Possibly getting rid of F150

[Miller88]

Originally Posted by p38fln

I wound up getting the Escape instead. I just couldn't handle the idea of not ever being able to tow a trailer again, and I wasn't looking forward to one of our northern Wisconsin winters with 2WD either.

It still gets 22 MPG in the city and was getting between 26 and 29 on the highway depending on how the wind was blowing. I'm looking forward to trying it out in the summer time.

Significant improvement over the F-150 which got between 12-14 in the city and 17-19 on the highway.

Get used to gassing up 5x as often! My parents went from a 2008 Wrangler (17,18MPG) to a 2013 Escape 2.0 Eco-Boast. The tank is ridiculously small and they're gassing it up every 3 days. They used to be able to get 6 or 7 days out of the warnger (with less MPG).

The new escapes are nice, though.

[p38fln]

Yes the fuel range is down to about 300 miles instead of 390 miles - but I'm paying less overall so who cares

Also, there's a TSB for early build 2013 Escapes to fix a problem where the low fuel light comes on at 4 gallons remaining instead of 2. It's anything built before 12/05/13 if I remember correctly.

[p38fln]

Got rid of the Escape, got another F-150, remembered why I got rid of the old one and eventually wound up with an Expedition that made the F-150's fuel consumption look like a subcompact car.

Got a C-Max now. 40 MPG average, got it up to 62 MPG with some very very careful driving.

[oil pan 4]

If you need a truck you need a truck.
Most people just want a truck.

[p38fln]

I can get a trailer hitch on the Escape for the 3-4 times a year I truly need that much cargo capacity and rent a U-Haul flatbed or box trailer.

The C-Max is pretty roomy if no one else is in it and the seats are folded down

[guudasitgets]

Originally Posted by p38fln

I can get a trailer hitch on the Escape for the 3-4 times a year I truly need that much cargo capacity and rent a U-Haul flatbed or box trailer.

The C-Max is pretty roomy if no one else is in it and the seats are folded down

Confused, you said you got rid of the Escape, and now your talking about getting a hitch for it. Either you got rid of it or not , pick one

[redpoint5]

You can put a trailer hitch on just about anything. I've hauled 1,800lbs with the Prius...

Concerning winter driving, trucks have the worst handling, even in 4-wheel drive when compared to an all wheel drive car.

[guudasitgets]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

You can put a trailer hitch on just about anything. I've hauled 1,800lbs with the Prius...

Concerning winter driving, trucks have the worst handling, even in 4-wheel drive when compared to an all wheel drive car.

Try pulling 4 sleds in a 27 foot enclosed trailer with a foot of snow on the ground, 230 miles to northern Wisconsin at night in below zero weather with your Prius. You may "think" the four wheel drive truck your referring to is worse handling than an all wheel drive car, but it wasn't built for that. A 4 wheel drive pickup is built for the things the OP wanted in the first place, not what you "think" a Prius will do. I'll put my Diesel F-250 up against it on that 230 mile night towing trip against your Prius anytime.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by guudasitgets

Try pulling 4 sleds in a 27 foot enclosed trailer with a foot of snow on the ground, 230 miles to northern Wisconsin at night in below zero weather with your Prius. You may "think" the four wheel drive truck your referring to is worse handling than an all wheel drive car, but it wasn't built for that. A 4 wheel drive pickup is built for the things the OP wanted in the first place, not what you "think" a Prius will do. I'll put my Diesel F-250 up against it on that 230 mile night towing trip against your Prius anytime.

You must have missed this from the OP:

Originally Posted by p38fln

Well - I've never 'needed' the truck's 5 ton towing capacity so I'm thinking I'll come out OK. U-Haul rents trucks if I ever need to move myself, and in the future I might get a Ford Escape. Seems to still get decent MPG and has a trailer hitch.

And, all redpoint5 said about his Prius was that he's pulled 1,800 lbs with it before. No one asked about pulling a 27' trailer through the snow on whatever specific night in Wisconsin, because none of us appear to be that concerned about pulling 27' trailers through the snow on whatever specific night in Wisconsin. You might as well ask what any of us will do when we need to tow a 53' trailer through a hurricane in Podunk, AL; let's see your pickup truck do that in this hypothetical pissing contest. Better go buy a Peterbilt just in case.

Speaking for myself, if I ever find myself needing to pull a 27' trailer through the snow on whatever specific night in Wisconsin, I'll rent a U-Haul and be done with it. But I don't expect that day will ever come.

[Ecky]

OP, correct me if I'm wrong, but in the last 4 years you've gone from F150 to Escape to F150 to Expedition to C-Max? I can't imagine you're saving much money overall by changing vehicles this often.

I will however second that I vastly prefer driving my 1850lb Insight to either my work van or F150 (which my father mostly uses) in Vermont winters. Heavy, rear wheel drive vehicles with high centers of gravity have a much greater tendency to slide, and are more likely to tip - ask me how I know.

Plus, I have no issues towing with my little 67HP, 70+ MPG FWD car. I've nearly matched redpoint5's 1800lb figure. Although larger vehicles can (generally) safely tow more, you can theoretically tow anything with anything, and I've logged thousands of miles pulling over 1000lbs behind my car.





Not that I'm advising you go out and buy an Insight, just suggesting you may not need as much vehicle as you think you do.