Tacoma 4 banger with Camper mpg

[Capt. REDBEARD]

Dodge:
Ram 2500 straight cab/short bed
wheelbase - 120 inches
length - 231 inches
B6.7 liter - 350 hp

Toyota
Tacoma straight cab/short bed
wheelbase - 110 inches
length - 190
2.7 liter - 157 hp

The dodge is 3 feet longer with a 1 foot longer wheel base. I am not going to be using the truck for any extreme wheeling - so the three feet don't make too much of a difference to me. But I will agree that the tacoma is easier to drive and "feels" MUCH smaller then the dodge.

in the truck camper mpg thread, "PEST" w/ a stock dodge is claiming 19 mpgs - with a diesel tune and a aftermarket intake/exhaust that should go up.
[http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/61246-Pop-up-camper-and-fuel-mileage]

i like the tacos and I am strongly considering one - i am just having issues coming to terms with the difference between the hp/mpg in the domestics vs the tacoma.

 

[SC T100]

I was curious to compare as you did, and the Dodge site doesn't have an option for a regular cab, short bed 2500. They only have a RC long bed listed, pushing the wheelbase to 140.5 inches. Just FYI.

Maybe they had a RCSB 2500 previously offered that you can pick up used? The wheelbase difference between the two is huge when considering parking and overall "agility" of the truck, and we haven't compared height and width either which I assume is quite a bit different. I guess it depends on what matters most to you in terms of size and handling and where you'll be driving the truck. I personally don't like driving trucks larger than my T100 any time, which is similar in size to the 2nd Gen Tacoma (but still a tab bigger), so for long-term usability I would choose the Tacoma. And it'll fit in a garage much more easily. :ylsmoke:

On a side note, the automatic trans Dodges are listed almost a thousand pounds lighter (6K) than the manual trans versions (7K!).

 

[Capt. REDBEARD]

I was curious to compare as you did, and the Dodge site doesn't have an option for a regular cab, short bed 2500. They only have a RC long bed listed, pushing the wheelbase to 140.5 inches. Just FYI.

wiki entry is where i got my info

yea I too want something a bit smaller and easier to drive then a full sized. like i said - i think I am just having a tough time accepting that the best mileage ANY pick-up is going to get me is close to 20-21mpg. I am a die hard TDI guy and used to 40-45 mpg - I think my brain can not compute the lack of a small displacement diesel option!!!!!

 

[tacomadave]

Here in Canada at least, you can only get the 2500 with a diesel in a 140" wheelbase, also a new Ram diesel 4x4 base model is 49,000 cdn, whereas a base model 2.7l Tacoma 5speed 4x4 access cab is $26,000.... This seems to be comparing apples to oranges to me....

Dodge:
Ram 2500 straight cab/short bed
wheelbase - 120 inches
length - 231 inches
B6.7 liter - 350 hp

Toyota
Tacoma straight cab/short bed
wheelbase - 110 inches
length - 190
2.7 liter - 157 hp

The dodge is 3 feet longer with a 1 foot longer wheel base. I am not going to be using the truck for any extreme wheeling - so the three feet don't make too much of a difference to me. But I will agree that the tacoma is easier to drive and "feels" MUCH smaller then the dodge.

in the truck camper mpg thread, "PEST" w/ a stock dodge is claiming 19 mpgs - with a diesel tune and a aftermarket intake/exhaust that should go up.
[http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/61246-Pop-up-camper-and-fuel-mileage]

i like the tacos and I am strongly considering one - i am just having issues coming to terms with the difference between the hp/mpg in the domestics vs the tacoma.

 

[SC T100]

Here in Canada at least, you can only get the 2500 with a diesel in a 140" wheelbase, also a new Ram diesel 4x4 base model is 49,000 cdn, whereas a base model 2.7l Tacoma 5speed 4x4 access cab is $26,000.... This seems to be comparing apples to oranges to me....

Yup...I meant to say the same thing in my previous post. 23K buys a lot of gas, especially since diesel is more expensive. Even if they both get 19 mpgs, the Tacoma still gets you better mpd (miles per dollar). Between the price of diesel and a diesel truck, the tacoma is way cheaper to run per mile. Probably cheaper to insure as well. :ylsmoke:

 

[bigreen505]

The dodge is 3 feet longer with a 1 foot longer wheel base. I am not going to be using the truck for any extreme wheeling - so the three feet don't make too much of a difference to me. But I will agree that the tacoma is easier to drive and "feels" MUCH smaller then the dodge.

Well, there you go. My truck has pin stripes on all four sides, so size matters to me and a couple inches can make a big difference, let alone a couple feet.

i like the tacos and I am strongly considering one - i am just having issues coming to terms with the difference between the hp/mpg in the domestics vs the tacoma.

...

yea I too want something a bit smaller and easier to drive then a full sized. like i said - i think I am just having a tough time accepting that the best mileage ANY pick-up is going to get me is close to 20-21mpg. I am a die hard TDI guy and used to 40-45 mpg - I think my brain can not compute the lack of a small displacement diesel option!!!!!

No argument there. If you don't need a big truck, a used Jeep CRD Liberty gets pretty decent mpg even with a roof tent.

 

[Capt. REDBEARD]

well - I am just about to put some loot down on a '11 AC taco. I really like diesels - but the point you made about mpd really made sense. especially since Toyotas are known to go almost as long as most domestic diesels.

also after driving a taco and a f150 back to back - the size difference is definitely felt more then the numbers lead you to believe.

 

[SC T100]

Cool! Post up some pics when you get it home. :ylsmoke:

 

[Overland Hadley]

From the research I have done most people are loosing 2.5 mpg when they are carrying a FWC.

Toyota says the Tacoma with a 4 is rated at 25 mpg. So it is possible. (The VVTI engines are a cool bit of engineering, I remember when I drooled over them in the sports cars, when they first came out.)

FYI: Do not forget that Jacks camper was made with a 3'' shorter cab-over. This puts the camper behind the airflow coming up the windshield (on a extended cab model). In my limited understand of hydrodynamics I think this is extremely important for good mpg.

Will FWC make you a camper with a 3'' shorter cab-over, probably not. But I am pretty sure they would make a camper with the older 10'' shorter cab-over.

As hard as it would be to loose the 10'' with the shorter cab-over, I think I will go this direction. It would also allow the use of a wind fairing.