I am researching a new truck and am considering a diesel (not sure which one yet) or a Toyota Tundra with the 5.7 liter engine. Whatever I get, it will be a used one. I have read about all of the many advantages of a diesel (in the post above--much of which gets a bit emotional) and accept the fact that it is better for towing than a gasser, but of course I will be doing more than just towing and money is a factor. My ultimate goal is reliability, lowest total ownership cost, and towing performance—in that order. Total ownership cost will depend largely on gas mileage both towing and not towing. For those of you who own diesels, what gas mileage do you get when towing at roughly 65mph and with what weight trailer? How about when not towing?My other question is about reliability. I have heard people say that a diesel will last forever, but have also heard that some of the Ford engines can be very maintenance intensive and I understand that fixing a diesel can be pricey. If diesels are truly more reliable than gassers, then that is a big consideration for me, and also may prompt me to buy an older / higher mileage truck than I would get with a gasser. I want something that will be as reliable as possible and that I can keep for a long time / lots of miles. ----------------------------------------------------------------------Edit: I don't need a diesel necessarily. My trailer is only 5k pounds. I may upgrade to something bigger in the future. I just don't like the really, really crappy gas mileage I currently get towing---7-8 mpg with my 06 Tundra (a little underpowered and only gets 14 on the highway unloaded). Matt

I guess a lot depends on the trailer (TT or 5er) that will be towing.

x2 on what you will be towing and where you will be towing it. The Tundra is generally unsuitable for any sort of heavy towing since they have very limited carrying capacity. You need to stick with the 3 more or less American brands: Ford, Fiat(Dodge) or Government(GM)If you are thinking about a 5th wheel then diesel is the way to go unless you stick to the flatlands.I get between 11-13 mpg towing our 5ver depending on headwind and road grade. I get 18.5 or so without the trailer. A gas engine will be substantially worse than that towing.We have had zero maintenance except for a replacement battery strap and a replaced 120v outlet socket. Total time about 30 minutes at the dealer. Not counting the normal oil changes and such. If you buy used be very careful which model year you end up with. Avoid the 6.0L Ford engine for example.

You can't make the blanket statement that diesels are more (or less) reliable than gassers because everything depends on whether the manufacturer did the job right in the first place. IN THEORY, diesels should outlast gassers by virtue of lower operating speed AND the fact that in order to withstand the higher compression ratios, the block, head, rods, etc HAVE to be stronger than they are in a gasser. But as GM proved in the '70s, it is possible to build a diesel that will blow up within 40,000 miles because it was designed all wrong.My advice here is to research the reliability of each of the candidates, and not rely on any vaunted class theoretical reliability hocus-pocus.Now, my TV is a diesel, albeit a Jeep Liberty. It has a 2.8 liter, 4 cylinder diesel, and I get around 26 mpg overall not towing, and sometimes as high as 34 mpg. Towing the 5,000 lb full-height/width TT that is the maximum it is rated to pull, I average about 14 mpg, but I have gotten as high as 16 and as low as 9 (albeit towing that rig into a 50 mph head wind, a mistake I'll not repeat).I also have to say that this particular vehicle has been the least reliable vehicle I've ever owned in my 50 years of driving. But that is NOT due to it's being a diesel, it is due to it's being one of only 15,000 in the US, a test marketing vehicle, that was poorly thought out. I've worked most of the bugs out now, and plan to keep it, but I wouldn't buy another one.

If a Toyota is in mix than you don't need a much of a pickup. So if whatever your towing is half ton towable, I would use a gas pickup over any diesel. I have had 5 Duramax trucks my 08 Duramax has never missed a day of work in just under 100K miles. They are almost in my view totally dependable and powerful. A head gasket in my 5500 is the most I have ever spent in a million Duramax miles and that was due to a dumbassed employee. Yet I would still buy a gas (I would get a 2500HD if it were me) over a diesel for your purpose. If your pulling real heavy than it is a no brainer, but if gas is an option at the weight your pulling at, than gas is a better choice in my view. I never thought that way until I bought my 2012 2500HD with a 6.0 liter.

ksss wrote:If a Toyota is in mix than you don't need a much of a pickup. So if whatever your towing is half ton towable, I would use a gas pickup over any diesel. I have had 5 Duramax trucks my 08 Duramax has never missed a day of work in just under 100K miles. They are almost in my view totally dependable and powerful. A head gasket in my 5500 is the most I have ever spent in a million Duramax miles and that was due to a dumbassed employee. Yet I would still buy a gas (I would get a 2500HD if it were me) over a diesel for your purpose. If your pulling real heavy than it is a no brainer, but if gas is an option at the weight your pulling at, than gas is a better choice in my view. I never thought that way until I bought my 2012 2500HD with a 6.0 liter.I would never buy a 250/2500. The price difference is minor when you are talking about the prices of one of these trucks new. And except for a heavier suspension the vehicles are identical. You may really regret saving a couple hundred bucks and then finding out down the road that you can't pull some rv you want. I do agree that if you are sure a half ton will work for you then get one but not a Toyota.

Diesel Gas Mileage and Reliability??? | Good Sam Community

25 Replies

agesilaus
Explorer III
Apr 08, 2014
ksss wrote:
If a Toyota is in mix than you don't need a much of a pickup. So if whatever your towing is half ton towable, I would use a gas pickup over any diesel. I have had 5 Duramax trucks my 08 Duramax has never missed a day of work in just under 100K miles. They are almost in my view totally dependable and powerful. A head gasket in my 5500 is the most I have ever spent in a million Duramax miles and that was due to a dumbassed employee. Yet I would still buy a gas (I would get a 2500HD if it were me) over a diesel for your purpose. If your pulling real heavy than it is a no brainer, but if gas is an option at the weight your pulling at, than gas is a better choice in my view. I never thought that way until I bought my 2012 2500HD with a 6.0 liter.

I would never buy a 250/2500. The price difference is minor when you are talking about the prices of one of these trucks new. And except for a heavier suspension the vehicles are identical. You may really regret saving a couple hundred bucks and then finding out down the road that you can't pull some rv you want. I do agree that if you are sure a half ton will work for you then get one but not a Toyota.
ksss
Explorer
Apr 08, 2014
If a Toyota is in mix than you don't need a much of a pickup. So if whatever your towing is half ton towable, I would use a gas pickup over any diesel. I have had 5 Duramax trucks my 08 Duramax has never missed a day of work in just under 100K miles. They are almost in my view totally dependable and powerful. A head gasket in my 5500 is the most I have ever spent in a million Duramax miles and that was due to a dumbassed employee. Yet I would still buy a gas (I would get a 2500HD if it were me) over a diesel for your purpose. If your pulling real heavy than it is a no brainer, but if gas is an option at the weight your pulling at, than gas is a better choice in my view. I never thought that way until I bought my 2012 2500HD with a 6.0 liter.
naturist
Nomad II
Apr 08, 2014
You can't make the blanket statement that diesels are more (or less) reliable than gassers because everything depends on whether the manufacturer did the job right in the first place. IN THEORY, diesels should outlast gassers by virtue of lower operating speed AND the fact that in order to withstand the higher compression ratios, the block, head, rods, etc HAVE to be stronger than they are in a gasser. But as GM proved in the '70s, it is possible to build a diesel that will blow up within 40,000 miles because it was designed all wrong.

My advice here is to research the reliability of each of the candidates, and not rely on any vaunted class theoretical reliability hocus-pocus.

Now, my TV is a diesel, albeit a Jeep Liberty. It has a 2.8 liter, 4 cylinder diesel, and I get around 26 mpg overall not towing, and sometimes as high as 34 mpg. Towing the 5,000 lb full-height/width TT that is the maximum it is rated to pull, I average about 14 mpg, but I have gotten as high as 16 and as low as 9 (albeit towing that rig into a 50 mph head wind, a mistake I'll not repeat).

I also have to say that this particular vehicle has been the least reliable vehicle I've ever owned in my 50 years of driving. But that is NOT due to it's being a diesel, it is due to it's being one of only 15,000 in the US, a test marketing vehicle, that was poorly thought out. I've worked most of the bugs out now, and plan to keep it, but I wouldn't buy another one.
agesilaus
Explorer III
Apr 08, 2014
x2 on what you will be towing and where you will be towing it. The Tundra is generally unsuitable for any sort of heavy towing since they have very limited carrying capacity. You need to stick with the 3 more or less American brands: Ford, Fiat(Dodge) or Government(GM)

If you are thinking about a 5th wheel then diesel is the way to go unless you stick to the flatlands.

I get between 11-13 mpg towing our 5ver depending on headwind and road grade. I get 18.5 or so without the trailer. A gas engine will be substantially worse than that towing.

We have had zero maintenance except for a replacement battery strap and a replaced 120v outlet socket. Total time about 30 minutes at the dealer. Not counting the normal oil changes and such. If you buy used be very careful which model year you end up with. Avoid the 6.0L Ford engine for example.
texasclarks
Explorer
Apr 08, 2014
I guess a lot depends on the trailer (TT or 5er) that will be towing.

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Diesel Gas Mileage and Reliability???

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