7.5 MPG Towing Mini Lite with Toyota Sequoia

[tyler811]

We had a 08 Chevy Trailer 4.3 towing our (since sold) 16 FT Extreme Lite and had the same thing. We were hitting 8-10 mpg and stopping every 2 hours for fuel.

We went out and bought a 14 Ram Eco Diesel and got 12-13 mpg. Towing 6500 pds now with same truck and getting 11-12 mpg. Driving 65-68 with both vehicles and trailers.

[Thatdarncat]

Had a 2500 GMC gasser once, it could suck fuel faster than you could breathe air.
The F-150 3.5 ecoboost would be a good choice, but your mileage while towing in mixed terrain may be a disappointment.
You are going to have eco or boost but not both together

[dsrace]

Originally Posted by IsleDog

I have a similar size trailer (17RP 5500lbs max) and a 2009 F150 3v 5.4L max tow, crew cab, 6.5 box, 3.73 gearing. worst i got was 9 mpg and best is 14. average is 12. all towing is at 60 mph or below.

your gearing is going to be the killer here. but your mileage sounds about right.

this is very true! deeper gearing will help get your engine the rpm it's most efficient at. mine is 2200 to 2400 rpm.


btw mpg's mean very little while towing a camper. the most important parts is a safe tv that is comfortable to drive plus capable of holding ground speed! i say this because if you compare the fuel cost diff between 7 mpg and 9 mpg on a 900 mile drive ...couple hundred more dollars to $1600 trip? that's not much in the big picture.

[msfogal]

Hi we a 2018 Ford xlt with the 3.5 v-6, 10 speed trans, 3.55 axle with max tow package; we tow 2109 Rockwood Mini-lite 4,750 lbs dry, loaded 5,600 lbs, going 60 mph, on flat ground - we get a consistent 12 mpg. Headwinds or hill climbing 9 mpg
If I was towing anything above 6,800 lbs, I would get 3/4 ton F-250

[Ruggybuggy]

Originally Posted by msfogal

Hi we a 2018 Ford xlt with the 3.5 v-6, 10 speed trans, 3.55 axle with max tow package; we tow 2109 Rockwood Mini-lite 4,750 lbs dry, loaded 5,600 lbs, going 60 mph, on flat ground - we get a consistent 12 mpg. Headwinds or hill climbing 9 mpg
If I was towing anything above 6,800 lbs, I would get 3/4 ton F-250

I'm getting around the same mpg towing a 2018 Freedom Express 204RD weighting in around 5500 lbs loaded using my 2018 Tacoma 3.5l. Best I ever got was around 14mpg and the worst was 8mpg. I usually see 12mpg.

[SailorSam20500]

After reading a bit of this thread, I got curious about how my F-150 is doing. So, I got some of my Fuely records and did the calculation for our trip from Michigan to the Grand Canyon/Albuquerque rally last fall. 6,304 miles burned 584 gallons. Translates to an overall average of 10.8 MPG.

36 gallon tank meant that I could do my 300 miles per day without filling up. Trailer weighs in at 6,950 lbs ready for camping. Truck is unmodified - stock as delivered.

[lilmikey_ab]

Originally Posted by 45RPM

I cannot find the specific tow capacity on our Sequoia but in searching I find 7900# on the low end and 10,000# max. The 2509S Mini Lite we tow is 5170# empty from the factory with a 1624# payload capacity totaling (max) 6694# which is well below the towing capacity. Still, 7.5 MPG seems quite low. I was travelling at 62-65 MPH on flat highways and having to stop for gas every 2 hours!

I am thinking of selling the Sequoia and getting a Ford F150 w/EcoBoost 6 cyl. I've heard they will get 10-11 MPG while towing.

If anyone has any thoughts, I'd be happy to hear 'em.

-Rich

I realize I am late to this topic.. sorry, I am a busy guy..
The max towing capacity on a 2019 Sequoia is 7100 lbs.. this is on a 4wd unit.. that's all we get here in canada.. keep in mind that towing capacity also works on gross weight.. if you have 4 or 5 adults in the vehicle with gear, you could be upward of 1000lbs on payload, so, with a 5170lb dry trailer, plus your 1000 minimum weight in vehicle payload, you're not that far off..
Also, keep in mind you're towing a sail behind you..
I am part of many forums including a superduty forum.. the most common question I see is what are you getting for fuel economy..
Now, I realize a sequoia is a long way from a 1 ton truck.. but, i bought my f350 so i could pull a house.. not for fuel economy...
If i want fuel economy, I'll drive my corolla...
I'm sorry if I sound harsh.. but.. you need to match your tow vehicle to your trailer.. do some research..
I didn't see what year your sequoia was, but the ratings I stated are for a 2019..

[RobertK]

We drove from Heber City Utah to Jackson Hole Wyoming last week and got 19.5 mpg towing our Flagstaff travel trailer fully loaded. Must have had a tail wind that day because we usually get around 18 mpg towing our trailer with our Jeep Grand Cherokee with 5.7L hemi V-8. We got 8 mpg with every other RV we ever owned, so we are delighted with this SUV/RV combination.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by RobertK

We drove from Heber City Utah to Jackson Hole Wyoming last week and got 19.5 mpg towing our Flagstaff travel trailer fully loaded. Must have had a tail wind that day because we usually get around 18 mpg towing our trailer with our Jeep Grand Cherokee with 5.7L hemi V-8. We got 8 mpg with every other RV we ever owned, so we are delighted with this SUV/RV combination.

You don't have a travel trailer, you have a low profile A-frame trailer. That's why your fuel mileage is higher than a conventional high profile travel trailer, which is what the OP has.
Not a fair comparison.

[Gerogesin]

Towing a 5500lb 21footer on my 2017 ram cc 5.7 8spd 3.21 yields about 8-12mpg depending on wind and hills. You'll have to accept the fact that towing = gas and that your sequoia is amongst the worse in mpg. But the iforce 5.7 is bulletproof and I'd be in a tundra if Toyota was willing to wheel and deal when I bought my ram.

[45RPM]

The tow capacity that I've seen goes from a low of 7700 to a high of 9700#. I've looked in the manual, on line, in Trailer Life Tow Ratings, on Toyota's website, etc with nothing concrete.
I am familiar with payload capacity. Just DW and me with some gear.
It's not just MPG that I'm concerned about - it's fuel capacity. With this Sequoia, I'm stopping every 2.25 to 2.5 hours for fuel. Gets real tiring.
So instead of adding a fuel tank to a 10 year old Sequoia, I'd rather research newer vehicles and have the added bonus of maybe better fuel economy as well as more modern electronics!

[babock]

Originally Posted by 45RPM

I'd rather research newer vehicles and have the added bonus of maybe better fuel economy as well as more modern electronics!

After having my F-150 with a 36 gallon tank, wouldn't want anything smaller. Without the trailer we get over 20MPG and have a 700 mile range. Can't beat that!


Even with the trailer we have a 350 mile range.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by babock

After having my F-150 with a 36 gallon tank, wouldn't want anything smaller. Without the trailer we get over 20MPG and have a 700 mile range. Can't beat that!


Even with the trailer we have a 350 mile range.

x2!

[msfogal]

I am very happy with my 2018 F-150, V-6, with a max tow package. I pull a 2109S Micro Lite Rockwood (fully loaded 5,600 lbs) I drive between 60 - 65 mph, I get 12-13 mpg on flat land and I get 10 mpg going through the mountains. I recommend not exceeding 6,000 lbs with F150 if you have any hopes of getting decent gas mileage. I did a lot of research before purchasing truck and trailer, to get the perfect match. If I ever consider buy a longer or heavier trailer I would purchase a 3/4 ton pick-up.