Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Which diesel truck gets the best mileage?

My cummins 6.7 gets 18mpg when i stay out of it. But it has a 6 inch lift and 37s. Does have tuner, 5inch turbo back exhaust, all the deletes and cold air intake. Love it!

My Toyota Tacoma with the 4-cyl engine, 5-speed stick, and 3.73s gets 23mpg on the highway at 70 mph. It got 25 when it was new, but I guess having a canopy cuts down the mpg. It gets less in town--like 21mpg. I've put 105,000 miles on it in four years and I didn't have to pay thousands extra to get the 4 cylinder. Works for me.

I've had a diesel pickup of one brand or the other since 1988 and the one I have now hardly ever sees daylight. It sits in my shop and waits for when I have to tow something. Then, I get 11 or 12 mpg, depending on the load. It gets 16 or so empty.

If my shop burned to the ground with the F-250 in it I don't think I'd replace it with a new diesel. They just aren't worth the money when I consider the poor mileage and the cost to get into one initially.

YMMV.

2004 Ford with the 6.0 diesel. I get about 18.6 miles per gallon going down the freeway at 80MPH. About 16 miles per gallon driving around town. I got about 10.7 miles per gallon round trip pulling a 9000 lbs trailer from Flagstaff to Spokane (about 1400 miles each direction) going about 75-80MPH when I was on the freeway. Crossed the continental divide (i.e. lots of climbing) 2 times each direction.

I did ten hours yesterday in my 2010 F250 crewcab with the 6.4 and averaged 16.9 mpg with four people and about 1k of cargo in the bed with a camper shell. Average speed on the Hwy was about 70.

I have a 2006 GMC Sierra 2500 HD 4x4 Crew Cab, with the LBZ Duramax and 6 speed Allison, a 3 ton plus truck. After break in (they require about 14k - 15k miles to break in) the mileage dramatically increases. My mileage runs 18 - 21.8 mpg (hand calculated) on the freeway depending on speed, load, wind and terrain. My last trip through Northern California averaged 19 mpg at maximum posted speed (65-70 mph). Around town averages 15-17 mpg.

Winter averages are lower than summer due to winter fuel blends. I use stock tire size, as larger tires cut mileage. A Leer tonneau cover reduces wind resistence, while a GM Performance 4" cat back exhaust system reduces EGR temps and marginally improves mileage (although not by much). I use Amsoil Series 3000 5w-30 HD Diesel Oil which reduces internal drag, and XPD Diesel Fuel Improver to increase mileage and injector life (injectors cost $320 - $675 each, although the DuraMax has good injector life). I installed an auxiliary fuel filter that uses CAT 1R-0749 filters and the new Delco TP 3012 OEM coalescing filter on the engine. I do not use chips, tuners or programmers to protect my extended warranty and prevent excessive wear.

GM hot tests every DuraMax engine on a dynometer stand for eight minutes before it goes into a truck. Every one - not just a sampling. No one else tests every engine, not Ford or Ram. Maybe that's why I have had no problems with it.

This is simply the most powerful, reliable and comfortable truck I have owned or driven, and I drove trucks for 44 years.

The newer diesels of any brand may not produce the same mileage due to addition of the diesel particulate filter requiring regeneration, which consumes fuel, and the expense of DEF/urea injection to cut emissions.

The 3.73 is fairly standard

It's not near as fun as listening to everyones opinion but pickuptrucks.com has their 2010 3/4 ton deisel truck shoot out on their website that pretty much removes all the doubt about which deisels excell and which ones follow the tail lights.

Interesting read, although there's LOTS of people who would take the Ford Chassis, Chevy Trans, mated to the Dodge 5.9


I'm more of a Ford person, but presently have an early '07 Dodge with the 5.9. Can't really say I have any complaints and with the money saved (Thousands) I could have a built transmission, Smarty tuner and have way more power than I could ever need and still have money in my pocket compared to the other two brands.

I sold my 2007 Dodge 5.9 CTD quad cab in November. I got more for it than when I purchased it with 13k miles on it in 2008. The truck averaged 18.1 mpg for me with a best of 23.2mpg last summer. I was running 60mph going to the OBX. I hated the short bed and I did not like the quad cab (too small for my family). My dad has a 2007 Silverado classic body style 2500 LBZ and he averages 16.4 mpg with a few spurts into the 18-18.5mpg range on the interstate. We live 100 yards apart and drive the same conditions, so I would say the 5.9 Cummins is less thirsty than his 6.6 Duramax. I wish Dodge would have offered a 6speed auto with the 5.9 CTD. The 4 speed was decent but there is a gap between 3rd to 4th when towing heavy with 3.73 gears.

shrapnel I feel your pain...each fall we take my buddies GMC 3/4 ton duramax to Colorado and Texas then back to CA and it gets better milage loaded than my Dakota 4x4 v8 empty!!

Does any company build a small suv/truck diesel 4x4?

Wonderful idiots on the news were saying 5.00 gas this morning, so that's 5.50ish diesel prices within a couple years.


F'ing future market spectators adding to their billions screw the rest of us over.

Economy went to crap the last time fuel was over 4.50+, guess they want to tank it again?


ps: Back to the subject, my Dodge 5.9 is basically getting the same as my Buick Regal. Filled up yesterday, interstate driving where I used to get 26-28 was down to 21.6. Fuel quality is such a joke these days. No reason for such poor mileage and the temps weren't even that bad out yesterday. My folks' have the same engine/drive-train (different car) and they're down just as bad.

Today was 3.49 for diesel, 2006 3/4 2500 Duramax. Normal milage empty ranges between 18.5 and 22.5 hand calculated. Towing the 5th wheel worst in a damn stronge headwind was 10.5 best was 17.0. Thing I like is the power, hills are not an issue. If you tow a diesel is best. Maintainance is a bit more on the diesel, but they will last longer than a gas motor.

Wife bought me a '06 Cummins 4X4 4 dr 6 sp for Christmas, 1st trip averaged 24.3, if ya believe the computer, and 23.2 on the way back. Had the tailgate down and didn't exceed 68 mph.

My 2007 Dodge w/ 5.9 doesnt get all that great... I have a Quadzilla Adrenaline on it, AFE stage II intake and an exhaust... I do like to let the horses run every so often so it doesnt get more than 15 or so. That is mostly in town, but do drive about 60 miles back and forth once a week.

Fuel quality?? My hunting partner does his milage on every tank in his Ford Escape.He found the milage was 1 mile less per Imperal gallon,hey we're old, we understand these numbers,on his trip through western states.Yes, the gas quality is lower in western states than Alberta/B.C. I run diesel Max in my truck,since it's the same price.

The Dodge maybe, all the 08 and newer have lost some mileage due to the emission equipment that has been added. I had a 07 Chevy Dmax LBZ 2500 4x4 crew cab sb that did 15-16.5 combined driving and 18-21 highway empty. The biggest impact on the mileage on these trucks is the right foot. The diesel will get better mpg than a gas when pulling a load most of the time. I would test drive all 3 makes and pick which one you like the most. They most likely get about the same mileage anyway. I have a couple of buddies that have 07 F-250's that got the same mileage I saw on my Dmax. I have one friend that has a 08 cummings which he claims to get about 1-2 mpg less than what I got on mine highway or city. However he drives his like a race car.

I recently sold my Dmax and now have a 2011 Toyota Taco 4x4 Double Cab. I loved my Dmax but really did not have a need for it anymore. Diesels are great to have for towing. If I were to buy another one I would buy the Dmax again hands down.

Mine is about the same as yours. I have crew cab 2006 Chevy 2500 HD 4X4 with the Duramax and 6 speed allison. Best fuel mileage I ever got was 22.8 MPG hand calculated. Worst towing mileage was about 12.5 MPG. My old gasser got worst mileage pulling those loads and it was like a snail on the hills. Best fuel mileage I ever got with the 1/2 gasser was 19.8 MPG. Can't beat a good diesel for pulling.

The computers in the newer trucks lie about the mileage you get compared to doing it longhand, that is a duramax, powerstroke and cummins people I work with use. Usually the mileage is less when computed long hand. I have a 97 dodge 12 valve and running under 70 with the cruise on I get right at 20. Pulling a 29' camper down the highway at 75 I get 12. The only thing the computer generated numbers are good for is bragging to your buddies about how great of mileage you get.