Gas Mileage (real life)

Any have a comparison of real life MPG of a Tacoma with a topper....I've heard around 22 highway and 18 city

Next question....Do you personally find the MPG limitation worth the livability factor and/or durability/clearance factor?

I'm sure there are similar threads but could not find any answering this exact question.

Check out fuelly.com/car/toyota/tacoma

You can browse/search and compare individual results and overall statistics for a specific model.

I use the app and track the mileage on my van.

I keep a book of miles and gas used in car all the time, calculate mileage at every fill up of my car to be sure it's performing well. Weather and summer/winter blends of gas have some effect, but usually within 4 to 6 mpg the same every week, unless I get out on the highway for a long trip. Then I improve by over 10 mpg an go into upper 40's with ease. Small cars pay off gas wise. Hate how the cost go up right now during spring break and right into the summer holidays.

'99 V6
17.5 mpg @ 85 mph
19.5 mpg @ 70 mph

Both in winter at altitude.

Worth it.

honda civic vancouver -> yosemite and back 187$ ... toyota tacoma 331$ ... 144$ diff

honda civic vancouver -> canmore and back 109$ ... toyota tacoma 206$ ... 97$ diff

honda civic vancouver -> skaha and back 60$ ... toyota tacoma 103$ ... 43$ diff

honda civic vancouver -> smith rock and back 81$ ... toyota tacoma 160$ ... 79$ diff

so in a year, 1 yos trip, 1 canmore trip, 2 smith rock trips and 4 skaha weekend trips for example ... means 571$ difference ... that doesnt include driving around once yr there so lets make it 700$ even difference

thats 700$ alone on road trips, not including driving to and from the regular crags, or your regular normal day driving ...

so with the money you save on road trips alone, you can afford a new shiny rack every year

unless you NEED that off road capability, fuel efficient cars are the way to go

plus if you were really an enviroweenie tree hugging LNT climber ... you would try to minimize your fossil fuel usage anyways

gasbuddy.com/Trip_Calculato…

;)

I got a prius and get 50 mph on avg. You can't on off road but you can bivi in the back x 2 pep up to 6'4"

prius bivi

I have a 95' Toyota T100, it's bigger but has the same engine (3.4) that all the Tacoma's from that era had.

I get 20 on most trips. Occasionally I will get 19 but that is uncommon. In the summer, 21. In the mountains if I coast the hills in neutral, 22-24. In the city, 15-16. I drive like a grandma, never accelerate hard, and rarely go over 80. I'll do 73-75 for most freeways. I'm never late, it must not be a big problem.

My shell does not come any higher than the cab. It makes it a little tight to sleep on a platform but to me that is an acceptable sacrifice to the 2-3mpg hit that a raised topper can cause.

I have heard of Tacoma's in the same age as my truck with the 4 cylinder (not the 22re, whatever replaced it) getting 26-28 if you drive with no balls. The 2wd versions can get in the low 30's. I've seen that enough that I believe it. If you don't need to drive in the mountains, that's a good option for the same size.

It's all a wash in the end:

100mi trip in Tacoma w black coffee & 20 yo AC/DC cassette ~$20

100mi trip in Prius w soy chai pumpkin spice latte, organic free-range kale chips and Sarah McLachlan iTunes download ~$20

2012 Tacoma 4 cyl, 2.7 liter with topper 6" higher than cab with Yakima bars.
18.5 to 21. 21 in summer driving like a grandma,
19 o 19.5 driving 75, 19 or so driving round slc and canyons

On another note, an automotive engineer told me the best cheap way to improve mileage is to use a cleanable air filter like k&n

1998 Mazda B2500 (extended cab) pickup truck with a topper on the back. 4 cyl, 2WD, manual, standard sized tires albeit slightly knobby than the OEM.

25 city, 30 highway. I live in the desert, so while 4WD is nice, it really isn't necessary. I have chains, and know how to drive in snow when I go places that encounter that. It has better clearance than a car, I can sleep in the back, and as long as I don't have 4 people in it, I can go up mountain roads.

If you can get an older mazda 2wd truck, they do even better. Just my $0.02

I don't (yet) have a tacoma but I think it can really depend on a couple of factors - engine (4-cyl or V6), tires (size and aggressiveness of tread) and how you drive (grandma mode or hammering down).

This being said, I've seen and heard of people getting as good as 24-27 highway but also as low as 13-16 city.

Just sold my 2000 Tacoma 5 spd 4 cyl with 200 K miles, with Snugtop Hi-liner shell, for 5.5K. Used to get 22-25 mpg. Bought a new Suby with 30+ mpg.

Yes, I sometimes miss the high ground clearance, but the travel to and from is A LOT more comfortable. Now instead of sleeping in the back of my truck I set up my tent or sleep in the dirt.

Suby

mozeman wrote:Do you personally find the MPG limitation worth the livability factor and/or durability/clearance factor?

No. The clearance is meaningless IMO considering 99% of the climbing in the United States can be accessed with a Prius. And on the subject of the Prius, you can sleep in a Prius V with a reasonable amount of room and enjoy 40 MPG. The Prius V is reasonably large enough to accommodate one person, or less reasonably, two people.

I would say if you like to move around a lot, I would do the Prius V route, if you like to stay in one place forever and only go to a few places a year, go the truck/van/SUV route. If you are using the vehicle for your daily commuter, then dont go the truck/van/SUV route unless you really need the space as the cost will be huge relative to an economy car.

bearbreeder wrote:honda civic vancouver -> yosemite and back 187$ ... toyota tacoma 331$ ... 144$ diff honda civic vancouver -> canmore and back 109$ ... toyota tacoma 206$ ... 97$ diff honda civic vancouver -> skaha and back 60$ ... toyota tacoma 103$ ... 43$ diff honda civic vancouver -> smith rock and back 81$ ... toyota tacoma 160$ ... 79$ diff so in a year, 1 yos trip, 1 canmore trip, 2 smith rock trips and 4 skaha weekend trips for example ... means 571$ difference ... that doesnt include driving around once yr there so lets make it 700$ even difference thats 700$ alone on road trips, not including driving to and from the regular crags, or your regular normal day driving ... so with the money you save on road trips alone, you can afford a new shiny rack every year unless you NEED that off road capability, fuel efficient cars are the way to go plus if you were really an enviroweenie tree hugging LNT climber ... you would try to minimize your fossil fuel usage anyways gasbuddy.com/Trip_Calculato… ;)

I was in Hyalite earlier this year and watched someone like Beartoucher digging out their Civic. It looked like hard work.

Ray Pinpillage wrote: I was in Hyalite earlier this year and watched someone like Beartoucher digging out their Civic. It looked like hard work.

i was on MP earlier and watched someone like ray pinprick spend all day being a little jerk

it looks like hard work

wait it was him!!!

LOL

;)

I always figured people trying to sleep in their tiny little cars instead of on the ground were total n00bs, maybe I was wrong for all these years...

bearbreeder wrote:honda civic vancouver -> yosemite and back 187$ ... toyota tacoma 331$ ... 144$ diff honda civic vancouver -> canmore and back 109$ ... toyota tacoma 206$ ... 97$ diff honda civic vancouver -> skaha and back 60$ ... toyota tacoma 103$ ... 43$ diff honda civic vancouver -> smith rock and back 81$ ... toyota tacoma 160$ ... 79$ )

and if you really need to sleep in something other than a tent, at the rates Bearbreeder describes, you can simply get a cheap hotel for the weekend.

I drive a Fit and sleep comfortably in it. 38-42 mpg.

Priuses are waaaay to high on return on investment for me.

Had a friend who's Prius battery went up at 80k, just out of warranty. $3200 repair on a Toyota with 80K!

Sleeping and living are two different things. I am looking for this to be a vehicle where I can camp out of for weeks at a time. Not just sleep in for a few nights. I don't want to to do that in a car (while I'm sure it's more than capable for many, that is not my ideal situation) so with that said I am only interested in Truck vs. SUV/Wagon equivalent

As for clearance goes, I'd say about 40% of the places I go would be nice to have high clearance AND awd. Currently I have awd but not high clearance which makes driving to certain places hard, especially where higher clearance is a must.

With that said, I would argue hard that 99% of all crags don't need clearance or awd is not anywhere close to accurate.

Most people who say they need high clearance and 4WD just don't know how to drive. If i can get up Camp Bird in winter on bald tires, Turkey rocks in the summer and most 14er trailheads that are labeled 4WD then the idea that it is a need is a bit overblown. It's purely a convenience for which most pay a pretty penny. When i really need 4WD i can just borrow, rent, or drive with someone else. I slept in my hatchback for a couple weeks in Ouray off Camp Bird. It was fine. Climbers are supposed to be hard so put on your big girl panties and harden the fuck up! :)

Spent a total of 4 summers road tripping and wouldn't conceive of doing it in anything but a truck. Found ourselves in 4 lo at least 3-4 times a week...more so to reach that killer camping spot than the crag. Most free camping at the areas we frequented were not accessible by car. Your living area is completely separate from the cockpit. Hit numerous trees and boulders with none the worse for wear. These sound like little things but during extended trips the little things count.

bearbreeder wrote: i was on MP earlier and watched someone like ray pinprick spend all day being a little jerk it looks like hard work wait it was him!!! LOL ;)

That's an interesting statement. The OP never asked for a cost analysis between a Honda Civic and a Tacoma. However, as is always the case, you assumed your money issues are his money issues. Or, that you're lifestyle is the same as his. You mentioned a trip to Canmore, its safe to assume you didn't drive the Honda Civic into the Ghost in January.

OP, I think its worth considering that many 1/2 ton trucks get similar mileage to the Tacoma and in some instances cost less. I was looking at late 90's Tacomas and can buy a mid '00 1/2 ton for the same money. Looking at brand new trucks they are nearly the same cost. 1/2 Ton trucks have better towing/hauling capacities and a larger bed.

I drive a lot, I've put about 80K miles on my company car (2012 Ford Escape, AWD). If I drove a Civic I would save more than $700 per year but I would get stuck every single winter. Before the Ford Escape I had a bunch of two wheel drive cars, they drove poorly in the snow and I was regularly turned around at passes. A Subaru Outback would do just fine for the road driving I do but come Ski and ice climbing season I would still have to drive my truck like I do now.