[JClay]

if you have a low top and are tracking mpg, diesel or gas, I'd be interested to know what you're getting. I've got some decisions to make soon and it would be helpful, particularly if the V6 reliably gets into the low 20s on flat, sea level highway. Bargains on used diesels are difficult to find.

Thanks

 

[keeponvaning]

You can expect 20 and perhaps a bit more if you're diving mostly in FL and not in traffic. I've averaged a bit over 17 in the 28 months I've owned my 159 high gas Promaster. Don't expect much of a difference between a high and a low however. You could expect closer to the high 20's to low 30's with the diesel. Someone did a cost anylisis a while ago here and I think the payback mileage was about 150k if diesel cost about 10% more as it tends to do in the Northeast.

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

You won’t get low 30’s with the diesel very often unless you have a very light foot and drive 50 or so. I have done it but 27+ is normal in my HT. Over the reporting here there has been little difference in HT and LT mileage, gas or diesel. It stands to reason the LT will be a bit better but the difference seems to get lost in the style of driving and amount of high speed travel. Don’t buy a diesel for the mileage, buy it for its tremendous drivability and the way the transmission hauls it without shifting. KOV is right but with diesel less than gas for the past year and less than 10% more now I have calculated I will break even in 100K. Oil changes will cost about the same because the diesel goes 18K between service. One reason to buy a diesel is the high resale value which is working against you. The V6 is a great van and if you find a used one in good shape you will be very happy, but a used diesel with a clean history of emissions should be worth about 4K more and will prove a good deal in the long run.

 

[keeponvaning]

RD is 100% correct!

 

[KilWerBzz]

I get 21.3mpg diesel 26500 miles. Can I get better mpg only on the highway. City driving about 17-18 mpg. This is a High Roof with roof rack. When I fill up I log both diesel and gas prices in my spread sheet at 17mpg GAS, my diesel savings would be $489, at 20mpg gas it's equal. My diesel and gas prices are from 6 states and not just local. My avg. diesel price is $2.18 my avg. gas price would be $2.11. I suggest you plan 20mpg diesel and 16mpg gas and be surprised when you best those mpgs. All my diesel fillups are on fuelly clink the link in my sig.

 

[Zoomyn]

My Salesman explained it'd be 1 mpg difference between the low/high roof gas V-6, 1-1/2 mpg for the diesel.

As an experiment I tried keeping VanTech Aero roof racks on constantly but the wind noise & drag & reduction in fuel mileage saw me hopping up to clean the profile lines up by removing them, if I need the racks it's 20 minutes to put them on, and I'll avoid the front-most mounting position as in a headwind it feels/sounds like I've got granny in her rocking chair sitting above me...

What I have* discovered is keeping my 159"WB sheetmetal and glass clean and waxed is an easy 5-10% mpg improvement. Even when the sides/front looks passable those roof corrugations have trapped enough dirt/dust/pollen/sap a large percentage of the roof looks like a dry mud puddle. I envy anyone who has covered or garaged parking for sure.

 

[GapRunr]

What I have* discovered is keeping my 159"WB sheetmetal and glass clean and waxed is an easy 5-10% mpg improvement.

Back in the late 1980's my uncle worked in management for a commercial airline in Canada. They had an employee walkout so management took over ground crew jobs, like loading luggage, etc. When they were asked to wash the exterior of a DC-9 my uncle spoke up and said that during a strike he thought that customers would accept a dirty plane, and that it was a waste of their limited resources. As it turns out the fuel savings of a clean plane far outweighed the cost of washing it.

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

So perhaps KiWerBzz is not washing the diesel enough? LOL. I have about the same total mileage on my 136” HT and have never had a tank below 24.5 at fill up. Now granted I don’t use fuely so my results are not so public but I cannot think how to have mine get 21 except for one. Mine runs about 3 mpg better at 65+- than 75+- on the interstate. I did run 75 mph on cruise for 75 miles as a test and got a computer readout of 21.3 (22.3 if my computer error is consistent), and perhaps that is the secret to burning fuel on the diesel but at that time I did another 75 miles at 65 mph without cruise and got 26.3 (computer + correction) when I refilled that tank I ended up at 26.7 for 524 miles. I am always lightly loaded. For that low roof diesel which you probably won’t find, I’d predict 26-27 50% highway/local roads and a few less mpg if more than 20% City. I am surprised no LT owners have chimed in. I’d also like to hear of other diesel owners getting less than about 23 and what conditions prompt it. I like it that some owners keep great long term records but I just don’t need or care enough I guess. BTW I have reported both my best and worst tanks in the diesel threads. http://www.promasterforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42793&page=14

 

[Zoomyn]

My Salesman explained it'd be 1 mpg difference between the low/high roof gas V-6, 1-1/2 mpg for the diesel.

Ah, I got that reversed... 1.5mpg less on gas, 1mpg on diesel. As you were, oops..

 

[NorthernRPM]

The discussions about fuel economy are always interesting . I appreciate the substantial differences in the diesel VS gas vehicles , from initial cost , operating costs , drivability . With gas currently selling for $3.85/US gal. and diesel for $3.48/US gal here in north/central Ontario, coupled with the fact the diesel achieves 15 - 30% better mpg the differences become more significant. I am one of the few perhaps, who have on at least 6- 7 times had tanks returning 31 - 32.3 mpg/US. ( I must admit to being a light footed driver who rarely exceeds the speed limit by more then 10%) Yearly average mpg for my high top has been 31.7mpg/Imp gal , or 26.4/US gal. All costs aside, has anyone ever brought into the discussions the ' savings' to the resources a diesel engine offers using 15-30% less liters, or USgals , or IMPgals........?

 

[johnnybesurfing]

Missing in Action

I have been away from the forum for awhile ( traveling surfing ) and I'am Back!
A few thoughts on MPG's. For one RD gets great milage! Mine is a 118" diesel and only gets 20/21 around town and can squeeze 24/25 on trips. I do have a lot of drag on the roof! There is Van Tech racks with a CoreRigid aluminum honeycomb panel and Yakima sport case mounted to the racks. I did make a custom air deflector for the front rack that works great. I will take pics and post later. It seems after a few tanks of petrol that I have added a 1/2 mpg. Cheers

 

[Rookerlw]

I had a 118" diesel for about 3 months. Managed to make a 5,000 mile trip from Los Angeles, north to Portland OR, east to Billings MT, south through Denver CO to Las Cruces NM, west through Phoenix AZ, and back to Los Angeles. Averaged 28.8 for the whole trip. Had two 500+mile sections where I got 30.1. I usually cruse around 60-65 mph, though I did push to 70-75 on the last leg home. Last fillup was 27.4 mpg.

I put about 3,000 local mixed driving on it as well and never got less than 24 and usually averaged somewhere between 25 and 26. I'm not a lead foot and I see no reason to rush up to the next signal so I can stop. I usually take off easily and keep my eye on traffic and signals so that I spend as little time breaking and stopping as possible.

Probably the best example I can give of my driving is comparing it to my wife. She has a 2015 Volvo S80 T-5. When she drives it (mostly around town) the average mpg is 25. When I drive it under the same conditions, I get 31. The sticker says 25 city 36 highway.

Love the diesel and still waiting (somewhat impatiently) for my new replacement 136" Low Roof diesel.

Lex

 

[mikesee]

I have a 136" diesel mid-roof.

Worst tank has been 24.1. 85mph on the Interstate, into a headwind, AC on, frequently with my foot deep into it when passing semi's and merging.

Best has been 29.2. 2-laners with light traffic and a 65mph speed limit.

Consistently averaging right around 26.

I live at ~5000' in Colorado, really only go up from here when we head out of town. I drive easy off the line -- rarely in a hurry to get anywhere quick-- but I'm always at 3-4 over the speed limit once cruising.

 

[JClay]

I have been away from the forum for awhile ( traveling surfing ) and I'am Back! A few thoughts on MPG's. For one RD gets great milage! Mine is a 118" diesel and only gets 20/21 around town and can squeeze 24/25 on trips. I do have a lot of drag on the roof! I will take pics and post later. It seems after a few tanks of petrol that I have added a 1/2 mpg. Cheers

Thank you all for the information.

I use a Toyota Sienna as my surf wagon/stealth camper and daily driver; it's getting long in the tooth but it has been effective. I can drive with couple of 10' longboards shoved in between the front seats and even a 12'er will fit, with nose resting on the dash! It gets a reliable 25 mpg at 70 on flat, sea level Interstate. I think I've gotten 28 a time or two though perhaps that was due to fillup errors. I'd like to replace it with a PM.

Finding a diesel, never mind a last half of 2015 build date is proving difficult. Finding one within 500 miles has been impossible so far. So I've been considering gassers, which are easy to find at attractive prices; but it looks like I'd take at least a 5mpg highway hit wrt the Sienna. That's probably decent performance under the circumstances but its getting into fuel economy territory that I'd like to avoid for a daily driver, grocery getter. While I ponder this issue, some diesel questions:

Chain or belt driven camshafts?
What sort of commercial vehicles has this engine used in?
Is it an engine that will go for two or three times as many miles as gassers? I assume it isn't a reworked gasser like those that GM converted to diesel for some of their passenger cars 30 years ago!

Thanks again for the help!

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

It has a chain camshaft drive, is used in Mitsubishi Fuso, and Cantor trucks (and others) up to 28,000 GVW and was designed to be a 500,000 mile engine for industrial use. Nothing is wimpy about it! However its a slightly older engine so it needed a bit of extra emissions controls as it was intended for pre-NOX emissions. The package FCA added for NA had about 9 months of teething and beta testing but no seems good. It is slightly detuned for this van I understand. For me it seems like a lifetime engine (both mine and the vans)!

 

[KilWerBzz]

Auto Trader lists 183 2014-2015 new Diesels the listed deals would be in the east and most aren't the size you want. If you buy one out of state check the laws out for each state for licensing and taxes so their are no surprises.

 

[stonehopper]

I get about 24, 24.5 with my driving. Once I got 29 but it was empty and I was on vacation so I'm sure I had a light foot. Worse 21 pulling a box trailer. My little diesel is either stuck in heavy traffic, or when clear cruising at 75, I have about 2000 lbs of tools and stuff in it, and lots of hills.

I'm sure the biggest factor to my fuel consumption is my foot. I love driving it and feeling the torque pull me around.

 

[Brian P]

I just came back from an almost 3000 km round trip, from Toronto to North Carolina and back. Pretty much ideal conditions, cruising at 108 km/h (about 67 mph), but there's some mountains in NC and TN, and there was a traffic jam in MI. Averaged 10.0 L/100 km (23 mpg US) for the trip. A/C was used for part of the trip south and none of the trip north. Tail wind on at least part of the northbound trip probably helped. No complaints about that!

Gas engine, 136 low roof, carrying 1 motorcycle on the way south and 2 on the way north. Rear suspension has been lowered to level the van out, which probably cuts the drag down a smidge as well. I have an idea for another aero modification ...

 

[KeepMeMoving]

2016 136 low roof - I get 20 to 21 mpg. Usually a mix of driving with more highway than anything else. Highways are hilly here in New England.

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

This thread seems to show many (most?) low top owners are getting poorer MPG than the high tops! I can’t believe that should be, but reports support it. I am gong to suggest it may be due to the low van being used for trades more and being loaded, driven in city, and at high highway speeds is the reason. This is all consistent with tradesmen’s use. In fact reporting on these low vans’ mileage seems to be higher if the owner is on vacation. I accept this is a weak argument but I cannot accept the low van is heavier, has poorer aerodynamics, or is geared differently. With all those out what else could it be?