diesel motorhome fuel economy?

[oriderusa]

I was told my an 'Ole Auto Mechanic that HP will get you up to speed and TORQUE will keep you there. Over the last 23 years of camping with 12 different rigs, I totally agree. I am amazed at the GO Power of my 3.0l diesel in my rig. Wish I had an engine brake though, but really the cruise control keeps me fine up and down hills/mountains.

 

[AJMike]

The MB Sprinter based class Cs will get better than 20 mpg.

Maybe, somewhere, but I have not seen that.

My present RV is a small Sprinter based B+/C and I have never gotten better than 17 mpg, and usually get between 15 and 16+, and I drive trying to maximize my fuel economy. If I am pulling my Jeep Wrangler I get about 15% less.

My Ford Transit diesel Winnebago Fuse actually did better and gave me as much as 19 mpg regularly if I was not towing, but did not have the ability to tow a Jeep. For that RV I had to pull something small and light, like a Honda Fit.

Still I really can't complain since my old gas Class A used to give me at most 9 mgp, so 16 seems like great mileage to me.

 

[ducksface]

Figuring the difference in initial cost, fuel and maintenance costs;
What's the comparative 50k miles costs between diesel and gas?

Cents per mile is really all that matters.

Gas cents per mile
Diesel cents per mile.
Posted.

 

[Jimbo57]

MPG Comparison

Fuel economy for diesel motorhomes (MPG)?

• and how much variation is there between pusher vs FRED's? I'm guessing not much difference if any)
• and I'll assume not much difference if any based on size/length (a 35ft MH not likely much different than a 45ft....)
• (qualify your number please, based on length and type)

I've been starting to daydream a bit about upgrading to some other type of motorhome. Discussing with my wife yesterday while on the long drive home in the RV the merits of upgrading vs getting out of the RV business for a while vs going for a small van type RV.

She brought up fuel costs for long trips.


I'm leaning toward a diesel MH for a few reasons, but I realized the fuel question is one that I don't have a handle on for diesel...

perhaps wrongfully, but I've been assuming most at least will be far better suited for long over-the-road trips than my E-450 chassis is...
other reasons include things such as larger tanks, larger basement storage, better safety factors for tires and loading and towing, etc....

...and MAYBE better on fuel, but I don't know...
honestly, I'm not even sure where my 32ft Class C gasser falls on this spectrum. Early on I checked a few times and seem to recall an average of about 8 MPG, which more or less matches experiences a few decades towing a large gooseneck trailer too....but I don't recall with any granularity. SO for now I'll run with an approx 8MPG baseline for gasoline.

I understand that engine maintenance is likely more expensive, and there are probably other drawbacks too...but I'll not tell her those right now

I have 34’ diesel pusher 300 hp weight is 26000 lbs gets 8 1/2 mpg. Class A as I am learning are much different then a 5th wheel but nice to have everything inside . Easy to back in a spot and level from drivers seat.

 

[UglyDuck]

32’ FRED 10-13 mpg

I’ve driven my Serrano 31 at 60-75 mph and mpg is very consistent. At 60 it gets a real 13 mpg in calm, flat conditions. At 70-75 through mountains it still gets over 10, and you’d be crazy to drive faster. That is ~25-30c/mi, slightly better than my gas f150 towing TT. Net net you are not going to pay for the cost by going diesel but as has been pointed out diesels have other advantages, for instance my 6kw generator really sips fuel if you want to boondock.

 

[RJHenry]

We run a 2021 Magnitude XG32...Ford F550...6.7 Power stroke...towing 2020 Jeep Gladiator, fully loaded, My wife, me and a cat...8 MPG

 

[Lt Keefer]

Figuring the difference in initial cost, fuel and maintenance costs;
What's the comparative 50k miles costs between diesel and gas?

Cents per mile is really all that matters.

Gas cents per mile
Diesel cents per mile.
Posted.

The only relevant way to measure is cost per mile of operation. My gas powered coach costs between $.43 to $.48 per mile.

 

[ducksface]

The only relevant way to measure is cost per mile of operation. My gas powered coach costs between $.43 to $.48 per mile.

That's raw out of pocket.
With intial cost and depreciation I bet mine is $2.

(Yes you all, I know the enjoyment factor and rvs aren't an investment yadda yadda. This is a cost per mile in dollars and cents. No excuses.)

 

[Lt Keefer]

That's raw out of pocket.
With intial cost and depreciation I bet mine is $2.

(Yes you all, I know the enjoyment factor and rvs aren't an investment yadda yadda. This is a cost per mile in dollars and cents. No excuses.)

Maybe one of these days I'll expand my travel worksheet to include cost of purchase, maintenance, repairs, upgrades, etc. It would be interesting to figure the true cost.

 

[ghnl]

MIt would be interesting to figure the true cost.

No! It'd be too depressing. The first rule in the old car hobby is to never add up your receipts. And never, never show them to your wife.

 

[Dan-sr@perra-us.net]

I just traded my 2018 Thor ACE 30.3 for a 2022 Entegra Aspire 44W yes the new motorhome is 13' longer and over twice the weight. During the 2 years I owned the ACE I put 10,000 miles on it and got an average of 5.83MPG with a high of 8.56MPG and a low of 3.18MPG both a single occurrence. I have only driven the Aspire about 2000 miles, all interstate over that distance I averaged 6.35MPG with a best Over 7MPG (twice) and a worst just under 6MPG and 6 fill ups. This included running the generator overnight when I boondocked in a visitor center parking lot in Wyoming because I was unable to find a campground that could take me for a one-night stop. The most important take aways here are

1. I only made 6 fuel stops over 2000 miles. Averaging well over 300 Miles between fills. I only filled once each day and I probably could go two. With the ACE I averaged about 250 miles per fill and when I got over 300 I started to be concerned about the amount of fuel I had left.
2. The Aspire is much easier to drive. There is none of the unplanned lane change behavior that I had with the ACE.
3. I never needed to slow down from my 65 - 70MPH pace with the Aspire like I did with the ACE in windy conditions.
4. I never even noticed the effect of a passing truck.
5. I was not nearly as tired as I used to be after a day driving the ACE.
6. Finally, I no longer have to navigate the gas Fuel pumps. Even with 30' motorhome many fuel stops were plain no-go's.

 

[RACarvalho1]

I find the fuel consumption discussion very interesting if based on efficiency perspective but very silly if based on cost perspective.
The biggest cost operating a MH is depreciation.
Depreciation makes fuel costs look very cheap....

ANY diesel motorhome will be very expensive compared to a gas one if you consider Total Cost of Ownership (including depreciation, insurance, registration, maintenance, etc) even if the diesel makes 20mpg...

Unless you want (need?) a 40ft+ MH or need to tow heavy, saving $ is not what will drive you to diesel...

 

[Dan-sr@perra-us.net]

I find the fuel consumption discussion very interesting if based on efficiency perspective but very silly if based on cost perspective.
The biggest cost operating a MH is depreciation.
Depreciation makes fuel costs look very cheap....

ANY diesel motorhome will be very expensive compared to a gas one if you consider Total Cost of Ownership (including depreciation, insurance, registration, maintenance, etc) even if the diesel makes 20mpg...

Unless you want (need?) a 40ft+ MH or need to tow heavy, saving $ is not what will drive you to diesel...

I did not purchase the DP motorhome for the efficiency nor for the size. Although having a shower and bathroom large enough to actually towel off in it really nice. While the ACE was a perfectly livable floor plan its shortcoming was that it was too tiring to drive long distances. It is a perfectly fine camper for a weekend warrior making trips to nearby campgrounds for weekend get aways but for long trips it just sucks to drive.

 

[HMCSW]

Fuel economy for diesel motorhomes (MPG)?

• and how much variation is there between pusher vs FRED's? I'm guessing not much difference if any)
• and I'll assume not much difference if any based on size/length (a 35ft MH not likely much different than a 45ft....)
• (qualify your number please, based on length and type)

I've been starting to daydream a bit about upgrading to some other type of motorhome. Discussing with my wife yesterday while on the long drive home in the RV the merits of upgrading vs getting out of the RV business for a while vs going for a small van type RV.

She brought up fuel costs for long trips.
I'm leaning toward a diesel MH for a few reasons, but I realized the fuel question is one that I don't have a handle on for diesel...

perhaps wrongfully, but I've been assuming most at least will be far better suited for long over-the-road trips than my E-450 chassis is...
other reasons include things such as larger tanks, larger basement storage, better safety factors for tires and loading and towing, etc....

...and MAYBE better on fuel, but I don't know...
honestly, I'm not even sure where my 32ft Class C gasser falls on this spectrum. Early on I checked a few times and seem to recall an average of about 8 MPG, which more or less matches experiences a few decades towing a large gooseneck trailer too....but I don't recall with any granularity. SO for now I'll run with an approx 8MPG baseline for gasoline.

I understand that engine maintenance is likely more expensive, and there are probably other drawbacks too...but I'll not tell her those right now

We have a 35 foot Aria. 30,000 pounds and tow a Jeep Grand Cherokee. We did Buss for comfort on longer trips. Residential frog and to not have to worry about total widget and towing. If I worried about fuel costs I would stay home. Going from Portland to Vegas -Lone Pine, Reno, Bend Or. Home. Then to Boise and back home we got 9.4MPG. Speed limit speed. 60-70mph on freeways. ~50MPH climbing grades.

 

[RACarvalho1]

... but for long trips it just sucks to drive.

We do 4-5 trips a year of more than 1K miles round trip each and I don't find my gas MH tiring for driving.
I do know that a DP will be better but that would not be the reason for us to change to DP.

That being said, I do have the "new" ford chassis with the bigger factory swaybars and a did find out that decreasing tire pressure down to 85psi substancially improved handling.

Maybe I just love gasoline????

 

[bronconmf]

I've averaged 9mpg towing my 4-door Wrangler and 11 not towing in my 2023 Palazzo 33.5

Same results 2018 Thor palazzo 33.2 towing Jeep Gladiator

 

[rrodgers7075@gmail.com]

I've averaged 9mpg towing my 4-door Wrangler and 11 not towing in my 2023 Palazzo 33.5

I have a 33.5 Palazzo also, we are towing a geo tracker right now but was thinking of pulling my ford f150 which is about 5300 pounds, it puts me over my 30,000 pound limit by 500 pounds, didn't if your weight was comparible to ours and was wondering how the transmission does, Iv'e was worried it would overheat with pulling the extra weight