We took a weekend trip from Lake Wylie (Charlotte, NC) to the Smoky Mountains. Previously we owned a Honda Ridgeline and a Subaru Ascent which we had a similar 3500lb single axle camper that is 7' wide. With the previous experience on the same route and the variety of urban, rural and highway driving with sections that are flat and mountainous, I thought I would discuss my experience
Fill Up 1 - 149mi / 14.471gal = 10.3mpg (Charlotte To Asheville Odometer < 1000mi)
Fill Up 2 - 216mi / 15.222gal = 14.2mpg (Asheville To Smoky Mountains To Asheville w/ ~20mi Disconnected)
Fill Up 3 - 139mi / 10.446gal = 13.3mpg (Asheville To Charlotte w/ ~20mi Disconnected)
Trip Total - 504mi / 40.139gal = 12.6mpg
For a little background we had a pop-up Camper that we towed with a Subaru Outback. Eventually we upgraded to the Subaru Ascent and got a travel trailer after the pop-up got rear ended in Atlanta. The Subaru had a 2.4 L flat 4 cylinder turbocharged engine connected to a CVT. There was no lack of power towing the camper but the rear suspension squatted pretty badly (fixed with some upgraded springs), and with regular use, we were seeing signs the drivetrain was not up to the task. Additionally, Subaru discourages the use of a weight distribution hitch. This lead us to get the Honda Ridgeline Pickup. The Ridgeline uses a 3.5 L V6 with a 9 speed transmission. The Honda handled the camper flawlessly, however all the torque is at almost up at 5000 rpm. Additionally, having an enclosed cargo area drew us to the Toyota.
A couple things to keep in mind. We started the trip with 700 mi on the odometer and while Toyota wants the 500 mi without a trailer, the hybrid system supposedly prefers the turbo for the first 1000 mi. There is more uphill driving on the first tank, but the mpg for the first fill up may have also been due to the mileage.
ENGINE / TRANSMISSION
There was only a few situations when driving up a mountain that the Toyota felt lacking in the power department (which I will explain later). Interestingly Our Subaru Ascent struggled less climbing the mountains; though that hard use may have also contributed to the mechanical gremlins appears at 20k (To Subaru's defense, later there were recalls). The Toyota was a pleasant improvement to the Honda that struggled to stay at 55 and sometimes climbing the mountains at 45 while spinning over 5000 rpm. When in towing mode, the Toyota does a great job handling the gear selection. However, after EVERY stop, you have to enable it. After one fill up, I noticed how the Toyota was struggling to climb a hill, only to realize the tow mode was disabled. I had the auxiliary gauges on the dash and on a few climbs they were slightly elevated but nothing to even start to worry about even with temperatures over 90 F. I will add that starting around 900 mi to see the electric motor assist more.
FUEL ECONOMY
I was hoping to achieve closer to 15 mpg with the Toyota. And I have some hope with time the MPG will improve along with the first fill up occurring under 1000 mi on the odometer. To be fair, The Subaru and Honda achieved 10 - 13 mpg and the Toyota kept to the speed limit much better
BRAKES
The integrated brake controller is another welcomed upgrade in the Toyota. We previously had a Primus (Subaru) and Curt (Honda) but could never dial them in. Either in the city the trailer had too much brake or not enough on the highway. I had the gain on the Toyota at 7 and was quite please. Before using the brake controller, you need to go through the vehicle setting in the dash to set the system up.
SUSPENSION / RIDE
We did NOT use the weight distribution hitch. Connected, the Toyota was not squatting excessively. in the future I think I will still use it since it does feel more composed on the interstate. We are set with a 2 in drop, but your application may vary. One thing I have noticed is in comparison with a unibody vehicle the ride is not nearly as smooth as you experience imperfections in the road. Also, there are some vibrations based on what the hybrid system is doing. The biggest complaint I have, is that when we test drove the Land Cruiser, it felt smoother. I brought it into the dealer and they did not find anything wrong.
STORAGE
For most (weekend) camping trips the Toyota has sufficient space. Our 10-ish year old dog needs help to climb in the back above the battery pack. Being able to recline the back seat (something you can not do in a truck) really helps with rear seat comfort. A few times a year we do take longer trips, in fact we just cam back from a week in Maryland around July 4th. It would have been tight in the Toyota if it hit the dealer lot a month earlier. We could make it work by moving some things in the camper, but we stopped 1/2 way and it is not ideal.
FINAL REMARKS / OTHER
A larger fuel tank would really be nice while towing. Living with a toddler, it is safe to have a stop every 2 hrs, but our first fill up in Asheville was done because we were heading into a more remote stretch. The backup camera is not ideal for lining up the ball (both the Honda and Subaru were better). On the plus side, connecting and disconnecting can be done without the gas engine while keeping the air conditioning on (you have to disable the towing mode). Finally, connecting the 7 pin connector is a little awkward, since it hidden between the hitch and the exhaust. For the first 1000 miles we are averaging 21.4 mpg when we are not towing and 12.6 mpg while connected. if we can edge those up closer to 25 mpg and 15 mpg I will be pretty pleased with things.
Fill Up 1 - 149mi / 14.471gal = 10.3mpg (Charlotte To Asheville Odometer < 1000mi)
Fill Up 2 - 216mi / 15.222gal = 14.2mpg (Asheville To Smoky Mountains To Asheville w/ ~20mi Disconnected)
Fill Up 3 - 139mi / 10.446gal = 13.3mpg (Asheville To Charlotte w/ ~20mi Disconnected)
Trip Total - 504mi / 40.139gal = 12.6mpg
For a little background we had a pop-up Camper that we towed with a Subaru Outback. Eventually we upgraded to the Subaru Ascent and got a travel trailer after the pop-up got rear ended in Atlanta. The Subaru had a 2.4 L flat 4 cylinder turbocharged engine connected to a CVT. There was no lack of power towing the camper but the rear suspension squatted pretty badly (fixed with some upgraded springs), and with regular use, we were seeing signs the drivetrain was not up to the task. Additionally, Subaru discourages the use of a weight distribution hitch. This lead us to get the Honda Ridgeline Pickup. The Ridgeline uses a 3.5 L V6 with a 9 speed transmission. The Honda handled the camper flawlessly, however all the torque is at almost up at 5000 rpm. Additionally, having an enclosed cargo area drew us to the Toyota.
A couple things to keep in mind. We started the trip with 700 mi on the odometer and while Toyota wants the 500 mi without a trailer, the hybrid system supposedly prefers the turbo for the first 1000 mi. There is more uphill driving on the first tank, but the mpg for the first fill up may have also been due to the mileage.
ENGINE / TRANSMISSION
There was only a few situations when driving up a mountain that the Toyota felt lacking in the power department (which I will explain later). Interestingly Our Subaru Ascent struggled less climbing the mountains; though that hard use may have also contributed to the mechanical gremlins appears at 20k (To Subaru's defense, later there were recalls). The Toyota was a pleasant improvement to the Honda that struggled to stay at 55 and sometimes climbing the mountains at 45 while spinning over 5000 rpm. When in towing mode, the Toyota does a great job handling the gear selection. However, after EVERY stop, you have to enable it. After one fill up, I noticed how the Toyota was struggling to climb a hill, only to realize the tow mode was disabled. I had the auxiliary gauges on the dash and on a few climbs they were slightly elevated but nothing to even start to worry about even with temperatures over 90 F. I will add that starting around 900 mi to see the electric motor assist more.
FUEL ECONOMY
I was hoping to achieve closer to 15 mpg with the Toyota. And I have some hope with time the MPG will improve along with the first fill up occurring under 1000 mi on the odometer. To be fair, The Subaru and Honda achieved 10 - 13 mpg and the Toyota kept to the speed limit much better
BRAKES
The integrated brake controller is another welcomed upgrade in the Toyota. We previously had a Primus (Subaru) and Curt (Honda) but could never dial them in. Either in the city the trailer had too much brake or not enough on the highway. I had the gain on the Toyota at 7 and was quite please. Before using the brake controller, you need to go through the vehicle setting in the dash to set the system up.
SUSPENSION / RIDE
We did NOT use the weight distribution hitch. Connected, the Toyota was not squatting excessively. in the future I think I will still use it since it does feel more composed on the interstate. We are set with a 2 in drop, but your application may vary. One thing I have noticed is in comparison with a unibody vehicle the ride is not nearly as smooth as you experience imperfections in the road. Also, there are some vibrations based on what the hybrid system is doing. The biggest complaint I have, is that when we test drove the Land Cruiser, it felt smoother. I brought it into the dealer and they did not find anything wrong.
STORAGE
For most (weekend) camping trips the Toyota has sufficient space. Our 10-ish year old dog needs help to climb in the back above the battery pack. Being able to recline the back seat (something you can not do in a truck) really helps with rear seat comfort. A few times a year we do take longer trips, in fact we just cam back from a week in Maryland around July 4th. It would have been tight in the Toyota if it hit the dealer lot a month earlier. We could make it work by moving some things in the camper, but we stopped 1/2 way and it is not ideal.
FINAL REMARKS / OTHER
A larger fuel tank would really be nice while towing. Living with a toddler, it is safe to have a stop every 2 hrs, but our first fill up in Asheville was done because we were heading into a more remote stretch. The backup camera is not ideal for lining up the ball (both the Honda and Subaru were better). On the plus side, connecting and disconnecting can be done without the gas engine while keeping the air conditioning on (you have to disable the towing mode). Finally, connecting the 7 pin connector is a little awkward, since it hidden between the hitch and the exhaust. For the first 1000 miles we are averaging 21.4 mpg when we are not towing and 12.6 mpg while connected. if we can edge those up closer to 25 mpg and 15 mpg I will be pretty pleased with things.
