Towing MPG

The OPs question was specifically about towing MPG but that’s a valid point. I get 21-23 on the freeway at legal speed.

 

19 Sport DCSB here. We towed a ~3500# trailer and boat about 2.5 hours earlier this week and got 14.9. It was from the Oregon coast to Portland area so there were a lot of hills and a smaller mountain pass to get through.

 

Air is huge, as are hills. I tow a popup, and I typically cruise at 70-ish for my own comfort. 15 on a good day, 13 average. That extra bump to 70 from 65 (or even 60) takes a huge toll. If I cruise at 65 like I should, its between 14.5 and 15.5 on a flat calm day.

Worst mileage I got was the small mountain pass between Yuma and San Diego. Monster headwind caught me, I was already tired and cranky from the dust storms that were happening all the way from from Las Cruces to Yuma. 6 MPG @ 60 mph. Six. I cussed a little filling the tank on California gas prices.

That was the outlier though. Crossing the Rockies I could get as low as 11 climbing the hill, but would make up for it on the downslope.

Eventually I figured out that when I hitch the trailer I try to avoid the interstates as much as humanly possible. The secondary roads are not only more scenic, they are better on your gas consumption and stress levels.

 

Thats amazing mileage, i get 7 MPG when i tow my 5000lbs trailer