You always get those knuckleheads saying "why are you worried about MPG, it's a truck!" It must be nice to be wealthy enough to not care about fuel costs. My F-250 is a 2nd vehicle used strictly for truck uses because I can't afford to drive it every day--I bought a 2020 Subaru Impreza back in December with the money I'm saving by not driving the F-250 everywhere.
Man I'm telling you I just love the Trail Boss!! I bought the 2018 Silverado z71. I now wish I got the newer one. Can't wait to see the off road video..good job guys!
Hey I have the 5.3 in my 2008 GMC Sierra 4x4 Z71 extended cab and I have towed two four wheelers in a similar trailer to Colorado from Iowa and It did very well performance wise. My 5.3 from 2008 has 10 percent less than current 2020 truck. I wish I could remember the milage. Just FYI gas price will change just like a bouncing ball just ask the RV industry..
When I bought my AT4 a couple months ago I specifically sought out the 6.2L and gas mileage I’m not concerned just because my daily commute isn’t much at all and I preferred to have the extra power.
"Everywhere else..." Really? You know what mid-grade is everywhere? I'm betting you don't know what octane ratings are around the Albuquerque, NM area. The octane ratings are 85 - 87 - 91 - does that count as part of "everywhere else"?
Sheesh, relax folks. Some areas use a slightly lower scale, most of the country does not. Of the states that specify a minimum, only three outright allow 85: CO, UT, and WY. South Dakota, and a few others allow it with a posted warning, Montana is 85.5, KY is 86 as is the El Paso TX area. Point is, you won’t find 85 in the vast majority of gas stations around the country, typically only areas with higher elevations.
Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate all of the awesome content! Even though we got all of this social distancing going on, you guys make it feel like nothing has changed so thank you!
The results are as expected as far as towing because it’s a great all around motor, but Romans disdain for this truck shows every time he’s in it. From slamming the shifter into gear and then complaining about having to use mirrors when towing because of the blind spot monitoring. The blind spot monitoring and adaptive cruise and automatic braking are for steering wheel holders. Too many electronic nannies make people complacent when driving and we become worse drivers and then more nannies are added. Driving used to be fun and a right of passage but not anymore, it’s just taken for granted and everyday driving skills that get taught and make use better drivers are just omitted anymore because computers do it now.
Exactly. Cracks me up when I tell people how efficient my truck is and people throw out the "you don't buy a truck for fuel economy" or "if you want fuel economy, buy a Prius" etc.
I have 2012 Silverado 4wd extended cab 5.3 with 115k miles and I am averaging 17mpg combined rating and that's without cylinder deactivation. Also running wildpeak off road tires. Everyone hates on the 5.3 but it just runs and runs. It's not a race horse or heavy hauler but a good everyday motor. 87octane is 1.65 here as of 03/20/20. Great real world testing but should have kept the cameras rolling up the IKE gauntlet. It's always fun to see the IKE gauntlet regardless of truck.
I totally agree with you. I had a 2017 5.3L GMC Sierra with 8 spd and 3.42 rear end. Loved the truck. Pulled my 5k pound boat perfectly. Averaged 14 mpg with it. It's a fantastic motor and a reliable one. I just wanted a 6.2L and found a leftover 18 in an SLT with $12K off and snagged it up. Love that motor even more.
I have an 08 F150 Lariat with 5.4L 3 valve. Bought new right before the economy turned down and gas prices skyrocketed. I don't tow, it is a 4X4 and just a few days ago turned over to 50K miles. Didn't drive it much because of the 10 MPG. It has a level kit, aftermarket "heavy" chrome rims and oversize tires. It is a solid truck and makes you feel safe when driving. On the highway it gets 15 MPG. Although the gas mileage sucks, it is comfortable and has the factory upgraded stereo with built in sub. I like my music. Trans had to be rebuilt and luckily before warranty expired. Other than that there has been no issues and it is a pleasure to drive. Gas prices will rise again, so I doubt the powerful low MPG vehicles will make a comeback. Just hope I can still get decent trade in when the time comes.
The type of fuel makes a difference as well. Here I'n Illinois/ Iowa we have a lot of fuel with ethanol. In my GMC Sierra 5.3 non flex fuel I will get around 20 miles less from a tank gas with ethanol. Which dont seem like much by it means I have to stop for fuel 1 day sooner. It is my work truck and take the same route every day. Most of the time I will pass on the fuel with it and pay the premium.
I went from Grand Junction to KC several times both towing and not. I always get better mpg in the mountains than going across the flats in Colorado and Kansas. I attribute it to slower speeds overall and the downhill portions.
Real world towing might be further east. I bet I see more towing on I75 and I95 then anywhere else in the country. This is a good video with good content in a right length video - good job guys. Tommy is really on the ball and had the miles already typed into the phone.
@@tuffr2 I live in Iowa and go west all the time towing. S Dakota Wyoming, Montana Idaho and Washington. I know what I'll get going flat but it's nice to see mountain driving
Regular gas is $1.85 at my closest gas station in Houston and mid-grade $2.20. I’m always aware of keeping good fuel economy and with my 2019 Altima, I average 32.6 MPG. Fun fact: I went on a trip to Grand Canyon, on my way back, between Flagstaff, AZ and Amarillo, TX I averaged 41 MPG, with 3 passengers and a trunk relatively loaded.
As I currently only work one job, gas mileage is still a big key in my vehicle decisions even though it is currently $1.90 a gallon in several places that I pass on my way to work.
Fuel economy is always important because fuel always goes back up and it seems that it is higher priced far more often than it is lower priced. Seasonal gouging, oil supply shortages or whatever other garbage that gets peddled to the public.
Mpg impact maybe. Wear and tear definitely. My mechanic has told me time after time that the GM transfer cases that he repairs and replaces are on customers that ride around in auto far mor then those that don’t
I just got a 5.3 trail boss and the trailer I want is 10,000 lbs gross weight and dry weight 6122 lbs but the dealership said I can only tow 9400 lbs do you think this is to much to tow?
I care about mpg AND range. I really don't get those that say "if you care about MPG you shouldn't buy a truck". I tow with my truck every weekend (enclosed trailer or fishing boat) and often haul a slide-in pickup camper. If two trucks do the same task but one gets 10% or 20% better mileage, that is a huge selling point to me. Same with different engines within a brand. Bragging rights over peak horsepower is silly. I don't drive around at peak horsepower. I don't care if one brand can go down the quarter mile drag strip one truck length faster than the other. Guess it's an ego thing that I just don't get into. Ha. If I did, guess I'd be always wanting a new truck with the latest and greatest and most hp, but soon that wouldn't be enough so then aftermarket mods, then that wouldn't be enough, etc. I drive my trucks a long time which is economical way to do it and so I can spend that money on other things. I can appreciate, and am always interested in seeing, the latest and greatest, but if you buy into always competing with your neighbor or friends, you'll never be satisfied with what you have.
You would think GM would've fixed the way the fuel gauge reads by now. Its been that way for like 20+ years. When I hit 1/4 tank it time to look for a gas station.
Here in Jacksonville, FL regular is $1.80 and premium is $2.40 which i have to put in my Volvo. It has been nice getting that low of a price. Usually both numbers are $.60 higher
We are$2.20 per gallon in northern Jersey, fuel mileage is important for me I use for work, usually 17 mpg with 4.3, just towed 26 foot travel trailer and got 12 mpg doing 55
anything over 10 towing in western colorado is good. granted you had quite a bit of downhill from the top of the ike... curious what the truck MPG said at the tunnel.
I'm loving the gas prices right now! The cheapest I've seen was $1.61 in Cartersville GA for regular. I live just south of Atlanta and it's around $1.79. I'm definitely not worrying about the price to fill up and actually plan on going to Florida soon.
Last weekend, I towed a 4500 lb travel trailer and had a 300 lb motorcycle and a 100 lb generator in the bed of my 2015 Silv 1500 2wd crew 5.3 and averaged 9 mpg on hilly terrain running 63-65 mph.
If your blind spot light is not on it doesn’t mean that it’s safe to change lanes, you still need to look out for fast approaching vehicles. That said, trailer area in not in blind zone and you can see it in your mirrors which you have look regardless.
I’d love to get 11.8mpg towing. I’ve done towing mpg in forums for years and GM products have always come out on top. My 2007 Toyota 4Runner with 4.7L V8 gets about 8MPG towing my 23ft Cobalt. The boat dwarfs it, but is under the capacity. It handles the 6k well, but inhales gas!
Good test, unimpressive results. That's the same mileage I got towing a 4,500lb rig on a 2,200lb trailer using an 2002 5.4l ccsb F150. Seems like all of the efficiency gains only payoff unloaded
I’m i the only one that doesn’t care about MPG for a truck? Instead of over 10 mpg I wanna see over 10 years old with at LEAST 150000 miles with no major repairs. I trade gas mileage and efficiency for dependability, reliability, utility.
Ok Roman&Company, here’s my g VH moment bellow! Talk about overkill! But in comparison, not directly mind you, my 2019 Colorado Crew Cab W/T V4 4x4, that I use to tow our 22’, 4,000 lbs Travel Trailer, averaged about 14 mpg on a 1,250 mile trip from central Florida, over to the Gulf Shores State Park in Louisiana, on a camping adventure, now that’s while towing only, from pump to pump using math, the trucks computer came out within 5%, every time. While just exploring the areas features and some off roading on a full 12 hour day we averaged 17 mph on that tank. The truck we owned before the Colorado was a 2016, Silverado Double Cab Z71,4x4, V8, that never came close to those numbers, at an overall average with the same trailer an equipment at 11mpg-15 mpg. On the highway at the speed limits with Cruise Control, each at the pumps get from 21 mpg Silverado to 26 mpg Colorado! While I never had the opportunity to run them side by side, I honestly feel the Colorado feels quicker and handles better, plus tows the very same trailer, over and through the same areas with ease and equivalent to the heavier Silverado! It all depends on what you want!
Great hoody Roman. ;) Good MPG matters no matter what the cost is. However, real world considerations come from what you need the vehicle for. In this test, the better factor is will the vehicle handle the task. Will it struggle or do it easily. Gas MPG is not the 1st priority. To drive a truck emptied, sure MPG is something people consider.(wow you just commented about my primary factors lol) Good balance for a mid weight hauling test.
Quality of gas is extremely important. My mom thought she had a hole in her gas tank because she went through 10 gallons of gas in 120 miles in her dodge stratus (Costco gas). I made her buy Chevron gas and she drove those same 120 miles back on 2.5 gallons. The price of Chevron was $.10 more per gallon or $1.00 for 10 gallons over Costco. Point proven in real world situation and my mom (like me) always purchases Chevron gas.
I like the big tank in F150, really never worry about range and getting to next stop, also gage is dead on when says half, it's half. Cool truck, chevy's done a lot improvements, bigger tank please.
I would love to hear your opinions on 1500 6.2 with 10speed vs 2500 6.6 gasser 6speed, towing a 8000ib trailer. Is the larger v8 and suspension worth losing 4 gears?
Mike Hunt I would like to know the same. I’ve asked this before because I just don’t get it. How can a half ton 6.2 420/460 10sp get out towed by a 6.0 300/360 4sp 3/4 ton? I understand the whole tail wagging the dog scenario. I’m talking about just out right towing and comparable mpg while doing so. You would think more hp/tq and gears would out tow less hp/tq and gears. Baffles me!!
Stephen Schrum I will say the new 6.6 gasser makes 401hp and 464trq. although it’s not crazy different power numbers from the 6.2. the 6.2 has to run 91 octane for those numbers, The 6.6 runs 87. The only real advantage I see other than a beefier suspension
As a Tundra owner, I plan to celebrate the low gas prices by parking my work beater and driving the Tundra more often. Enjoy it while you can truck owners!
$1.59 here in NM. It’s nice to see fuel prices that low however, when a lot of the state revenue comes from oil and gas the state is losing a lot of money right now.
For me, the fuel economy is more about range. I want to be able to go 600+ miles on one tank. That’s possible in my F150, but not a Toyota Tundra TRD Pro (for example)
MPG is still important to me. What’s something more is that I currently have a 16’ ram ecodiesel and average around 18 - 19 mpg in town. With the cost of diesel in TN being a 70 cent premium over regular unleaded I am considering a truck with a V8 now if I decide to get another truck considering the cost of gas being so much cheaper then diesel
If it's 50 cents I'm still going to try to get the best mpg. Plentiful or not, we are dealing with a finite resource; yeah there's plenty (but why waste it either).
At 60 cents more per gallon for 92/93 octane in eastern PA or in the Ohio Valley, I cannot justify the extra cost of premium fuel to get an extra 10% increase in fuel economy on my 3.5L EcoBoost F150. The truck runs great on 87 Octane so I make sure that I purchase 87 Octane from a brand that uses the Top Tier additive package. That means I fill up with Sunoco, Marathon and Costco/Kirkland gasoline 95% of the time.
That makes sense. My 2007 Silverado with the 5.3L and the ancient 4 spd trans towed about 4,000 lbs and got a little over 13 mpg on a 560 mile round trip that was half 2 lane at 55-60 and half interstate...a little faster.
I have a 2020 Chevy 2500. Unloaded combined I'm getting 14-15mpg. And but the gas gauge definitely changes fast after you get under 3/4 but I do have a 500+mile range
Fuel economy always matter to me, even if gas is getting cheaper and cheaper around us. I can see the extra dollars can go into the truck payment faster. If gas is getting cheaper, does that mean E85 is also getting cheaper as well?
Not seeing that here in Tulsa. The cheapest E85 is about $0.22 a gallon more than the cheapest 87 octane. Previously, E85 has been consistently less than 87.
Good video. It's nice to see someone testing longer trip distances, and especially while towing. However, I can't help but feel Roman's disdain for GM products, and that is a shame, because for years people complained that GM products weren't well thought out, or well put together. Now, GM products are reliable, have very progressive features, but don't seem to excite some people. That's their loss, because I would take the reliability, power, features, and now gas mileage over the big center screen of some Ram models, and the unreliable quality of a Ram overall when compared to GM, Ford, and Nissan trucks. GM products are solid, and that's just what I ask for in my vehicles.
Good video subject guys,....by the way I have come to really like that 5.3 litre engine,...it reminds me of the venerable old 350 cubic inch small block of years ago. Hey Roman, ( back there at the 7:38 mark ) remember the old GM vehicles of yesteryear when the fuel gauge stayed on the full mark for seemingly ages,..then all of a sudden DOWN,... not much of a change here, is there?
Hey guys can you consider buying a travel trailer as I think more people go camping vs pulling horses and equipment. Aerodynamics really come into play when towing
The big Red Silverado’s doing a fine job. Love the new interior, look upscale to me, but you’d think GM with the worlds largest engineering ability and Ford engineers have pretty much nothing to do after the design a Mustang, they’d think out things just a lil bit better.I do think about fuel mileage, I’m frugal at any price of gas, I hate paying for anything!
My family doesn't really drive enough to make it pay to buy newer, high-mileage vehicles. In 2018 we spent a total of approximately $4500 to run five vehicles for the entire year. I could spend upwards of $150K to replace those older vehicles with similar high-mileage replacements and still only save MAYBE $1500 a year in fuel. The numbers just don't make sense for me. If I were purchasing a vehicle with the intention of putting on a lot of miles, then gas mileage would matter, but I still would make sure the vehicle would do the job I needed it to do well. I would not sacrifice needed capability for a little better gas mileage.
1.73 in my neck of the woods. Now is the time to buy fuel efficient cars. They are cheap and dealerships can’t move them. When gas goes high, that is the time to buy trucks and SUVs. Doesn’t make sense if you sell the car when gas prices are high. We usually buy vehicles brand new or a few years old.
Low profile trailer will always register better at the pump. Compare to a 3000 lb 11 foot high travel trailer with tons of drag, guarantee you will see 9 mpg at the pump. Am I the only one that caught this?
You should do a video on gdi engines and oil blow by , please discuss seafoam or other products that can clean upper intake, or these engines will get a bad rap from media blasting maintenance or failure, I got so much power back after I did mine!
Depending on year, these engines switch from port injection to cylinder injection, newest generation has both to clean intake values. The flaw to gdi or cylinder only injection is fuel never cleans top of intake values so oil blow by creates carbon that leads to problems , most owners don't know there is a maintenance due (every oil change or 10,000ish miles) apply this spray throug intake. My comments were from 2 years ago so lots of videos have been posted since then but there are so many opinions to which is best, (probably media blasting ) but that's if it goes to long without cleaning. If maintenance is done you won't spend big money on media blasting. Seafoam top engine cleaner is what I've used on my 2014 gmc sierra 5.3 and I can tell it works and still use it to this day but after more investigation I found other methods such as water , brake clean , and gm has a specific intake cleaner (can't remember the part #) and other . Gm seems to make their motors problematic ( cylinder deactivation, push rods, ect) so knowing is half the battle. If your buying a new tow vehicle please RU-vid the model you want and include (fix) in search to find out problems associated with vehicle. If it's a problematic vehicle you will know what to look out for. P.s. dont buy 2014-2018 chevy or gm 5.3 or smaller for towing as their transmission is crap.Good luck on your new purchase
My grandpa with his 1962 Oldsmobile got 5 mpg with the AC on and 10 mpg with it off. So he drove across town to buy 25 cent-per-gallon gas rather than the expensive 30 cent-per-gallon gas. I miss the 1960s!
Gas won’t stay cheap so it’s still important. That’s why my truck stays parked while I use a Toyota Camry for the daily commute. BTW gas is $1.80 where I’m at.
A year has gone by since this video; And since the USA is not Energy independent anymore due to a new administration on the 1st day cutting our own arm off to energy independence; Oh well ask that question today does mpg's matter when towing. Truly appreciate your videos on towing. Although do wish you were towing an average 23ft-24 ft RV Travel Trailer with an average hight of 10.10 ft and width of 8ft. By the way I have actually made allot of $ this year since I'm a futures commodities trader. But now YTD we're all paying for it; How sad the poor management of politicians that are clueless of business.
Money is money, only teenage boys (whose parents bought their vehicle) drive it like they stole it, not to mention a speeding ticket hasn't changed....
How is the power with the 5.3 with the 10 speed combo. I see a lot of people internet bashing it. I have driven my father-in-law’s ford eco boost 3.5 4x4 with the ten speed and was pretty impressed. I have not driven the trail boss yet. I just want some power to pass or get out of the way of people on the road. I will not be doing a lot of towing. Anybody out there owned a ford with the 10 speed with 5.0 or 3.5 eb then moved to this???
I’m willing to put up with less mileage if I get longevity like my 2016 Tundra with 210,000 miles (average all time is 14.9) on it, with just normal maintenance. My 2011 Frontier has 287,000 miles and has averaged 16.8 over that time again with nothing but regular maintenance. Neither uses a noticeable amount of oil.
Notice the display said you guys had it in auto 4wd, in my Sierra it gets better mpg just having it in 2wd because it unlocks the hubs. Just curious how the new silverados differ in 2wd and auto 4wd.
Guys, I think gas will go back up, making fuel economy important. Here in Indiana gas is around $1.76-$1.90/gallon currently. Not a big deal at the moment, but when it hits 2.50 or more, the 3.0 diesels start looking good. What fuel price do you guys think is the tipping point for buying the diesel over gas?
I think the electric vehicle boom has just begun. The potential convenience of "fueling up" at home will be the nail in the coffin so to speak. For it to happen though the prices need to come down. And for tucks I think hybrid is a better solution. I have a 2015 Ram 1500, and like alot of owners I use it as daily transportation, hauling firewood and garbage etc, and towing my travel trailer. As everyone knows there is quite a mileage range depending on my use, and I don't think an electric pick up would work well. A good hybrid would. Maybe something like a small turbo engine and an electric motor (2.7 ecoboast plus an electric motor), so I could commute on electric, and use both motors for towing.
Why tow in Auto 4WD? Weird. Also GM really needs to let people option in larger gas tanks. Those 24gal tanks just aren't enough, especially in locations where it gets real cold.
No they don't our 2019 automatic freightliners can't exceed 80k truck and trailer per dot 49 states anything over is heavy haul different certificate but they max at 120k we get 8 to 9 Bob tailing about 6 to 7 anything over 25k is good max trailer 5mpg is great winds ECT all the way to 3 older trucks get worse
