that's 5.6km/litre....
in AUD$ terms, at Australian pump prices (~$1.50/litre), that 222 mile trip would have cost me {((222*1.6)/5.6)*1.5 yeah?} so ~AUD$95 on fuel
alone. please note i regularly drive upwards of 1,000km/week.
Topping off the tank after yesterday's drive cost $46. There were three of us, plus a dog, so $15 per person. Sure as heck can't take a bus or train ride for $15, even if those things were available. Even taking three motorcycles at 50mpg would have cost more.
My commute now is only 2 miles each way. I drive home at lunch, so that's 8 miles per day that I really need to drive. The cost difference of a 30mpg vehicle and a 13 mpg vehicle over the distance of 8 miles is insignificant. Maybe someone can do the math - that's not really my thing.
But if the fuel prices return to near $4/gallon I'll be driving the S2000 more often, that's for sure. Not that I'll mind...
i can't help asking: how badly do you need an engine that big?
Well you should learn a little about the local driving conditions and the truck.
First off, the truck itself is
very heavy. Takes quite a bit of power just to get rolling, even when not loaded. Also the '04 year model has 'only' 310hp; the engine was upgraded in '05 to 360hp. For comparison my Honda has 240 hp and weighs less than half as much.
Also these trucks rev very low, are often geared low, and have a strong torque rating. A 300hp truck is
nothing like a 300hp car...
Second, the roads. Speed limit here is 75mph, most traffic travels at 78-ish (120 kilometers per hour). The local elevations range from 6,000' to over 10,000' (3000 meters), which sucks away horsepower at the rate of 3% per 1000', resulting in a 20-30% total power loss. The incline on the small local pass is 3%-6%, and continues for ten miles on either side of the apex (other mountain roads in the region are much steeper, longer, and higher).
So a 6% grade lasting ten miles, vehicles expected to maintain 75mph, and factoring in a 20+% horsepower loss... not for weak truck engines.
Vehicle availability is also a major factor. Yep, I likely could have gotten by with the V-8 and a 3/4 ton truck, but they simply weren't available. 90% of the 250/350 models are diesel, and most of the remaining 10% are V10 gasoline. Not sure the V-8 would have gotten much better mileage anyway; my '94 V-8 F150 got the same 13mpg highway.
especially if you're not regularly towing a six-horse-float or similar.
Well, no I rarely tow or haul anything heavy enough to justify the one-ton suspension. I do occasionally carry large loads, but not seriously heavy. In fact I
wish I could have found an acceptable 250 truck (see my "rather" list above).
i'm looking at a 3l TDI Toyota HiLux Dual Cab in the near future and fit it with a
GasTek for even better mpg.
Try to fit a 4x8 sheet of drywall or plywood in the back of that.
Blueboard comes in 4'x12' sheets. How far would that hang out the back of a HiLux bed?
Fifty-pound bags of plaster? Livestock feed? Load of firewood? Lumber? Hay bales?
Not that I haul of those things all of the time, but I haul some of those things some of the time. And need to do it while maintaining a reasonable speed given the previously listed driving conditions...
i'm not having a go at you, but living in Australia, there is no way i'd want to be footing those kinds of fuel bills.
I was told by a fellow there that buying a new Ford truck in Australia would cost close to $100,000 after paying the purchase price, import fees, and cost of customizing the truck for wrong-side driving.
Ah, you guys can afford it. I've been to Australia and seen the prices of things there, and know how much money guys there make. Guys I talk to can't believe how little Americans earn:
The average full-time male wage (excluding overtime) in Australia is A$69,233 per annum
Median per capita income in Raton, New Mexico is $18,000/year.
The average price of a home in Sydney is $800,000. If you can afford that, you can afford a lousy $95 for gas.
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p.s. In case anyone is unfamiliar with Australian 'trucks': Rented a large van (known in America as a MiniVan) to haul some lightweight equipment. The turd could barely make it up the low hills outside of Sydney, despite the agonizingly low speed limits and near-sea-level elevation. Thought we were going to have to get out and push...
There are very few 'real' trucks in Australia, mostly "Utes", which are Ford Focus type cars with miniature truck beds on the back and roo guards on the front. Think Chevy El Camino. A few of the Utes have flatbeds, and some have sportscar performance engines.
Lots of crossover-style cars too, and sedans.
A few small trucks and SUVs in the working towns, many done up for back country travel, equipped with off-road tires, snorkel kits, etc. Neat recreational vehicles, but not much cargo space.
I did see a Ford SuperDuty truck once, 250 or 350, at a donut shop or McDonalds. Guess who was driving? A young mother with a small child.
