What is realistic diesel daily driver MPG?

[Zoomschwortz]

I am weighing the pros and cons of selling 3 of my vehicles and buying a diesel pickup that would be used as my daily driver and for pulling up to 7,000 lb travel trailer.

What mpg are you getting with your diesel pickup when used as a daily driver?

1) what truck do you have?
2j 4x4 or 4x2?
3) Stick or automatic?

Thank you for your time and information.
Ken

[JRS950]

Originally Posted by Zoomschwortz

I am weighing the pros and cons of selling 3 of my vehicles and buying a diesel pickup that would be used as my daily driver and for pulling up to 7,000 lb travel trailer.

What mpg are you getting with your diesel pickup when used as a daily driver?

1) what truck do you have?
2j 4x4 or 4x2?
3) Stick or automatic?

Thank you for your time and information.
Ken

2018 Ram CC long box dually 6.7 HO Cummins
4x4 3.73 gears
Aisin automatic
Loaded w/16K 5th wheel 8-11
Empty 16-21
As you know mileage is affected by many factors, so yours may be different.

Best of luck!

[Zoomschwortz]

Originally Posted by JRS950

2018 Ram CC long box dually 6.7 HO Cummins
4x4 3.73 gears
Aisin automatic
Loaded w/16K 5th wheel 8-11
Empty 16-21
As you know mileage is affected by many factors, so yours may be different.

Best of luck!

Thank you for this information.

Is your truck a 2500 or 3500?

Thanks again
Ken

[jjackrash]

I got about the same with my last three GM diesels (2 2500 crewcabs '13 and '15 and now a '19 3500 DRW crew cab): About 13 running around town empty and 19-21 running down the highway. They do fine unless you are on and off the brakes. My town has a lot of hills and stops.

[winniman]

We have a 3500 dodge ram diesel. It gets about the same mpg as my Toyota gas Tundra with the 5.7. The difference is the 3500 weighs near double of what my pickup does. If I load up my Tundra, the mileage drops considerably. The dodge doesn't change too much. We get around 20 mpg in both trucks. The big difference is when I pull my 7000 lb boat. The mileage changes lots.

[Bob_C]

Old Dodge 2500 is now getting 15.5 mpg at 66 mph towing this loaded 5er......am on cross country trip right now, from coast to coast.....

[Old-Biscuit]

2007 Dodge RAM 3500 SRW 2WD Longbed 4 speed auto/4:10 diff----5.9L CTD


Daily driver (town and hwy) truck/7800#---16mpg

Towing 5vr 13'4" x 34' truck/trailer 22K---11mpg

[jimcumminsw]

I believe that the only manufacture of modern-day diesel pick-up trucks is Ram that still offers a manual transmission. And they may have dropped that option to do to low sales for 2019 and on.

My truck a 2008, Dodge, 6.7L Cummins, Mega cab, 2500 which I will see between 13 to 15 MPG in country driving. Moderate stop and go, speeds up to 45MPH. Now the truck is equipped with the 68RFE auto, 4X4, 3:73 gears and LT285/70R/17 126R tires for summertime driving. The exhaust brake is engaged 90% of the time. In the winter my mileage will suffer a little do to idling for warming up the engine. I do use a winter front and block heater with slightly smaller tires.

When towing my Cedar Creek at 65 MPH I will get between 10.5 and 13 depending a lot on wind conditions. I have recorded once a low of 8.4 MPG but this was in too a 30+ MPH head wind out west.

Now the newer diesel engine trucks that use DEF the owners have stated higher fuel mileage when using the truck as a daily driver.

[Hatchee]

2016 GMC Sierra 3500HD Diesel 4x4 CC LB. Lots of driving in the mountains averaging 40-45 mph. I get 18.6 mpg not pulling. Probably get a little better on the highway but not much.

[Dieselguy4]

2006 Dodge ram 3500 4x4 mega cab srw 3.73 gears 5.9 Cummins 20 mpg in town 23 mpg on the road empty 12.5 mpg with 13000 lb 5th wheel 15 with 7000 lb car trailer (daily driver)

2017 F350 4x4 CC drw 4.10 gears 6.7 Powerstroke 16 mpg around town. 16.5 mpg on the road empty 9 to 11 mpg towing 13000 lb 5th wheel.

[tuffr2]

TFL trucks on YouTube drove the new 2020 GM 2500HD truck solo for 998 miles. They got just under 20mpg. Like 19.8 mpg if I remember right.

The Dually truck I had 2012 F-450 only got 16.5 highway solo.

[Searching_Ut]

It really varies, but my rough numbers:
2015 Ram 3500, ASIN 6 speed auto SRW

City empty, 13 to 15mpg
Towing 15k scale weighed 5er 9 to 11 mpg speed generally 65 to 68 on freeway, often less on hwy.
Empty truck cruise set to 80 on freeway 17 to 19.
DEF varies from 1 gal per 500 miles to approx 1000 miles per gallon.

Edited to add. My 2011 2500 didn’t use DEF and got a couple miles per gallon worse, especially around town. Little better towing, but it was an 8k tt rather than tall 5er

[jjackrash]

I like to lay into the throttle stoplight to stoplight. That doesn't help with city milage.

[Itchytoe]

Originally Posted by Zoomschwortz

What mpg are you getting with your diesel pickup when used as a daily driver?

1) what truck do you have?
2j 4x4 or 4x2?
3) Stick or automatic?

Thank you for your time and information.
Ken

1) Currently a 2014 F350 dually. I previously had a 2008 F350 SRW and a 2008 F250. All were diesels.
2) The F250 was 4x2. The F350s were both 4x4.
3) All were autos. Don't misunderstand, I love sticks! I just prefer the ease of an auto when towing. In a little car, or other toy, give me a manual tranny every time.

The F250 got about 16 combined MPG and 19 on the highway. (And it had 10,000 hours on that engine. It lasted forever!) The F350 was about 15 combined and 18 on the highway. Both were DPF deleted. The current dually is getting about 14 combined and 18 on the highway, but isn't deleted yet. FedEx dropped off a very long package today, so tomorrow might be a different story if you know what I'm sayin. When towing, they are at about 10-11 depending the normal factors.