Poor Fuel MPG

Just drove to Houston to see kids from Miami. 1,200+ mile trip averaging 17.4 mpg. Granted it only saw below 85 mph when pulling in to Buc-ees to refuel.

 

Wow, these are 2.5 gen numbers. Color me surprised for sure. I see the new gen’s on the road quite a bit and imagine they are loving their 22 mpg, but what a terrible assumption!

 

You're getting 5-6 more mpg than me.

 

You have a 1/2 ton pickup with over 400hp. 15.6 mpg is amazing.

 

Just over 2000 miles and I get about 17 around town and 22 on freeway so just about what the EPA estimates. I drive the speed limit and use cruise control regularly. Mine is an SR (so no air dam or grill shutters & the slightly detuned motor), crewmax, shortbed, 4x4. I have stock Land Cruiser First Edition wheels/tires which are identical spec to factory 18” Tundra TRD off-road wheels/tires.

 

Never have had a huge issue with mpg bc I understand it’s a 6k lb truck with the aerodynamics of a barn, but I’ve been looking into my gas mileage recently just out of curiosity.

I was previously getting about 15 mpg on my commute which is 50/50 city highway. 35” e load tires on +0 offset wheels, full skid plate, leveled. I experimented with driving under 80 (I often forget that the speedo is off, so I’d have the speedo at 80). Started driving under 75 (speedo, so real speed is ~80) and started getting ~16.5. Then I’ve been playing around with keeping the speedo under 70-72 and now I’m around 17mpg consistently. Been using ECO the whole time. ECO is pretty bad compared to normal for city driving, but it definitely gets better gas mileage on the highway. I’ve also noticed negligible difference in mpg after getting rid of the air dam. I’m assuming that has a bigger difference the closer your truck is to the ground. I’m sure I could get better mileage with more + offset wheels, but it’s not worth buying a new set just for that. I’d rather spend that money on more trips!

 

I get 19 +/- .5 regularly in my 2024 TRD Offroad with a topper and roof rack and 275/70/18 BFG KO2. Put the tires on at purchase so imagine could be getting 20+ with lighter tires. Got 24+ one time from Leadville to Denver but that is a lot of downhill with one big uphill in the middle. I get 50 miles more range on 6 gallons less fuel than I did in my 2016. This truck handles elevation change so much better than the 2016 it's crazy. Pretty happy overall.

 

Have a 2022 TRD PRO, in city driving getting around 10-12 mpg per tank ... dealership is refusing to investigate and told me its me ... my 2015 Lexus GX460 V8 was getting higher mileage ... I did notice that hybrid battery is always 1/4 full so wondering if its hybrid subsystem not helping

 

Your hybrid system has nothing to do with helping you get better mileage, if it helps improve gas mileage it's because it powered the vehicle in a few situations while the ICE is offline. It's to help with off the line acceleration, especially in towing situations.

 

My 2025 Limited 4x4 CrewMax 5.5 (non-hybrid) has 1,500 miles that so far is meeting the expected (or hoped for) fuel economy and reliability. It' meeting the EPA highway fuel economy rating. On a recent interstate round trip it covered 296.2 miles and used 13.612 gallons from the same pump, for a roundtrip average of 21.76 mpg. The measured number exceeds by a little bit the real time live reading. Interesting that it's understating the range to empty even when the measured average should be indicating more for a 31 gallon capacity. Maybe it's figuring on not running it dry? The city mpg seems better than expected too although I can't be precise about it. I'm easy on it, especially the early miles.

 

Not sure that is accurate ...my battery kicks in my driveway and does not start until RPM's go up/down ... it also constantly helps with assistance when full and not towing anything on Highway ...

 

A couple of ways you can tell this is a helper motor and not a drive motor on our Tundras.

1. No Tundra currently produced has a “EV” button on it as all the other hybrid Toyotas do.

2. The hybrid motor on the Tundra is located between the block and transmission to assist in delivering power and torque. It’s not located in the transaxle like normal hybrids are for Toyota.

You can do some research on it, including Toyotas website, where it’s specifically called out that the i-Force Max is a boost for the engine, especially in towing.

This is further reflected in horsepower and torque numbers when you compare the exact same trim on package on a truck between the i-Force Max and i-Force engine in said truck.

 

You drive a turbo 6 so it hits the turbos a lot you will get V8 mileage.

Just a fact

 

My 2025 Limited with 34” E rated KO3 tires just averaged 20 MPG on a 500 road trip. Zero mileage complaints from me. My 2014 Sequoia with the 5.7L never topped 16.

 

Oh boy a pick up truck mpg thread

 

Well, that's one useless hybrid system then

For off the line acceleration, that's what first gear is for.

 

So many factors must be considered to really be accurate. Temperature, A/C use, road condition, road grade, elevation, throttle pressure, etc. That being said I'm finding that Normal mode is the most efficient in the Texas summer and I am average about 20-21 MPG per extended trip using DRCC alot and the tank average is about 17.5-19 MPG overall. In the cooler months and winter I expect this to go up, since the A/C will not be on full blast.

 

I have a 2024 non hybrid. I saw better mpg's around 10k. I also have a heavy foot. I can average 18 when I keep my acceleration right around 2000 RPM with mostly city, some highway. When I do long road trips I see 22.

 

It's not useless. It's just not used for MPG. Just because the general public is retarded and assumes the word "hybrid" means good gas mileage doesn't make it so.

I don't personally see the value in its stated purpose, but that doesn't make it useless. It increases HP and torque, so that's useful.

 

Well, I am one of those who likes to have his cake and eat it, too. I don't take pride in wasting or paying for gas, like many in "truck world" seem to do. So MPG matters to me and that is why I could never buy a 2nd gen. While 3rd gen aren't great for MPG, they are pretty decent for what these trucks are... my Tundra MPG is as good as my far slower and less capable 2nd Gen Tacoma was. I look forward to the future tech and offerings that will improve this even more.

 

The hybrids do have better EPA estimates so there is that expectation. I considered one but the payback if there is one, is too far into the future. And then there is potential battery replacement if you keep it long enough, and disposal. It sours me on hybrid concept. In theory, I like what Ramcharger is proposing if it works out, plug-in hybrid with an electric only range for short trips. And I like what Ford is doing with battery inverter tech that can power your whole house in an emergency, (in theory.) But first and foremost, electric tech needs to pay its own way, otherwise I just want something that drives, dependably, comfortably with power and range. The ICE is still the best.

The Tundra Hybrid is said to have 437 hp, 48 more than the ICE. If the availability of that power boost is just off the line, I don't care about it. If it's available for towing up to the Eisenhower tunnel on the Continental Divide, I don't need it for that either. But for travel trailer, toy hauler the regular gas engine is just fine. So I ask, in what niche uses would the hybrid earn its keep and I can't think of many. If it stores regenerative braking energy maybe, but if it's just parasitically using alternator amps to charge then it's losing more than it gains. So it seems to be reflected in the EPA ratings, same for HWY as the gas, a little more in town for stop 'n go.

I struggled a bit with the trim levels too. I knew I wanted the panoramic sun/moon roof, and I really liked the leather trims of the 1794 and Capstone, but not so much the exterior where I preferred the look of the Limited. I kept coming back to the leather but then an unpleasant thought entered my head that I couldn't shake,..Cowboy Cadillac, that I would pay thousands for the upgrade only to discover the subtle areas where they cheap-out with plastic and vinyl bits where you're less likely to notice, yet the same truck underpins the glam. The Capstone is not a Maserati or Aston Martin no matter how much lipstick they put on it. In the end, more practical considerations came to the surface, that I could get almost everything in a tastefully handsome Limited trim for thousands less.

So I feel like a I got a lot of truck for the bargain, the self leveling rear suspension, tow-tech camera package, the panoramic roof, the things I really wanted, a quiet 4WD on all season street radials, a versatile daily driver with creature comforts to keep me happy.

 

You're mistaken here. The ramcharger is an EV with a gas generator for added range. The ICE isn't connected to vehicle propulsion so it isn't a hybrid at all. It's full time electric, not "for short trips" only.

 

now, if it was only built by someone other than ram....

 

They make a stellar interior and look pretty good. Haven't paid attention to the Ram word enough to know if they can do EV stuff well.

 

Gas motor powers generator to charge battery to power electric motor?

Edit:
Haha, it really does!!

 

Stellantis is not who I would trust to build an EV truck with a gas powered generator. I do hope it works out for them.

 

Towed my 21’ empty utility 165 miles central Tx to coastal tonight & got 13.2 mpg highway in a ‘25 Limited (W/ TRD OR w/ stock tires) and was impressed. It’s about 100# on tongue and almost 2000# empty (tandem 8000# axles).
W/o trailer, get solid 16-17 mpg highway @ 80 empty, but slow to 65mph & MPG soars up close to 20. I clear MPG setting every tank.

 

Just an FYI, you don't have to clear the MPG every tank. There is an MPG per tank setting and it automatically resets when it senses fuel has been added.