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Good MPG from trucks....Is it possible?
My automatic 3.0 ohv truck gets like 18-19 mpg overall. It is not a big truck by any means.
Why can't a truck be produced that'll deliver 26 mpg and a Home Depot "average" homeowner's load or a refridgerator from Sears??
Why can't a truck be produced that'll deliver 26 mpg and a Home Depot "average" homeowner's load or a refridgerator from Sears??
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Later Ford bought BMW diesels to put in Lincolns, but the market damage was already done. Too Bad, I think. All that engine needed was enough folks here who had a clue about how to service them. Not even enough BMW dealers were trained.
More gears maybe? A second trans or over/under unit (cheaper than a single bigger trans) to provided more relative gear ratios for the optimum operation for the required load?
Hard to complain on that, unless you're driving a toy truck with a 4-banger!
By their very nature trucks are built to perform as work vehicles. The fact that most Americans drive them for other purposes is not the fault of either concept called "truck" or the people who design and build them.
Since by definition a truck is a work vehicle, manufacturers have designed them to do just that. They are expected to haul or tow large sizes of materials of heavy weights and still deliver car-like performance. In a way the laws of physics should be imparting the message that "good" fuel mileage and "truck" are near contradictory terms.
Now, could a truck be designed to give you 30 MPG on pump gas? Sure, and we already have some. Of course, they are the smallest of trucks and will likely have a manual transmission. If you want a 4500 pound fullsize pick-up to do that you will have to give something up. Capability, probably in the form of horsepower and speed.
Regards,
Dusty
They were good looking car like utility vehicles that came with a nice big cargo bed.\
Most pickup trucks don't usually haul around 4 cubes of bricks or 10,000 lbs of boat trailers. You'd think Rangers, S-10's, and Tacoma's that are designed for normal everyday use could all realisticly get a minimum of 26 mpg overall....and 30 on the highway.
There are many things that need to be carried around in a "bed" that don't weigh over 500 lbs.
Hello Detroit....Are you there?? Or are you more intrested to see who can make the biggest and most powerful gas hogs?
As I recall there was not enough interest to sustain this vehicle. Check out the Subaru Baja. I do not think it is meeting its sales numbers either.
For people who feel they need a truck, a car with a bed usually does not cut it.
Small Trucks
These are just what they are - trucks that are small. Reduced size, smaller engine, smaller payload. All this translates to beeter fuel economy.
Big Trucks
As one poster indicated, by meeting other design critera, gas milage suffers. However, I am sure there are things they can do to improve milage. Here are a few.
Overdrive Tranny - My F-150 has a 4 speed. Add an overdrive 5th.
Better Aero - more aerodynamic shape. a bed cover comes standard or maybe a tailgate is optional? It seems recent designs are going in the opposite direction with big, flat fronts grilles.
Displacement on demand - yeah I know this was bad in the GM vehicles in the 80's but maybe we have the technology now.
Active suspension - lowers the ride height at speed to get better milage.
Deisel
Hybrids
Containers of helium to reduce vehicle weight.
I am sure there are lots of ideas - some good, some bad. The question is which ones are cost effective and reliable and do not compromise all those good things we want a big truck.
For now I am happy with the 15 to 18 mpg I get. Maybe the truck I buy 2013 will have a few of these improvements and I can get 25 to 30 mpg in a real truck.
Reduced fuel usage would be good for the oil companies, prices would creep up, and costs would drop.
Harry
Are the Toyotas and Nissans, or Koreans of this world going to eventially slip into a high MPG pickup niche and totally eat Detroits lunch?
We'll see over the next 10 years...
Things such as displavcemnt on demand and electric vehicles come to mind.
Toyota and Honda are making a go of the hybrids. There seems to be good consumer acceptanmce but are they profitable?
The big three are also working on Hybrids that will be avaible soon.
If the auto comapnies can make money on it, you will eventually see it the show room. If people don't buy it, it will be gone faster than a Lincoln Blackwood.
As for why you don't have one right now to drive - Someone needs to make a business case for them. Once this makes sense and is approved, then engineers have to design something that works, is buildable and is profitable.
A few final opinions:
Would I pay a little extra for better gas milage? maybe.
Would pay a lot for it? No.
Would I pay extra for more power and hauling ability that hurts my mpg a bit. Yes.
Would I pay extra for better MPG that reduces my payload? No.
Would I pay extra to have a diesel? For me - No. If I had 5 business trucks - maybe
Would I take a Diesel if they gave me an extra $3000 off? For me - No. If I had 5 business trucks - yes.
Just one guys opinion but I think many truck buyers have simialr opinions.
"Most pickup trucks don't usually haul around 4 cubes of bricks or 10,000 lbs of boat trailers." So why do people buy them then when there's a ton of hybrid SUVs, minivans, and stationwagons out there that would serve the same needs? Answer: Because the regular trucks are 'cooler' and more stylish and people just don't want to be caught dead in vans or wagons right noww. So instead of buying the sensible vehicle to own, they buy the one they really do not need and then complain about the inherent draw backs that are necessary to give that vehicle it's hauling capabilities.
All we accomplish, as someone said, by whining about the fuel conomy of big trucks designed for work is eventually the manufacturers will wussify them and they won't be as capable as real truck owners need them before.
Why do American drivers never accept responsibility? We drive poorly and crash and then sue the automaker because they could not build a 100% idiot proof vehicle. The automaker's response:They design every safety gadget imaginable into their vehicles, driving up car prices by thousands of dollars... and what does it solve? We still find ways to crash!
We buy big gas guzzling trucks to cruise to the mall when minivans or station wagons would suit our needs better and then complain because we get poor mileage. So what will happen? We will demand 30 mpg from everything we drive, they will try to give it to us, and the pool of capable, truly heavy duty trucks will dwindle and the ones we're left with will get more and more expensive.
You hit it dead-square on, my friend.
Best regards,
Dusty
I can think of about two cars right of the top of my head that are hybrids and avalible to the public. Just wondering where all the other ones are that you speak of. I know a couple of companys are working on them, but i havent seen them on the show floor yet.
Dusty beat me to it, but Ed hit the nail on the head. I'm the type that always had a truck and always will. I use mine not only as a daily driver, but also to pull my camper, haul things to and from my small farm, pull my Jeep to a nearby off-road park, etc.... My last two trucks wouldn't break 15 mpg. So, my current truck is a diesel and I am happy to be getting 18 mpg. I LOVE all of the inconveniences of driving a truck, especially a heavy duty one.
The soccer moms and daddy's of this world who think they are to cool to drive a sedan, station wagon or minivan are ruining our trucks. I heard on the radio just this last week that automakers are going to be lowering the bumper and frame heights even more to make then more "car friendly."
I know I'm in the minority, but I happen to like driving 8,000lb trucks that are built like an anvil. Why not build a vehicle like a car with unibody construction, make it look like a big honking SUV, put it on oversized tires and sell it to those people and LEAVE OUR TRUCKS ALONE!!!
Geo Tracker
Honda Pilot
Ford Escape
Subaru Outback
Just to name a few of the hybrid 'car/trucks' that offer more room for cargo than cars but still get decent mileage. and car-like handling. The people who buy trucks for a reason and dont go in blind know what to expect. They may complain, they may not always like it, but they accept it. Unfortunately they are now in the minority.
It's part of a never ending effort to fully idiot proof cars and surround us in a cuccoon of egg shells and air bags to shield us from our own poor driving ability. I bet if the manufacturers spent even a tiny fraction of what they've invested in all that expensive safety gadgetry and gimickry to fund driver's education programs, we could actually PREVENT accidents more accidents in the first place.
The masses prefer a truck with great performance and sexy looks as the important criteria. To the masses fuel mileage is fairly low on the list.