Good Gas Mileage Hunting Vehicle

[Wmmichael20]

One of the old guys at work bought a new Tacoma 4banger with a auto trans.,a base model truck 4x4 that I think he claimed cost 26 or 27 grand brand new, and is getting 27 mpg on his daily commute to work which is approximately 100 miles a day, claims its a gutless turd but can't complain about the mileage

 

[HuntWyo]

RAV4’s work pretty dang good, truck went down right before season last year and had to take the wife’s ride

 

[lifeisgoodsteve]

View attachment 451305
RAV4’s work pretty dang good, truck went down right before season last year and had to take the wife’s ride

I've actually heard pretty good things about how they handler some rougher conditions.

What did it see beyond forest roads (mud, snow, etc.) and how comfortable driving them vs the truck?
Long enough to sleep in the back with seats folded down?

 

[rideold]

RAV4’s work pretty dang good, truck went down right before season last year and had to take the wife’s ride

Good to hear.....the older ones seemed to suffer on ground clearance but now that I look it up the 2019 and newer model seems to have 8+ inches. Not too bad for what it is and roughly equivalent to a Forester Wilderness.

Do you know if there is much, if any, protection on the underside? My wife's CR-V is pretty exposed as far at that element goes. I'm fine with less clearance if there's something protecting things!

 

[fmyth]

One of the old guys at work bought a new Tacoma 4banger with a auto trans.,a base model truck 4x4 that I think he claimed cost 26 or 27 grand brand new, and is getting 27 mpg on his daily commute to work which is approximately 100 miles a day, claims its a gutless turd but can't complain about the mileage

From Fuelly.com and Toyota.com Toyata est. mpg on a base model Tacoma 4x4 is 19/22. Base MSRP is 30,250 before manufactures destination charge. Most dealers are still getting MSRP or above. Maybe his commute is downhill both ways?

 

[fmyth]

View attachment 451305
RAV4’s work pretty dang good, truck went down right before season last year and had to take the wife’s ride

Damn you are brave! I'd rent before I took the wifes Subaru. I don't doubt its off road capability. I doubt my ability to return it undamaged.

 

[HuntWyo]

Good to hear.....the older ones seemed to suffer on ground clearance but now that I look it up the 2019 and newer model seems to have 8+ inches. Not too bad for what it is and roughly equivalent to a Forester Wilderness.

Do you know if there is much, if any, protection on the underside? My wife's CR-V is pretty exposed as far at that element goes. I'm fine with less clearance if there's something protecting things!

From factory it’s just a plastic skid plate but is pretty tough actually we live out in the country like 15 miles down dirt so we picked up a metal skid plate for it for a few hundred bucks and it’s definitely worth the little extra money just having the piece of mind but before we got it we had no problems with the factory one i did throw a set of toyo at3 245’s the biggest you can fit without a lift to get a little extra clearance and it’s turned out to be a pretty good combo!

 

[HuntWyo]

Damn you are brave! I'd rent before I took the wifes Subaru. I don't doubt its off road capability. I doubt my ability to return it undamaged.

Haha she’s my hunting partner so it was her idea! I was definitely more cautious than I normally would be though!!

 

[HuntWyo]

I've actually heard pretty good things about how they handler some rougher conditions.

What did it see beyond forest roads (mud, snow, etc.) and how comfortable driving them vs the truck?
Long enough to sleep in the back with seats folded down?

Snow performance is unmatched it does so good mud is also great the toyo at3 it has definitely made the world of difference makes a truck seem like your driving a tank it’s ridiculously comfortable we can both sleep in the back it’s a little tight for 2 people but it’s definitely doable!

 

[Wmmichael20]

From Fuelly.com and Toyota.com Toyata est. mpg on a base model Tacoma 4x4 is 19/22. Base MSRP is 30,250 before manufactures destination charge. Most dealers are still getting MSRP or above. Maybe his commute is downhill both ways?

Couldn't tell you....he's a 65 year old man....probably drives quite conservative would be my guess...and as far as the price he got...my guess is since it's a beer can with tires...nobody was lining up to buy it..

 

[HappyHuntr]

Suzuki tracker-25 mpg

2000’s ish Subaru forester-23 mpg
Both great vehicles. My dad loves his forester so much he named it the Golden Arrow. So stupid. Not even gold

 

[Tremain4414]

I have a 2020 F350 that I use for hauling and that I was using as a daily driver. Once diesel hit $5 a gallons I picked up an 06 Subaru. Replaced the struts and threw some AT tires on it. It tears up the logging roads I hunt and is a ton more comfortable than the Ford. I know it’s a Subaru but I honestly love that stupid car

 

[HappyHuntr]

I have a 2020 F350 that I use for hauling and that I was using as a daily driver. Once diesel hit $5 a gallons I picked up an 06 Subaru. Replaced the struts and threw some AT tires on it. It tears up the logging roads I hunt and is a ton more comfortable than the Ford. I know it’s a Subaru but I honestly love that stupid car

stupid is an understatement!!! Awesome cars though

 

[chapman8523]

I always like to look at how many trips I might make with the vehicle I already own outright compared to what a "better" mileage vehicle would cost. With some rough calcs on how much it would cost to drive your Taco round trip you could do 30-35 of those trips for what it would cost to buy a used Subi Crosstrek. Something to chew on. You can pay the man now or you can pay him later

When friends tell me they just spent $35K on this fantastic wizzbang hybrid to save gas and beat the price at the pump I smile inwardly knowing I can fill my current paid off daily drivers tank for 10 years at current fuel prices for what they paid for that thing and I have no car payment to make

Exactly. People get too caught up in the MPG and fail to realize the money wasted on switching to a fuel-efficient new car. If you own it, keep it.

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

I went through what you are going through a couple years back. I was wanting to trade my paid off 3/4 ton for a better fuel mileage truck. I went down to a half ton ford with a payment. I regret selling that truck everyday unless I am at the pump. So 99% of the time I regret selling it. I do however also wish I would have bought an suv and did some off-road mods to it rather than getting the f150. I almost always trailer my atv so the bed doesn’t matter to me. Now we have a camper and we need the truck otherwise I would consider trading it for a Toyota suv or something.

 

[DakotaBPNW]

I have a 2020 F350 that I use for hauling and that I was using as a daily driver. Once diesel hit $5 a gallons I picked up an 06 Subaru. Replaced the struts and threw some AT tires on it. It tears up the logging roads I hunt and is a ton more comfortable than the Ford. I know it’s a Subaru but I honestly love that stupid car

I sold my 15 F250 and started driving my wife’s old Crosstrek. That was a year ago and I haven’t hardly missed my pickup at all. That little car goes everywhere and has hauled a pile of animals

 

[tkhuntsman]

With fuel prices skyrocketing is has anyone started looking at alternative hunting vehicles? I'm currently using a Tacoma with a cap, roof rack, bumpers, and lift, I average about 13mpg during hunting season and 17 on the hwy. I have a couple of out-of-state hunts scheduled this fall and typically hunt 8+ weeks from Aug. - Nov. normally fuel has been one of my largest expenses but now it will defiantly be by a land slide.

I'm really considering selling the Taco before these market crashes, currently, I could make a lot of money off of the truck even after beating on it for the last couple of years. I really don't know what to get though, I think a crappy little fwd car would get me to about 80% of the places I hunt, more if I beat the shit out of it. I just don't know if I'm quite ready to give up having a decent rig. I've considered buying a small hybrid SUV like a toyota Rav 4 which gets over 40mpg, put a hitch on the back and haul my t-dub or CT90 on the back for the really poor roads. It really is a tough decision though, especially going out of state like NE Nevada where there is pretty much nobody to help if you break down or get stuck.

I've always really liked having a capable vehicle but the current prices are crazy. Just the two trips I have planned I will be putting on 1300 miles just to and from, not to mention any driving while there. I normally keep about 1K set aside in an envelope for the fuel each fall so it doesn't hit the bank account as hard. This year we are already double with a couple of months to go. Maybe I just need to accept that it's going to be the cost of doing business going forward.

Curious what everyone else's thoughts are, I defiantly feel like the woods are going to be a
much lonelier place this fall with prices the way they are.

Chevrolegs probably as good a gas mileage as will ever be.

 

[young7.3]

2001 vw jetta manual diesel- 42 mpg
2000 F350 diesel- 12 mpg

Bought the vw 4 years ago for 5g and it has saved quite a but of fuel money for me. I drive it for hunting purposes too. Has plenty of room in the hatch for hunting gear and hauls two kayaks.


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[jewbacca]

I miss my Ford Fiesta. Up to 40mpgs and could handle most of the roads I was hunting.

 

[Durran87]

I have an old Tacoma but do a lot of my hunting with a Corolla with a meat rack.