Durango SRT vs Expedition gas mileage

[OldRock]

I’m planning to trade up from my 2012 Dodge Durango tow vehicle to either a 2019 Durango SRT or a 2019 Ford Expedition. I’m towing around 6500 lbs.

Can anyone towing with either of those tell me what kind of gas mileage you’re getting. The SRT requires premium gas so it would need to need to get better mileage to offset the extra cost per gallon.

Thanks

[pgandw]

Gas mileage is more dependent on effective frontal area of your trailer than weight - far more. Air resistance goes up as the square of the speed - it takes 4 times the energy to pull your trailer at 70mph compared to 35mph.

Making a more aerodynamic shape (like Airstream) reduces the coefficient, but not the squaring of the velocity in the drag equation.

Going from a 5ft high pop-up to a 5ft 7" pop-up, with everything else staying the same, took me from 17mpg to 15mpg. I can definitely feel the difference of the 12% frontal area increase. Increasing speed from 65 to 72 mph (the new trailer has 75 mph tires) reduces my mileage to between 13.5 and 14.0 mph. These figures are at 6,000 ft (average), and will go lower at sea level.

A full height travel trailer will probably average 9-10 mpg when pulled with a gas engine at 65mph. Again, air resistance of the trailer is considerably larger than any other engine load when towing at highway speeds.

Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

[upflying]

Isn't the Durango SRT a hot rod of sorts with a 475hp Hemi? Sometimes those factory high performance vehicles have reduced tow ratings.
Kind of a bit different than the Expedition with the 3.5 Ecoboost.
I would think the Ford will get better mpg

[67L48]

There will always be the exception where a guy towed a 20,000 lb gooseneck up a 15% grade for 80 miles and got 43 mpg. However, most of the time, when towing a conventional trailer (read: a big box with terrible aerodynamics), fuel economy will be in the 7 - 12 mpg range. Less if you're going up grades, more if you're flat.

Generally speaking, the larger trucks and bigger engines add lots of grunt, convenience, possibly safety, and overall capability. They do not, however, do much for fuel economy. Maybe a couple of ticks here or there, but it's basically a wash.

[bikendan]

I'm pretty sure the Expy will get better mpg, than the SRT.

[OldRock]

Thanks to everyone for the general comments and information. However, I was hoping to get some data from someone with actual experience towing with either of these vehicles. For example, with my current 2012 Durango I usually get anywhere from 9.5 to 10.5 mpg on a long trip; occasionally 11.

I've towed my trailer approximately 25,000 miles over the past four years. I know there are a lot of variables involved in gas mileage, but anyone using these SUVs as a TV is likely to have somewhat similar trailers. I like the size, ride and handling of my Durango, but I want a little more performance headroom for towing.

The Expedition has better EPA numbers, but I wondered if its towing economy might suffer more with the smaller engine.

In case anyone is interested here's a quick comparison of the three vehicles.

2012 Durango (and current models other than the SRT): 5.7 liter V8; tow capacity 7200 lbs; 360 HP; 390 ft-lbs torque. When not towing: 14/20 mpg.

2019 Durango SRT: 6.4 liter V8; tow capacity 8700 lbs; 475 HP; 470 ft-lbs torque. When not towing: 13/19 mpg (requires 91 octane gas); 0-60 in 4.4 sec.

2019 Expedition (standard): 3.5 liter Ecoboost V6; tow capacity 9200 lbs; 375 HP; 470 ft-lbs torque. When not towing: 17/22 mpg (87 octane gas).

[backon4]

Our 2018 expedition (3.5 Ecoboost) gets 21-22 on the highway on its own, and when towing drops down to 15, and less in a head wind. We're only pulling a 21DS that's around 5000 lbs loaded though. I really love the 10 speed transmission which can always find a comfortable gear with very smooth shifting back and forth.

[Hersbird]

Wait for the 2020 version on the ecodiesel in the Grand Cherokee or the Gladiator if you want all that torque but with much better economy.

[OldRock]

Originally Posted by backon4

Our 2018 expedition (3.5 Ecoboost) gets 21-22 on the highway on its own, and when towing drops down to 15, and less in a head wind. We're only pulling a 21DS that's around 5000 lbs loaded though. I really love the 10 speed transmission which can always find a comfortable gear with very smooth shifting back and forth.

Thanks Backon4, that's very encouraging. Can I ask how fast you usually travel when towing? I try to keep it under 60.

[backon4]

We are probably closer to 65 with the speed limits 70 and everybody driving 75 plus. Without the trailer I set the cruise at 72 and still get over 20 mph. The Expedition gets better mileage than I did with the Explorer we had prior both towing and by itself. To be fair, the 2013 Explorer started out 21mpg but by the time we upgraded it had 255,000 miles so I'm not complaining. It was at it's weight limit for towing the 21DS though so it was time.

[TomLerch]

We own a 2018 Expedition Max w HD Tow (3.73) and tow a 6770 dry weight trailer (Flagstaff 27BHWS) loaded w 850 lbs of stuff. About 7700 lbs total. We get about 6.5 MPG towing and 18 when not towing. I am driving at 65 MPH most of the time. I go about 175 miles before looking for a fuel station. ��

[Cost4133]

so we tow semi regularly with a 2015 SRT grand Cherokee (same drivetrain as the Durango.

trailer is a Grey Wolf 24js (weight around 5200 loaded), we get 12-12.4mpg towing with cruise set at 62

[OldRock]

I decided on the Expedition Limited with all the bells and whistles for towing. Haven’t towed with it yet but Very happy with it so far.

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by OldRock

I decided on the Expedition Limited with all the bells and whistles for towing. Haven’t towed with it yet but Very happy with it so far.

That's the 8 passenger SUV I would buy today as well. I can't afford it, but am glad others can an do because in 5-10 years I will be able to pick one up used.