3700 miles in 14 days

Took the Tacoma to Florida from NY and back. Drove all over the state visiting family. Still find it comfortable and I'm 6'2" 300 lbs so I fit into the group that generally complains about the ride and seating position. Drove 21 hours non stop each way with nothing more than fuel and quick food detours. Food detours essential for us 300lb guys. Averaged 22.6 mpg headed south with varying speeds between 65 and 80 mph. Had a little traffic in the DC area heading back up north so my speed was lower (60 mph) for almost a full tank and got almost 25 mpg. Truck had a loaded bed, back seat and 1 passenger on the return trip. Not much of a mpg loss with the truck loaded. Confirmed a few tank fill up mpg readings on paper and it matched the car computed numbers exactly. Good mileage is attainable if you go easy on the pedal and keep speed under 70. Once you step on it above 70/75 big drop off in mpg. This was my 4th NY to Florida round trip in the Tacoma never an issue. Just my observations.

 

I did something similar, drove my Taco from north Mississippi, out to San Diego. Hooked up a U-haul trailer and towed that bish back... did it in 3 days. I was a tired worn out mo-fo after that turn around trip. 1800 plus miles there just over 2K back, since I had to swing down to south Arkansas to drop the trailer and back home.

One of my favorite parts was when I got west of Ft Worth TX, seen a speed limit 80 sign... I was like HAIL YEAH... LETS ROLL! It was dark by the time I got to El Paso / NM. I wish I could have seen more of the scenery through there. I finally stopped somewhere on the west side of NM to take a nap (like 3 hours or so) That 110 plug in the bed of truck was awesome for powering my C-PAP machine (yeah I'm an old guy ) while I slept.

Drove on across AZ in the early morning hours (sun rise) seen some beautiful land through there. Got to the CA state line and seen desert sand dunes for the first time in my life. That was cool, I wanted to drive out there but I couldnt... I was on a tight schedule.

Got to San Diego, had a good meal with family and passed out for a good night's sleep. Woke up early next day and towed that trailer back. I pushed my truck WAY harder than I should have in 4th gear... trying my best to maintain 80mph to make good time. But my truck handled it like a champ. Would love to make that road trip again.

 

These trucks can actually be pretty efficient below 70 for what they are. Love slower speed country roads because I can average 25. Anything above 75, forget it.

 

Hey op,

That's pretty good mpg's

Just wondering, are you running on stock wheels and stock size tires?

Also, any bed covering (tonneau cover, camper shell) ?

Thanks

 

That’s a whole lot of driving! And great to hear you found the sweet spot for mileage. I’ve been thinking mine was around 70mph so it’s good to see someone else’s average in the same ballpark.

 

Yep I average between 21-23mpg on long trips with the truck loaded down. I did Maryland to Montana and back last spring. The only time my mileage suffered was driving through the mountains in MT.

That was about 5,300 miles in 2.5 weeks.

 

lucky man, i have to stretch my legs every 2 hours

 

I'm half the OP's size and 4 hours in the Tacoma would upset my back.

 

Look, I'm from Ft Worth. And it hurts to say, but you didn't miss a single thing between here and I-10. I dislike most interstates, and that stretch of 20 I loathe the most. It's slightly worse than the bit of 20 between Dallas and Jackson, and on par with the bit of 70 across Kansas or 57 through Illinois.
It's generally why I do my best to route as much driving as possible well away from the interstate. The lesser known biways are where the real America comes to life.


So I'm a big boi. And the Tacoma isn't my favorite choice of long distance drivers, but it's the one I've put the most miles on. I've hooked a pop-up camper to the Tacoma and used that combination to go, uh, here...




It's far from the worst choice in road trippers. It does ok on mileage for a tow pig and its ready to explore the trails once I drop trailer. (Or sometimes the trailer goes on the trails too. ). It has room to haul supplies. It's not the most comfortable, but it's not the least either. I can ride in it all day and not get sore. I can also pull the trailer all day and not get overly fatigued; I can't say the same for all vehicles.

I'm with OP. It ain't a bad vehicle.

 

My God you are right about the stretch of road from Ft Worth.... it may be 80 mph ... but MAN... there is NOTHING out there! That most definitely is a boring drive. The only thing keeping me alert on that stretch was two other cars that were "caravaning" with me... we were all cruising above triple digit speeds, with very light traffic. I had my radar detector, spare junk phone running WAZE, and my phone running Google maps. All 3 saved me from at least one speeding ticket each.

 

All stock with a roll up bed cover. Had too much stuff in the bed to use it at the time so just a big tarp covering everything. Had a nasty storm in south Florida when I was leaving

 

My other vehicle is a Wrangler. Now that is uncomfortable.