29th Aug 2010, 10:29
I look at mileage as a factor in ANY type of vehicle. I too tow with my SUV, which is the primary reason I own one, but getting close to 30 mpg makes more sense then 14 or maybe 17 on the highway. Most people overkill their towing rating, and buy vehicles that can pull 10,000 pounds to pull around their 18 foot boat. Wasteful by any measure.
Plus, you are saying how fast the Tundra is and how poor the handling is. Why does it matter how fast it is? Do you need to be racing stoplight to stoplight every time you are on the road? I surely hope not... especially in large pickups.
Loving to drive is great. I do too. The days of just cruising to waste gas are long gone, and everyone should realize that. Look what just happened to the gulf. Supporting countries that hate us and wish us dead just so I can have fun cruising is not a great idea as far as I'm concerned. I know we Americans have come to expect these "rights" we have, but they are starting to show the price that is attached to them that we have ignored for decades. Time to up the responsibility level and do the right thing.
That being said, my Toyota is fun to drive and has plenty of power to do whatever I need it to do, but in a much more efficient way. I'll probably be selling the boat soon enough, and the next vehicle I will get will be even more efficient. The good old days have passed sadly enough....
29th Aug 2010, 12:01
"Sending the Middle East more cash isn't my idea of a good plan."
But sending it to Japan is?
29th Aug 2010, 12:06
Wow. How things have changed. A few years ago (before the implosion of Toyota and Honda) import owners never ceased to cite the few sources that ranked imports a few notches above domestics. Now that every automotive source on the planets is rating GM and Ford way ahead of all the imports it's "hype".
29th Aug 2010, 13:13
Some of us cruised for hours to raise money for the Vets today in our cars. What's the issue?
30th Aug 2010, 06:01
If my only criteria was stoplight to stoplight, I would have selected the Tundra.
ALL my vehicles overall handle better than any Toyota I tested.
If you are towing an 18 foot boat with 4 people inside, and a vehicle full of luggage at 30 mpg, that's great.
I like nice riding vehicles. I also do the car show circuit, and enjoy cruises. No one comments on fuel mileage. However when I hear of 10 to 18k paint jobs in my car club, it seems high even to me. My son bought a 2002 Viper, and told me the hood alone if replaced is 19k.
There was a highway cruise. Over 1000 cars came in, driving up and down our main highway from 4 PM to 10 pm, so there's a few gallons of fuel. If you have a boat; mine burns 10 gallons an hour more fuel. Is any of this necessary? It's fun with family and better quality of life in my opinion.
The car shows raise lots of money though for numerous families with medical issues, medical research, veterans etc that are nice causes. One alone over 50k, so having a cool car has benefits as well.
30th Aug 2010, 12:26
"But sending it to Japan is?"
What about to Britain, Germany, Sweden??!!
People tend to forget "IMPORT" includes cars from Germany, Britain and Sweden?
I guess this person would love to send money to Italy, as Chrysler is owned by Fiat, a foreign company!
30th Aug 2010, 13:11
Yeah a few years ago the import companies weren't on the brink of failure, and then *POOF* they suddenly top the ranks for every car survey. Imports topped domestics for over 20 years and earned their high rankings!
A few years ago, America seemed like a more honest place to be. Now the government owns more than half of GM... yeah, the trustworthy government. They would never fix the ratings in favor of companies that they have a stake in now would they? Yeah, keep living that dream!
And finally, a few years ago the domestic car fans were all going on about how all of the ratings were fixed in favor of imports (not just a few sources). Of course, now that they are reporting what they want to hear, they are the word of God right? Yeah, thought so.
And since when has Honda imploded?? And how would you explain the fall of GM...I think they imploded more than any other car company in history. If it weren't for the big bailout, they would cease to exist at all. Or did you forget that all of the sudden when the high ratings started popping up? Boy, the government saw a plan to dupe the public once again, and it worked like a charm. Look how people are eating it up!
30th Aug 2010, 13:40
"Some of us cruised for hours to raise money for the Vets today in our cars. What's the issue?"
There is no issue as long as you realize you are also raising money for the Middle East... Perhaps you could do a walk or something like that huh?? That's how they raise money for cancer...
30th Aug 2010, 18:13
Actually, the only reason I agree with this person in that the domestics are being rated so highly is "hype" is because it all happened so fast. It took the imports a few years to top the charts. The domestics did it in a few months right after almost failing completely. It just sounds a bit odd to me that a company can go from the brink of failure to building the "best in the world". Also, my personal experiences with domestics (including the new ones that are rated oh so highly) tell me otherwise.
29th Aug 2010, 05:19
10:29 I bought it as a fun family SUV to take family of 4 out, that's why. Comparing a Highlander to an SS; hardly. I also bought a new Silverado, and found the Tundra, when I tested it, was actually faster in a straight line, but did not handle as well. If I were stoplight to stoplight, only the Tundra would suffice. But I like overall handling. But better ride, amenities, people carrying, better warranty and lower cost to own per Edmunds, plus I tow with it as well.
The Silverado gets better gas mileage, but I buy most features and benefits first vs just gas. If you buy any SUV and continually comment on gas mileage, buy a small sedan. I do not know what you use the SUV for, but I tow. I switch off SUV to truck, and need a strong dependable capable vehicle.
I like great handling vehicles and fun to drive first. If I want high gas mileage, my Corvette C5 gets 30 mpg on heads up display doing the interstate on long distance driving. It gets the best mileage. Aerodynamic, cruises the legal limit here; it's 65 mph at 1600 RPM.
Our family loves driving and are pretty hard to please. The LS engines are outstanding, very refined, and the tech features are absolutely great too. And no more import trans issues anymore. I test drive a lot of vehicles and buy. I am really sold on GM now. Looks like Toyota is looking at sports cars again; pretty pricey, but it's a plus.