Newbie looking for lightweight
Hello everyone- I am a newbie, although lived in an airstream for a little while. My house is for sale and I want to live in my rv for awhile. Being on a limited income, I want to go lightweight an...
Forum Discussion
Let's talk gas mileage. When you are not towing, on average a V6 should get you somewhere between 2 and 4 mpg better than a V8 in the same or similar vehicle. When you are towing, the V6 advantage is likely to be 1 mpg or less. So you can try to estimate how many miles you think you'll drive towing and how many miles non-towing in a year, and see the cost difference. If you tend to stay in each spot for a long time, that difference will be quite inconsequential. But if you put on a ton of miles, it could add up.
Most vehicles towing a typical-shape (fairly boxy, conventional build) TT will get about 10 to 12 mpg. Even something like an R-Pod, according to some reports I read on an R-Pod owners' forum, pull the fuel economy down to about 12 or so. But people who tow a molded-fiberglass trailer like Scamp, Casita, Parkliner (built in NC), or Li'l Snoozy (built in SC) will get between 14 and 17 mpg because they have low rooflines with rounded corners and edges all around (which reduces wind resistance, the big factor in mpg and in how hard your engine works). And those who tow a popup trailer are likely to get 17 to 19 mpg; this category includes not just the tent trailers but also hardside popups like A-frames (Aliner, Chalet, etc.), Hi-Lo, and Trailmanor. All these numbers assume that you'll be driving about 60 mph on the highways; higher speeds will suck more fuel.
As for used SUVs, to tow a molded fiberglass 'egg' trailer or a popup, I would suggest taking a look at the 2008-2013 Toyota Highlander or a 2010+ Jeep Grand Cherokee with Pentastar V6. My Highlander has towed trailers for about 140,000 miles and is still going strong. (The V6 Rav4 has the same strong engine as the Highlander, but lower tow and hitch weight capacity, so you'd have to make sure your hitch was under 350 lb.) If you are getting a stick built, boxy TT I would recommend more power; the Grand Cherokee V8 and Lexus GX V8 are two such possibilities.
I've never had a motor home, but Class C's about 10-15 years old seem to be pretty affordable and often don't have many miles on them. If you could tow your Honda behind the C and use the Honda to run around the countryside for sightseeing and such, it really might be the most affordable approach. You may only get 9 mpg with the C, but offsetting that is the good fuel economy of the Honda and (I'm guessing) a smaller initial investment.
Most vehicles towing a typical-shape (fairly boxy, conventional build) TT will get about 10 to 12 mpg. Even something like an R-Pod, according to some reports I read on an R-Pod owners' forum, pull the fuel economy down to about 12 or so. But people who tow a molded-fiberglass trailer like Scamp, Casita, Parkliner (built in NC), or Li'l Snoozy (built in SC) will get between 14 and 17 mpg because they have low rooflines with rounded corners and edges all around (which reduces wind resistance, the big factor in mpg and in how hard your engine works). And those who tow a popup trailer are likely to get 17 to 19 mpg; this category includes not just the tent trailers but also hardside popups like A-frames (Aliner, Chalet, etc.), Hi-Lo, and Trailmanor. All these numbers assume that you'll be driving about 60 mph on the highways; higher speeds will suck more fuel.
As for used SUVs, to tow a molded fiberglass 'egg' trailer or a popup, I would suggest taking a look at the 2008-2013 Toyota Highlander or a 2010+ Jeep Grand Cherokee with Pentastar V6. My Highlander has towed trailers for about 140,000 miles and is still going strong. (The V6 Rav4 has the same strong engine as the Highlander, but lower tow and hitch weight capacity, so you'd have to make sure your hitch was under 350 lb.) If you are getting a stick built, boxy TT I would recommend more power; the Grand Cherokee V8 and Lexus GX V8 are two such possibilities.
I've never had a motor home, but Class C's about 10-15 years old seem to be pretty affordable and often don't have many miles on them. If you could tow your Honda behind the C and use the Honda to run around the countryside for sightseeing and such, it really might be the most affordable approach. You may only get 9 mpg with the C, but offsetting that is the good fuel economy of the Honda and (I'm guessing) a smaller initial investment.
