26 replies to this topic

[John D]

I will not purchase a new truck camper combination incapable of less than 20 miles per gallon of gasoline or 25 miles per gallon of diesel. No doubt, plenty of the readers of this forum drive trucks with slide in campers that do considerably better. I would be quite interested in details about rigs that are achieving higher fuel economy because I am in the market for a new truck camper combination that makes sense for 2010 and beyond.

Does anyone drive a Hilux with a 4 cylinder engine and manual transmission equipped with one of the light weight campers? Is anyone getting 30 miles per gallon with a truck camper? It should be possible. John D

[Barko1]

As others have said,more is better. I went from a 4.6 F150 for my Granby but moved to a 7.3 F250 for it. The 150 worked(and worked and worked) but the 250 is stronger/safer and gets 15 with the camper which is better than the 150 did. The 7.3 never strains whereas the gas had trouble getting out of its' own way. Find an lower mileage 7.3 for relatively cheap

[ScottBailey]

I will not purchase a new truck camper combination incapable of less than 20 miles per gallon of gasoline or 25 miles per gallon of diesel. No doubt, plenty of the readers of this forum drive trucks with slide in campers that do considerably better. I would be quite interested in details about rigs that are achieving higher fuel economy because I am in the market for a new truck camper combination that makes sense for 2010 and beyond.

Does anyone drive a Hilux with a 4 cylinder engine and manual transmission equipped with one of the light weight campers? Is anyone getting 30 miles per gallon with a truck camper? It should be possible. John D

I think you should hang on. The Mahindras are supposed to hit the market early next year. They should exceed 25mpg diesel and easily carry a camper.

[John D]

Our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan call those "bongo trucks", don't they? Nevertheless, there is no question that India will make good trucks at cheap prices. I am certainly open to trying one. I have known about Tata trucks for many years. Most of these are heavy trucks, aren't they? So, lets hear more about Indian trucks and maybe Detroit will open their ears a bit more. They made a big mistake in being arrogant about Japanese cars. Lets see if they do this again with Indian trucks.

I have been seeing "Made in India" on vehicle replacement parts for a number of years now and found these parts to be satisfactory. Obviously, the next step is a complete vehicle.

Do others in the forum know that Detroit refuses to make a half ton truck with a manual transmission? That arrogance is the kind of practice that will cause this customer to try an Indian truck. Frankly, it is offensive that Detroit refuses to make a half ton truck with a manual transmission. _John D

[craig333]

Sure is. Was just watching a GMC commercial. Unloaded truck turns and comes to a stop. You can see it swaying. Whoa, it does that unloaded? Makes you thing the automotive ceo's might not even drive a truck.

[pods8]

Does anyone drive a Hilux with a 4 cylinder engine and manual transmission equipped with one of the light weight campers? Is anyone getting 30 miles per gallon with a truck camper? It should be possible. John D

If Toyota was selling them with that diesel state side I would have likely bought one when looking last year.

[cabezon23]

I'm driving my 03 Tacoma, which might be a little overweight with 4 people, the dog and loaded camper. But going slow on my beloved Mexican roads, we still get 16 - 18 mpg. Without the Bobcat I get 18 - 22mpg.
If there is a Taco driving slow on the highway, it might be me doing the turtle thing. But hey, we get where we want to go.

[BSS]

I have a 96 Tacoma 4x4 single cab with 2.7L. and 94 Ranger 2. It gets a steady 20 mpg fully loaded on the highway. I'm happy with that. I think I'd need to buy a mega-diesel to do better than 20.

[chnlisle]

And to be able to get up a hill with everyone else.

[Skeeter]

I attain 28-31 on the highway with our 98' Ford Ranger. It only has a 2.5L 4 banger, but my camper has been converted to a shell model so the weight is minimal. I also use "hyper" mile techniques and with more practice, I should be able to get up to 35. You cannot be in a hurry with this setup. -Joel