Gas mileage when pulling with a van

[wingsfan-TMO]

We are looking at a TM 2619 or 2720 and are wondering what kind of gas mileage we would get pulling it with a Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna van. I know the TM website says you will get around 18 mpg, but would like to hear from people who are actually pulling with such a vehicle what their gas mileage is. Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[ThePair]

I normally get ~18 MPG with my '06 Sienna just driving around town. I've not really noticed a big hit while towing, maybe ~16 at worst, but likely closer to 17-18, but I'm not all that compulsive about tracking it, either. That being said, I almost exclusively tow on highways, so the decrease from the TM is likely offset by the improvement in normal highway driving MPG.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

We are looking at a TM 2619 or 2720 and are wondering what kind of gas mileage we would get pulling it with a Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna van. I know the TM website says you will get around 18 mpg, but would like to hear from people who are actually pulling with such a vehicle what their gas mileage is. Any help is greatly appreciated!

I calculate gas mileage pretty carefully from fillup to fillup. Gas mileage is generally down for everybody these days because of the ethanol they're putting in gas (ethanol gives you only 2/3 of the miles per gallon as gasoline, so 10% ethanol gas is only 94% as good as a motor fuel).

I'm getting about 22 on the highway solo, 19 around town, and 16 on recent towing trips.

A weight distributing hitch and brake controller are mandatory accessories, of course.

 

[moaboy]

I have towed with a 2000 Honda Ody and it depends:
Flat and little wind-per TM ad, little impact 10% less or so
Wind - bit more of an impact but not too bad
Hills - now it starts to impact mileage especially as my older Ody only has a 4 speed and it drops down a gear. If you have a newer model with the 5 speed that would help.
Mountains- mileage down to mid to low teens
Worst case scenario mts and wind, low teens.
Steady stop and go traffic also knocks mileage down to mid to low teens.
I should add my Ody, while not overpowered pulls my 2720 well and is very stable.
Also I travel with a Honda generator, extra fridge, kids, etc in the TV, traveling lighter certainly would help.
It also helps to keep one's speed down.

Good luck.

 

[wheeler09]

26-28 mpg

I have a 2720sl and i pull with a 2008 caddy srx. and love the gas mileage. enjoy!! tms are great.:new_newbi

 

[Dog Lady]

Gas Mileage 15 avg

I tow my 2619 with a 2002 Honda Odyssey. My average on a 4000 mile trip from FL to IL going through the mountains and driving on flats was 15 mpg

Make sure you stick to the weight limits and the Odyssey will tow it just fine.

One thing to mention is that we added rear air bags to help with those bumpy roads and we went by the Odyssey manual all the way with the towing requirements.

Dog Lady

 

[PopBeavers]

I tow my 2619 with a 2002 Honda Odyssey. My average on a 4000 mile trip from FL to IL going through the mountains and driving on flats was 15 mpg

Make sure you stick to the weight limits and the Odyssey will tow it just fine.

One thing to mention is that we added rear air bags to help with those bumpy roads and we went by the Odyssey manual all the way with the towing requirements.

Dog Lady

I would have expected better mileage than that. I tow 4,000 pounds in my TM, plus about 1,200 pounds in the bed of my 5 passenger crew cab truck.

I get about 12 mpg towing on flat ground and 10 mpg towing up and over 9,000 feet.

It looks like my 12 is not bad compared to your 15. Especially if I include cargo capacity and the ability to tow in mountains. My 13-16 around town is terrible.

If you can see oak trees or aspens growing, then you are in the foothills. On a mountain top, there are no trees.

 

[scrubjaysnest-TMO]

I tow my 2619 with a 2002 Honda Odyssey. My average on a 4000 mile trip from FL to IL going through the mountains and driving on flats was 15 mpg

Make sure you stick to the weight limits and the Odyssey will tow it just fine.

One thing to mention is that we added rear air bags to help with those bumpy roads and we went by the Odyssey manual all the way with the towing requirements.

Dog Lady

I am like PopBeavers would have thought it would be better then that.
For our trip last year, 7 to 8 months, from Fl up through Tn, Va, WV and Ga. Then down through AR and Tx we averaged 13 MPG towing a heaver 2720 SL. We had some elevation around 7000 feet but most was 3000 to 6000. We have a Dodge crew cab the seats 6 with fiberglass topper. Its four wheel drive and we had a 10 foot jon boat on top of the topper. Truck cargo plus two adults was close to 1000# and the TM was near 4000#.
Both the TV and TM have been put on a diet for this year.

 

[rvcycleguy]

I would think that the Odyessy is pulling near the max weight in relation to mpg. The crew cabs you both have are just barely towing compared to your towing capacity. My Tundra with the 4.7 V8 got 13.5mpg at elevations of up to 8000ft in northern AZ recently towing from Texas. I was carrying a motorcycle, 2 weeks of gear, camping equipment and towing the 3124KB. Total GCCW was 9000lbs.

 

[PopBeavers]

I would think that the Odyessy is pulling near the max weight in relation to mpg. The crew cabs you both have are just barely towing compared to your towing capacity. My Tundra with the 4.7 V8 got 13.5mpg at elevations of up to 8000ft in northern AZ recently towing from Texas. I was carrying a motorcycle, 2 weeks of gear, camping equipment and towing the 3124KB. Total GCCW was 9000lbs.

Yup. I weigh 6300 pounds with just the empty truck. Not even a driver.

Another variable is number of gears. I have 6. This helps. So does, IMO, having tow/haul mode.

But I am getting off topic. I'll leave this to those tht have the same or similar vehicle.

 

[rumbleweed]

It is not necessarily how much weight you are towing that changes the mpg tow vs non-tow mpg, it is the percentage of total weight increase . On my 2500HD I get low mpg ( about 12-15 mpg) without the TM and the same low mpg with the TM.

 

[moaboy]

Ok, let's compare mileage when we are not towing...which is easily 90% of my total miles driven. (i'm sad to say until I retire) My Ody gets upwards of 20 mpg city driving and upwards of 25 mpg highway. For now that is where my real savings are generated, especially over the longer term.

 

[scrubjaysnest-TMO]

Ok, let's compare mileage when we are not towing...which is easily 90% of my total miles driven. (i'm sad to say until I retire) My Ody gets upwards of 20 mpg city driving and upwards of 25 mpg highway. For now that is where my real savings are generated, especially over the longer term.

My Dodge gets 16 and your Ody can't get into/out of the road to my house

 

[PopBeavers]

Ok, let's compare mileage when we are not towing...which is easily 90% of my total miles driven. (i'm sad to say until I retire) My Ody gets upwards of 20 mpg city driving and upwards of 25 mpg highway. For now that is where my real savings are generated, especially over the longer term.

I keep thinking about that.

We have three vehicles:

1. Lexus SUV. 20 mpg. My wife's daily driver. 20 miles round trip to work
2. Chevy 1500HD Crew Cab truck. 13.5 mpg. My daily driver. 20 miles round trip to work.
3. GMC 2500HD Crew Cab Truck. 13.5 mpg. Our spare vehicle and used for camping.

We use both trucks for camping, so I do not want to sell them. My wife, due to her bad knees, needs a car with the seat height above the rad similar to what she has. The trucks are too high. Most cars are too low. So the Lexus is a keeper.

I have considered buying a fourth vehicle, so I would get better gas mileage to work. Even with gas above $4.00 I can not cost justify adding another car. It makes no financial sense.

However, it is beginning to look like motorcycle time. My Yamaha gets around 70 mpg. That's about six bucks a week to commute to work. But I won't ride it if the roads are wet.

 

[rvcycleguy]

rode my M/C to work everyday this week in the HOV (commuter lane) . 30 miles round trip. 150 miles for less than $13.00.

 

[moaboy]

Scrub jay,
The issue isn't the virtues and vices of each vehicle, for the most part they each have them and I assume that is why we buy the ones we do.
We were discussing mpg / costs. As Edmunds and most auto authorities point out, while far from being sexy, minivans are one of the most flexible and low cost vehicles to operate when one factors in their size and people hauling ability.

 

[binsel]

Minivan?

Hi,
2417 with Cassette Toilet/Wet Bath option has a weight of 2300 lb. Do you think our minivan (Odyssey-3500lb limit) can SAFELY pull it with 3 kids and 5 bikes on long distances? I dont want to upgrade my towing vehicle but I dont want to damage its transmission either.
I suspect total weight will be around 3400 lb. It's within limits but not sure it's good for thousands of kms.

Thanks,

Burhan