Towing: Diesel vs. Gas

[AZDANSX230HO]

Over the last 10+ years I have owned the following tow rigs:

2012 Ford F-250 Super Duty, Crew Cab, Lariat, 4x4, 6.7L Diesel - Current
2013 Toyota Tundra, Double Cab, TRD Rock Warrior, 4x4, 5.7L Gas
2011 Toyota Tundra, Double Cab, SR5, 4x4, 4.6L Gas
2006 Ford Expedition, Eddie Bauer, 4x4, 5.4L Gas
2005 Ford F-250 Super Duty, Crew Cab, Lariat, 4x4, 6.0L Diesel

My experience has been that my Diesels get better overall Mpg, tow anything with ease, and hold their value quite well. That being said maintenance is overall more expensive but definitely worth it with how effortlessly they tow. The economy dictated my switch from Diesel back to Gas when Diesel was ridiculously expensive back before/during the recession. Diesel is currently $ 1.82 here at our local Sam's Club, so I am loving it every time I fill up.

My Gas tow rigs always did the job towing boats, travel trailers, utility trailers, etc. but pulling hills trying to maintain the speed limit they are revving pretty high to get up the hills and drink a lot of fuel while doing so, my last Tundra was the worst towing heavier loads up long grades, burned almost a 1/2 tank of fuel in a 45 minute drive pulling our travel trailer.

Our last trip to Lake Havasu consisted of a lot of hill climbing heading on I-40 to there and back, with the Diesel I averaged 15 Mpg on the way to the Lake and 13.5 Mpg on our way home doing a lot of hill climbing. Not towing I have seen a best of 22 Mpg on flat land roads, but average around 18 Mpg mixed driving around town. The feeling of driving a 3/4 Ton Truck with a Diesel is very comforting knowing the truck is not working hard towing the boat, can handle just about anything I put behind it, and it holds it's value quite well. They are expensive to buy new or used, but worth every penny when it comes to peace of mind towing.

Would I go back to a Gas Engine if Diesel prices get extremely expensive again? Probably not, the feeling of driving/towing with a Diesel will be worth the extra money filling it up. A Diesel will always be my tow rig now and in the future.

I would like to hear your experiences with Gas vs. Diesel Ownership.

 

[Speedling]

Our fleet is now all gas but one big truck with 24' stake bed. Too many hassles in winter for us.
We don't pull trailers typically but same theory.
I won't buy a diesel until i retire and can pull my boat or camper a whole lot more. The 5.4 Fords we own have done an excellent job and are fairly low maintenance at least compared to some of the diesel stuff. If i got a 28' boat i woukd get a diesel.

 

[justason]

I just sold my 2006 2500 series dodge ram Diesel. 8,00 lbs of diesel, steel and sex appeal.....I was getting about 25 highway, 20 around town, and 17 when towing the boat or travel trailer. Had a 35 gallon tank so the range was impressive. (Raleigh NC to the Connecticut border in a shot) paid $38k for the truck and sold it 10 years later for $20k. So yes they do hold their value and the fuel economy has been excellent. Another metric to add in is Maintenance. The maintenance on a diesel engine is minimal. you're running 2K RPMs vs a gasser that is doing 4-5K RPMs....

My previous Dodge (2000) was a gas engine, pulling the travel trailer was painful at maybe 8mpg, regular driving I was hard pressed to ever see north of 13 .....this convinced me to move to a diesel.

When I started truck shopping I had a hard time justifying the cost and power need of a diesel......then i slapped myself and definitely repeated. I have the V8 5.0 cummins in the TITAN XD package. smaller truck than my dodge but much lower fuel economies !!!! 18ish highway with a tailwind, 15 about town.....towing was about 14 highway....not impressed, but still happy I went with the diesel.

They quieted the engines considerably .....which is a disappointment ! and the hippie juice for emissions seems to add about $5 per 1000 miles.....or so.

As the nest empties out I was hoping to tow greater distances for boating...this was another motivator for a diesel.

 

[AZDANSX230HO]

Our fleet is now all gas but one big truck with 24' stake bed. Too many hassles in winter for us.
We don't pull trailers typically but same theory.
I won't buy a diesel until i retire and can pull my boat or camper a whole lot more. The 5.4 Fords we own have done an excellent job and are fairly low maintenance at least compared to some of the diesel stuff. If i got a 28' boat i woukd get a diesel.

I have owned a few 5.4L Ford, two different 2003 Ford Lightning's and our 2006 Expedition, never had any issues with them, except spark plug changes are an absolute bitch to do.

 

[Julian]

I love towing with my Audi Diesel...and I'll bet you can buy them (or the VW Toureg) cheap right now! When I towed to Shelbyville from Raleigh we averaged 15.9 mpg for the whole trip. When driving highway non-towing I typically get 27-29 mpg depending on how lead footed I get! City driving I'm getting 18-20 mpg.

Diesel had been cheaper here, and is now 20 cents higher. But the reality is if you pay more than 2-3K more for your diesel, the savings are wiped out. Here is my math - but I still like my diesel. If you tow a lot more than me...it would be more valuable, and also your vehicle comparisons will vary!

 

[AZDANSX230HO]

I just sold my 2006 2500 series dodge ram Diesel. 8,00 lbs of diesel, steel and sex appeal.....I was getting about 25 highway, 20 around town, and 17 when towing the boat or travel trailer. Had a 35 gallon tank so the range was impressive. (Raleigh NC to the Connecticut border in a shot) paid $38k for the truck and sold it 10 years later for $20k. So yes they do hold their value and the fuel economy has been excellent. Another metric to add in is Maintenance. The maintenance on a diesel engine is minimal. you're running 2K RPMs vs a gasser that is doing 4-5K RPMs....

My previous Dodge (2000) was a gas engine, pulling the travel trailer was painful at maybe 8mpg, regular driving I was hard pressed to ever see north of 13 .....this convinced me to move to a diesel.

When I started truck shopping I had a hard time justifying the cost and power need of a diesel......then i slapped myself and definitely repeated. I have the V8 5.0 cummins in the TITAN XD package. smaller truck than my dodge but much lower fuel economies !!!! 18ish highway with a tailwind, 15 about town.....towing was about 14 highway....not impressed, but still happy I went with the diesel.

They quieted the engines considerably .....which is a disappointment ! and the hippie juice for emissions seems to add about $5 per 1000 miles.....or so.

As the nest empties out I was hoping to tow greater distances for boating...this was another motivator for a diesel.

Glad to hear you slapped yourself and got the Titan with the Cummins. I was holding out for Toyota to do the same with a Diesel in the Tundra, tired of waiting for that to happen and found my 2012 F-250 in April 2015 with 37,000 miles on it for 45K fully loaded. The hippie juice is an extra, I keep about 5 gallons in the garage and top it off every couple of weeks.

 

[AZDANSX230HO]

I love towing with my Audi Diesel...and I'll bet you can buy them (or the VW Toureg) cheap right now! When I towed to Shelbyville from Raleigh we averaged 15.9 mpg for the whole trip. When driving highway non-towing I typically get 27-29 mpg depending on how lead footed I get! City driving I'm getting 18-20 mpg.

Diesel had been cheaper here, and is now 20 cents higher. But the reality is if you pay more than 2-3K more for your diesel, the savings are wiped out. Here is my math - but I still like my diesel. If you tow a lot more than me...it would be more valuable, and also your vehicle comparisons will vary!

View attachment 41922

I do quite a bit of towing, we have the Yamaha SX230, a 30 Ft Travel Trailer, 14 Ft Utility Trailer that we tow our YXZ1000 with to go off-roading - my truck is a mixed daily driver with my Mustang, but I do tend to drive the truck more often during the week.

 

[Julian]

I do quite a bit of towing, we have the Yamaha SX230, a 30 Ft Travel Trailer, 14 Ft Utility Trailer that we tow our YXZ1000 with to go off-roading - my truck is a mixed daily driver with my Mustang, but I do tend to drive the truck more often during the week.

What my family should probably do is buy me an electric car like a Volt for me to drive to work and around town, while my wife drives the diesel all the time. Makes no sense for me to drive the diesel to and from work 10 miles a day.....but we don't always do things that make sense (she drives another gas SUV!)

 

[Speedling]

I just sold my 2006 2500 series dodge ram Diesel. 8,00 lbs of diesel, steel and sex appeal.....I was getting about 25 highway, 20 around town, and 17 when towing the boat or travel trailer. Had a 35 gallon tank so the range was impressive. (Raleigh NC to the Connecticut border in a shot) paid $38k for the truck and sold it 10 years later for $20k. So yes they do hold their value and the fuel economy has been excellent. Another metric to add in is Maintenance. The maintenance on a diesel engine is minimal. you're running 2K RPMs vs a gasser that is doing 4-5K RPMs....

My previous Dodge (2000) was a gas engine, pulling the travel trailer was painful at maybe 8mpg, regular driving I was hard pressed to ever see north of 13 .....this convinced me to move to a diesel.

When I started truck shopping I had a hard time justifying the cost and power need of a diesel......then i slapped myself and definitely repeated. I have the V8 5.0 cummins in the TITAN XD package. smaller truck than my dodge but much lower fuel economies !!!! 18ish highway with a tailwind, 15 about town.....towing was about 14 highway....not impressed, but still happy I went with the diesel.

They quieted the engines considerably .....which is a disappointment ! and the hippie juice for emissions seems to add about $5 per 1000 miles.....or so.

As the nest empties out I was hoping to tow greater distances for boating...this was another motivator for a diesel.

True enough! Like the older diesels better than newer stuff due to government rules.

 

[AZDANSX230HO]

What my family should probably do is buy me an electric car like a Volt for me to drive to work and around town, while my wife drives the diesel all the time. Makes no sense for me to drive the diesel to and from work 10 miles a day.....but we don't always do things that make sense (she drives another gas SUV!)

That would be a good plan! We have three vehicles with just the two of us Lol.

 

[veedubtek]

After my Silverado and Tundra, I went diesel and I'll never go back. Even at the ridiculous premium upfront, it's well worth it to me. I'm actually gonna be selling my ecodiesel and buying a 2500 soon, and it will definitely be diesel as well. The long term math doesn't add up, but my personal satisfaction and enjoyment with it more than make up for that.

 

[blacksapphirez]

i love mine. heaviest thing i tow is the boat and when I don't, I get car like MPG

see signature

 

[brockhals]

I'm not getting anywhere near these numbers in my diesel. I have a 2014 F250 crew cab, 6.7 Powerstroke. I'll get 17 hwy, 15 city and if I'm towing...anything...boat, trailer, small trailer, whatever I drop to 10-12...

 

[AZDANSX230HO]

I'm not getting anywhere near these numbers in my diesel. I have a 2014 F250 crew cab, 6.7 Powerstroke. I'll get 17 hwy, 15 city and if I'm towing...anything...boat, trailer, small trailer, whatever I drop to 10-12...

What rear end gearing do you have? Do you have a lead foot or drive it lightly?

 

[blacksapphirez]

i get 17mpg towing and a lead foot 75~80mph

 

[waterboy]

While you guys are having your diesel love fest , I'll share with you my experience since you asked about gassers. I have the 2015 Expedition with the Ecoboost in it. I know it is not for everyone based on weight you haul and how often you haul, etc but I am very happy with performance. I have gotten as high as 24 mpg on the highway for extended trips, but usually see 21+ mpg highway and about 18.5 mixed.

For towing, all of the torque is at the low end. Sure I can rev it up but it normally stays below 2-3K rpm, and cruises easily at 70 at just over 1500 rpm, holding the top gear no problem. I have checked towing mileage since the haul to Florida for Bimini trip last year, but I think it was in the 10-11 mpg range.

FWIW, if you tow in the mountains, I have heard these are much better than NA gas engines as the turbo really boosts power in the thinner air.

I am only 30,000 miles in but I would buy another based on my experience so far with this engine.

 

[blacksapphirez]

I couldn't get 18mpg on the test drive on a flat hwy with F150 2.7 ecoboost. you getting 24mpg on a 3.5 ecoboost with heavier car... i don't believe it

 

[robert843]

While you guys are having your diesel love fest , I'll share with you my experience since you asked about gassers. I have the 2015 Expedition with the Ecoboost in it. I know it is not for everyone based on weight you haul and how often you haul, etc but I am very happy with performance. I have gotten as high as 24 mpg on the highway for extended trips, but usually see 21+ mpg highway and about 18.5 mixed.

For towing, all of the torque is at the low end. Sure I can rev it up but it normally stays below 2-3K rpm, and cruises easily at 70 at just over 1500 rpm, holding the top gear no problem. I have checked towing mileage since the haul to Florida for Bimini trip last year, but I think it was in the 10-11 mpg range.

FWIW, if you tow in the mountains, I have heard these are much better than NA gas engines as the turbo really boosts power in the thinner air.

I am only 30,000 miles in but I would buy another based on my experience so far with this engine.

I have basically the same tow vehicle @waterboy now 2015 Lincoln Navigator L with the HD towing package. The whole V6 thing worried me at first but now after several tows it theworries are gone it does great. Have not checked the gas mileage but will look at it next time.

 

[waterboy]

@blacksapphirez my 21.5 on the highway is typical. I did a recent roadtrip down I-95 and put the cruise control on and said. "let's see how high the mileage gets without me pushing on the gas all the time." I hit 24 mpg on a 700 mile road trip running 65-70 mph. I was blown away but I also know this isn't really typical either. I had time on my side for a leisurely cruise down the interstate. I'll probably never see that again either.

I am just reporting what the car computer told me...

As people say, it is either ECO or BOOST, choose what mode you want to drive it in. Your gas mileage will vary accordingly. I drove in in ECO mode for fun and reporting what I got.

 

[AZDANSX230HO]

@blacksapphirez my 21.5 on the highway is typical. I did a recent roadtrip down I-95 and put the cruise control on and said. "let's see how high the mileage gets without me pushing on the gas all the time." I hit 24 mpg on a 700 mile road trip running 65-70 mph. I was blown away but I also know this isn't really typical either. I had time on my side for a leisurely cruise down the interstate. I'll probably never see that again either.

I am just reporting what the car computer told me...

As people say, it is either ECO or BOOST, choose what mode you want to drive it in. Your gas mileage will vary accordingly. I drove in in ECO mode for fun and reporting what I got.

I play the game of how good of mileage can I get out of my Diesel on long trips (keeps me entertained), keep a light foot accelerating, then put it on cruise control. I have found my Ford Mileage Computer is off by 1/2 Mpg when I manually check it after a fill up. Still to get over 20 Mpg on heavy trucks & suv's is pretty awesome!! Heck my 2015 Mustang GT 5.0L got 28 Mpg going to California a couple weeks ago, not bad for a 435 Hp car, I do have to admit the first 50 miles of the trip was mostly downhill Lol.