Good Gas Mileage and Able to Tow 3500, Does it exist....

[bgfish00]

Does Such a vehicle exist....Yes, I know I am in not the route I want to go, But The full size truck is starting to make a big dent in the pocket book.

Is there a reliable vehicle on the market that is economical and can still pull a 17ft Fishing Boat and is not afraid to get muddy a bit.....

Come on, I know others have thought about this as well....

[gunflint]

One word...diesel

[Valv]

Until they make more diesel vehicles, the best toing vehicle is the Jeep Liberty CRD 2.8 TurboDiesel.

Great mpg and awesome towing capacity.

[CanoeCruiser]

I just picked up a 03 Pathfinder, and will get back to you on this- It's got to haul a Fisherman 1800 which is in that weight category...

[Jeremy airjer W]

Toyota tacoma & toyota 4runner. I have the tacoma 4wd, 2.7 litre extended cab manuel trans. I get 23 to 24 on the highway and 19 towing the boat. Its rated for 3500lbs. it has 125,000 miles and its had 1 brake job, 1 set of tires (this set is getting replaced b4 winter) 4 shocks, a starter (It still started but the contacts in the solenoid were bad and would weld itself together so the starter would just keep cranking with the key off), 1 u-joint, set of plugs, a battery and routine oil changes airfilters and other fluid changes. If that isn't reliable I'd like to hear what your driving and what your secret is.

[jltimm]

I'll second the Toyota Tacoma!Although mine is a 3.4 ltr 6 clyinder with a auto tranny.I get 17-22 mpg avg,and on a recent trip to Canada I got 17-18 mpg towing a 1660 Pro V with both the boat and the truck fully loaded.97,000 miles and nothing but routine oil changes and a set of brakes and tires.I also tow a 8x16 ft fishhouse on wheels sometimes through some deep snow and I can tell ya "this little truck isn't scared of nothin I throw at it!"

[hondavxr]

I would have to agree with the Tacoma and 4runner. My 4runner is a beast and he keeps ticking. I have a 98 4runner with the 3.4 also. I get roughly around 17-18 towing my 17 ft boat and with gear inside. Without towing my best mpg has been 26 mpg highway. You would be surprise how strong that 3.4 motor is. I switch from a 97 Blazer to this 4runner and it was like night and day. The 4runner topped the Blazer in everything. Motor is smooth, accclerates on a dime, and doesn't need much, only oil changes, and routine filters. Sometimes when I have the truck on it's so quiet I have to check my tach to make sure the motor is still running. My friend has a 4runner with the factory locker in the back, with 4wd and back locker, his rig never gets stuck. Give the Toyota's a try you'll like them. I want to put a factory supercharger on the motor, but the gas prices are too high. You can't go wrong with the Yota

[federline]

I'm with Val - Jeep Liberty CRD diesel, 27MPG Hwy, 5000 lb towing capacity, and a proven 4x4 system. Wish I could afford one!

[Doonbuggy]

I'd look at a Honda Pilot and/or Nissan Murano. Both are considered very reliable, have great V6 engines and can tow up to 3,500. I know a guy who tows a 17' Lund Mr. Pike on his Pilot and it tows just fine.

Note that both of these are considered car-based/crossover vehicles so you get better gas mileage, a car-like ride, but are not suited for heavy duty towing. For a 17', though, you're good to go.

DB

[Powerstroke]

My nissan Xterra can tow up to 5000 lbs, and I've towed 3800lbs, but I didn't get mileage above 14 with my lil' V6.

You want mileage with tow-ability you need a diesel. More expensive outright, but will outlast a gasser 2x and will have lower maintenance costs along the way.

[IFallsRon]

My 88 Silverado extended-cab (4.3 l 145,000 mi) still gets decent mileage pulling the camper (3,000-4,000 lbs. depending on load) and running air. I keep thinking that I'll retire it from that function but it continues to perform and regardless of how long/short the trip, we still load up the back with more dump than anyone would ever use on any trip. My Suburban with the V-8 pulls the camper with any kind of load like there's nothing behind. On the road it gets 15-17 and sometimes better.

Best thing to remember is that the faster you go with a big rig the worse the mpg.

[riverrat56]

If you have a truck why not keep that for towning, then go out and find an old beater honda civic for 500 bucks to drive around town or to work. If that is a feasable (sp?) option i think it would be the way to go, unless you want good gas mileage while towing, then Diesel is the only way to go.

[danfall]

Switch over to Compressed Natural Gas with diesel or gas option; its coming. You can even fill up at home.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Has anyone had experience with the Honda Ridgeline? I won't be in the market for a while, but am curious about them.

[92python]

The Toyota Highlander Hybrid is supposed to tow 3500 and get around 30MPG. I will believe it when I see it. I wonder what kind of mileage it will get while towing.

[DrKen]

Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 4.0 inline six. Pulls up to 5000 lbs. The inline six delivers it torque low in the rpm range and it pulls very well. More room than the liberty diesel and about same mileage. The liberty is rated at 20-22mpg with a diesel hwy if i remember what I read right. The cherokee does about the same. I have had 4 of them with the sixes and they are bullet proof. My 96 has 156,000 miles on it with no major repairs, burns 1 qt between changes and makes 19.5mpg around town. Great rig at a reasonable price. The new Trailblazer also has a good inline six and makes about the same mileage for my son.

[jig n' jerk]

I'm with river rat. I have a 96 Acura SLX for towing my boat(It only gets 15 mpg while towing). But I have a 95 ford aspire that gets 36 mpg while beating on it and 43 mpg if you baby it. The Ford actually doubles as my ice fishin rig (at least most of the time). I put the portable on the roof and I have enough room inside to carry two guys gear and clothing for a weekend. I brought it up to URL last winter and it did just fine(no snowbank busting but the beast could make it around all the plowed roads and even following my buddies toyota tundra trough the deep stuff). Thats my two cents!

Kurt Joly

[JohnMickish]

I second the two vehicle setup. I have a Dodge for towing ANYTHING I want and a Cavalier that gets no less than 33 mpg I drive around in. It took a while to convice the wife to let me do it that way but she is happy I did.