Quote:
Originally Posted by speeder
8k lb. trucks with massive gas engines and 4wd do not get 10 mpg in the real world. They get closer to 6-7mpg in my real world experience, and that is owning and renting HD PUs and vans with large gas engines.
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I had a 2002 Excursion Limited 4x4 7.3L "back in the day"
I hated that truck. It was slow. Very slow by modern diesel standards, for anyone who has driven, say, a 2006 truck let alone a 2012. And maybe that was my perspective because that same year my parents got their first crew cab Duramax and it would run circles around it. Made my Excursion experience frustrating. The only truck I've owned that was slower was my 1995 Cummins 4x4.
From my personal experience, that truck weighed 8150 pounds (on a trucker's scale) with a full tank of fuel. And the ball and drawbar in the hitch.
I saw about 12 mpg around town, and about 17 mpg on the freeway at 75 mph. Towing on the freeway depended on what was behind it, but was roughly 12-15 mpg.
I've owned other diesel pickups, Ford, Dodge, and GM. Denis knows this.
I currently have TWO Suburban 8.1L's. One is a 2001 4x4 with 4.10 gears, and the other is a loaded 2003 with 3.73 gears. The 2001 burns more fuel (avg ~11mpg) but is noticeably more responsive. The 2003 has 285/70-17 tires which are significantly larger than the 245/75-16 stock size, effectively changing the gearing.
My 2003 consistenly returns 12 mpg around town. That's hand-calculated GPS miles, not the odometer (speedo/odo is off due to the tires) and not what the DIC trip computers calculate. At 60 mph, it gets 17-18 mpg, repeatable. At 65 mph it drops to 16-17. At 75 mph it's down to 15-16. One fill with a Westerly tailwind saw 19 mpg at 74 mph. Overall, empty, I can count on 14-15 mpg.
Towing really depends. It can be 7-8 mpg around town stop-and-go (4000lb car/trailer), or 12-13 mpg freeway depending on speed. I haven't yet pulled a larger trailer. Yet.
I've not yet seen a tank or fill that has been 10 mpg or less as Denis suggests. Just my experience. My anecdote. Admittedly, I'm a smooth driver and roll into the throttle not stomp. I use cruise religiously. I try to be easy on it because abrupt torque application has the tendency to break things.
The overall fuel economy, in my personal observation, is almost exactly what I got with my 2006 Navigator. Also similar to my V10 E350 Passenger van. And what I recall getting in 1/2 ton Subs, Denalis, and Escalades over the years (5.3s and 6.0s). I'm pleased with the fuel economy.
YMMV