truly capable rig. 22gal in my factory tank isn't nearly enough, but there isn't a lot of DOT-approved (like, literally ZERO) options out there for hard plumbing aux tanks for modern Gm's. Anyway, that's just my gripe with the aftermarket ;)
Good hunting and great thread!
Exactly what I'm talking about with my post above! Really, we could get away with a less capable rig 70% of the time and still get "out" and enjoy the shit we like... but we are, myself #1 included, fixated on building overly-capable rigs that far exceed the normal requirements of what we expect or need of them.
... let the flaming begin ;)
Influencer I
…and you may as well go along to include houses, land ownership, vacations, families,…. We have the opportunity to go bigger in the US if that’s what we want to do and can afford to do so. Unfortunately, a few people have arbitrarily decided now that this is a bad thing. And don’t try to shove the 100% politically-driven science down my throat. Rant off….
Advocate I
in my experience, once you have about 9 inch ground clearance , a true 4x4 and good tires, the biggest limit is your balls and skill level. Sure It is easier with higher clearance, bigger tires, winch or what ever else, but they are all a trade-off between mpg, comfort and reliability , it can get expensive pretty quickly. As long as you are aware of that - fine
8 k on suspension system can mean 1 full month off work to go travel and actually have fun
But if you can afford it - go crazy, what do I care.
Who am I to judge, after I got a LR, known to be a money pit.. :)
But for those on a budget, you can have a lot of fun with basic vehicles. You don't even have to go off road much.
8 k on suspension system can mean 1 full month off work to go travel and actually have fun
But if you can afford it - go crazy, what do I care.
Who am I to judge, after I got a LR, known to be a money pit.. :)
But for those on a budget, you can have a lot of fun with basic vehicles. You don't even have to go off road much.
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Yes, it takes like 2 hrs to fill up! ha ha. It's an option from ford. Its expensive to fill, but great because you are not stopping all the time for gas.
Autism Family Travels
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True 100 percent. I was hunting one day in my JK when I had it, and there was a civic with 4 people in it in the same roads. Was so funny to see. We are lifting the patriot and putting 245s on. A small hit to the milage for some greater capability in the back country here. Most of what we need is grip on dirt and rocky areas and clearance for rocks in the trails. NO rock crawling or mudding, just clearance of "pan dingers". Meaning oil pan.
Chill man... Sure, you could take it that far if you wanted to but it was just a perspective that is relative to the original post. Take it or leave it. You brought politics to the discussion.
By the way, I love America and as a barrel-chested freedom lover land owner that likes to vacation and has a big family, I believe this is the best country in the history of all civilization. Rant off...
Autism Family Travels
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Does not exist for the GM K1500's. It DOES exist for the Ford F150, though. Generally these are made for the 2500/250's
I just went back and forth to work the last couple days. 50 miles each way. My 50 mile best is 25.3 miles per gallon. My truck switched to V4 mode if I was at highway speed but not under load. I set the cruise to something between 55 and 62mph.
When I checked Range vs Trip Meter, I had 330 clocked and 155 left under Fuel Range. All, of course, dependent on being feather light on the skinny pedal, paying attention to launches and slow stops, not feeling the need to climb hills at 65 mph. And using cruise control a lot.
Still, I would like to grab a Subie Forester. If my 5.3l truck can be this economical with the right behavior, I'm sure more than 21 mpg can be squeezed out of a 2.5 4 banger
When I checked Range vs Trip Meter, I had 330 clocked and 155 left under Fuel Range. All, of course, dependent on being feather light on the skinny pedal, paying attention to launches and slow stops, not feeling the need to climb hills at 65 mph. And using cruise control a lot.
Still, I would like to grab a Subie Forester. If my 5.3l truck can be this economical with the right behavior, I'm sure more than 21 mpg can be squeezed out of a 2.5 4 banger
I'm looking at 35x10.5 r17s. I should still get 24mpg. I'll keep the bicycle tires long enough to go to Delaware and back to see my new granddaughter.
Pathfinder I
