Real Life Towing MPG: E350 vs Suburban vs Yukon XL

I average 7.5 mpg with my 8.1L 4wd Suburban. I haul at 65 mph however and I have a fairly tall trailer that is pretty vertical in the front. The real downside is non-towing mph which is 10-12.5. We mostly just use it for towing and it works great for us. It sounds like the newer 6-speed vans would be best for you, the others gave you some great advice. Good luck.

MolinuWanderer wrote:
Thanks for the input everyone! It sounds like the difference will be negligible. With mom and dad, and four kids ages 9 to 1.5 a dog and a cat, I think we are going to end up going with the cargo van type setup. We will be able to take out that last row in a 12 passenger and use it for storage and the dog. I would much rather have more room for everyone to spread out, as we are selling the house and road schooling with the kids while my husband travel nurses for a year. 4WD is not imperative as we will not be driving in the snow. Thanks so much again for the input!

I would recommend a Certified PreOwned (CPO) Express 3500 with the 6.0 V8. I used cars.com and autotrader to watch prices and mileage. The price on the Express has been rising, as GM is producing less vans. However, if you monitor the availability, the price will fluctuate when more of them are on the market. As noted, the CPO gives you 12 months and 12k miles of full warranty coverage.

Thanks for the input everyone! It sounds like the difference will be negligible. With mom and dad, and four kids ages 9 to 1.5 a dog and a cat, I think we are going to end up going with the cargo van type setup. We will be able to take out that last row in a 12 passenger and use it for storage and the dog. I would much rather have more room for everyone to spread out, as we are selling the house and road schooling with the kids while my husband travel nurses for a year. 4WD is not imperative as we will not be driving in the snow. Thanks so much again for the input!

From my experience, the 6.0/6sp (was in Silverado with cap) was 1 mpg better than my 8.1. As for vehicles, I just acquired a Certified PreOwned 2014 Express 3500. This gets me a 12 months/12k mile complete warranty. This also gets me 24 months of free maintenance. This 2014 was cheaper than 2008 Suburban 2500s that I saw. Mine has 3200 payload, and a 9700 tow rating. If you shop, you can find them with power seat and power mirrors. Some have backup camera's and backup sensors.

And Dick B's experience has proven the power of the 6.0L is lower than the 8.1L, so it has to rev more on hills than the 8.1L. The 6-spd trans starting in 2008 really helps with that IMHO that it almost makes up for the lower power compared to 8.1L.

Depending on your actual RV and weight of family, you may look at the 2007+ GM SUVs with 6.2L/6-spd in the half ton Yukon Denali XL and Escalade. I've never heard anyone complain about power from those combos.

I had the older Suburban 2500 with the 8.1L engine and got 9 mpg; 10 with the wind and 8 against the wind. Traded it in for a 2011 Suburban with the 6.0L engine and get 9 mpg; 10 with the wind and 8 against the wind. No that is not a hiccup. The only advantage to the newer Suburban was highway mpg but I never drive on the highway unless towing. See above for mpg when towing.

Suburban 2500 and Yukon XL have the same drivetrains, the Yukon is better appointed inside. Agree with APT, the GM 6.0L/6 speed transmission is a nice combo, and the van is way cheaper if you don't need 4WD.

Seems like the V10 and the GM 6.0 do about the same towing, but the 6.0/6-speed combo gets about 3 MPG better when not towing. The 8.1L is the thirstiest, but they all use so much fuel towing the difference is probably trivial.

All gas engines budget 8mpg. You might get 9-10mpg depending on wind direction and if that specific tank is downhill. For the Ford, get the V10. For the GM, get the 8.1L if you are looking at -06. Skip the 2007 IMHO and go 08+ 3/4 tons for slightly newer. Since you are open to vans, check out the 2010+ GM 1-tons. The 6.0L/6-spd is a great combo at about half the cost of an equivalent Suburban.

FWIW, GM offers a detuned Duramax in their full sized vans since. I would budget for 11mpg for a diesel.

After reading various RV forums for over 10 years the average MPG of the tow vehicles you mentioned will be very similar. Most people report from 8 to 12 MPG with the average falling around 10 MPG.

Here's the way to look at MPG.... The quality time you will be spending with your family is a lot more valuable than the money you will spend on the trip. I'm close to 62 and I still look back with fond memories of the trips across country we took with our parents each summer as I grew up. I came from a family of 4 boys. We tented in the 50s and then traveled in RV's in the 60s to 70s.

Another thing to keep in mind the money you will be saving by not being at home. Reduced electric and water costs as well as other expenses associated with being home (my wife shops more when at home than when out on the road).

Get the biggest safest vehicle you can afford and enjoy the trip. Be comfortable. Don't worry about MPG....