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Old 02-08-2011, 10:36 AM   #21
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LOL. We strongly considered buying a Flex (my employer owns it) when we recently bought another Odyssey. But my wife couldn't deal with the styling.

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Well, the Flex doesn't get great mileage to begin with (17 city, 24 highway, 19 combined as per the EPA), but when not towing, it's got to be better than a pick-up or large SUV, no? Certainly beats them hands down in terms of comfort and passenger capacity.
I just recently towed with the Flex. All highway, cruising slightly above the limit. I averaged 12 mpg with it - within 1 mpg of what I got with my T@B and a Silverado 5.3 or the Grand Cherokee V8 and the Argosy. Like you said, the Flex isn't the best on fuel economy to begin with. I do better towing with my Odyssey - 15 mpg is typical.

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Plus, what are your driving habits? Do you do tow your TT most of the time, or drive without it? I suspect that for many, 95% (or better) of the time, they drive without a TT behind them.
Sure - totally agree with that. But the EPA numbers I've seen for the F-150 don't show a huge benefit from the Ecoboost V6 over the 5.0-liter V8. The Ecoboost is being billed as the top level engine, combining both performance and slightly better fuel economy.

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Flex is FWD, so might beat out a 2WD pick-up in many slippery situations, but it must be noted that if one drives in snowy mountains or wet, hilly fields frequently, a 4WD vehicle would be a definite asset.
In routine driving, yes. Towing the trailer in a wet, grassy, hilly field - no. I was towing with my Odyssey in that situation and it wasn't optimal. But being fair, 2wd trucks were having problems too in that situation. (Wet grass is a tough surface, even for dedicated off-road vehicles.)

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I wonder how long it will be before Ford decides to put a small V-8 into a Flex model...?
The combo I'd like is an Ecoboost V6 in the Explorer - after all, its the same platform as Flex. Instead they're doing a four-cylinder turbo that will be front-wheel-drive only and can only tow 2000 lbs.

Tom
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Old 02-08-2011, 01:34 PM   #22
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I'd go 4WD. Over the years, beside bad weather, I've needed it on sandy beach sites and as stated, wet grass and mud. Perhaps even more importantly, having a low set of gears is really nice when maneuvering uneven or hilly sites. The strain on the transmission is releaved so much when jockying in the low set. My answer may be different if I had a sub-4000 lb trailer. However, I do remember at least 2 instances on Michigan beach sites where I would've buried the rig w/o 4WD.

BTW...a locking differential is well worth the relatively low cost, whether you go 4WD or 2WD.
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Old 02-08-2011, 04:08 PM   #23
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btw...a locking differential is well worth the relatively low cost, whether you go 4wd or 2wd.
Amen Brother!
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Old 02-08-2011, 06:10 PM   #24
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I would love to have a Flex, it is a fabulous car IMHO.
Agreed, I would have bought a Flex to tow our Safari, but the 18 gallon (US) gas tank killed it for me. (We're looking for a Chevy Traverse instead).

As for gas mileage, as I understand it turbo's don't get any better gas mileage than standard fuel injected versions with similar displacement....the only thing the turbo gives you is more HP. Given the complexities of turbos, I'd wait a few years before giving one a try.
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Old 02-08-2011, 06:30 PM   #25
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I would like to thank all of you for the great replys and sharing your experiences. I feel more comfortable after reading your posts. The jury is out on 4x4. I need to weigh the additional cost to the probable application. Once we get the truck we will drive our Prius as much as possible and make every effort to limit the F-150 to towing. Thanks again for all of your good advice.
John and Joy Dibble
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Old 02-08-2011, 06:44 PM   #26
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Seems to me that I noticed somewhere that a 4x4 pickup got about 3 MPG less than a 4x2.
If you worry about fuel economy you should be sure to confirm this.
Al
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Old 02-08-2011, 06:58 PM   #27
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Seems to me that I noticed somewhere that a 4x4 pickup got about 3 MPG less than a 4x2.
If you worry about fuel economy you should be sure to confirm this.
Al
Not true any more. Modern 4WD systems turn nothing extra in 2WD. So, other than carrying an extra couple hundred pounds of weight, there is no more drag on the powertrain than 2WD. Maybe a couple tenths of fuel economy penelty, at most.
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Old 02-08-2011, 06:59 PM   #28
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AWD is a different story.
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Old 02-08-2011, 07:09 PM   #29
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Once we get the truck we will drive our Prius as much as possible and make every effort to limit the F-150 to towing.
Just throwing this out there: maybe you should consider a used truck. Even if you decide to get something newer (I'd get a truck with stability control), you can save a bunch of money by going that route.

Tom
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Old 02-09-2011, 02:36 AM   #30
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Use the truck on weekends to do the family errands, one big loop out & back. Not much point in watching depreciation kill the value as the truck just sits. FE is great, but depreciation, finance charges and other fixed expenses mean more. Use it and enjoy.
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Old 02-11-2011, 03:09 PM   #31
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JFScheck - Why the new TV

John:

Not so long ago you were raving about how well your Touareg pulled your Airstream Classis 25FB. I am considering the same TV based on your experience. Now I see you have ordered an F-350. Was there a problem with the Touareg? Why did you decide to change?
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Old 02-11-2011, 07:29 PM   #32
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Yes – I will always rave about the capability of the Touareg TDI coupled with the mighty P3 hitch and how well it has pulled my 25FB Airstream Classic all over the country - be it over mountains, desserts or the great plains....

If you look at my posts - especially where we discussed in great detail the challenges to such a setup - I acknowledged that although my Touareg had 407lbs torque, great brakes, and with the P3 hitch ROCK SOLID towing of my Airstream despite its short wheelbase - I still needed to be extremely cognizant of my weights, ESPECIALLY MY TOUNGE WEIGHT!

When I towed my 25FB Classic - it was with no more than two people in the Touareg and only 20lbs equipment in the back seat. Absolutely nothing was in the "rear storage area" of the Touareg. As for my Airstream - my front propane tanks were kept at 1/2 or below of capacity, the storage space under the front bed was kept fairly empty (15lbs of equipment) and nothing was stored in the front bedroom drawers. I also understood that I would never be able to tow with fresh water in the tanks (my Classic can accept 54 gallons) and in fact needed to make sure my black water and grey water tanks were always emptied before heading out on the road. My food, drinks & cutlery was weighed at 75 lbs (kept in the fridge and pantry) and only another 25 lbs of “stuff” around ‘n about. Any extra weight (clothes, boots, etc.) was kept aft in bags under the dinner table acounting for another 40lbs.

The 25FB Classic tongue weight as per Airstream is 780lbs - that is with no propane in the tanks, water in the hot water heater, and with only the standard "single" front window, let alone anything else in the Twinkie.

My 25FB has many options to include a few that directly affect the tongue weight - two front side windows, extra capacity 80lb propane tanks, etc. Once I loaded her up to go out and started visiting my local weigh stations, compared tongue weights, vehicle GVWR of the Touareg, etc. I realized I was far below the load capacity of my Airstream Classic and knocking right on the door of the Touareg's limits. For the record - I feel I could not have safely towed without the P3 hitch as that was the magic "puzzle piece" that made the whole package work as one.

The more I used my Airstream, the more I found I wanted to use its full capacity and invest in a larger TV. I just purchased a generator as now I can take with me more equipment and toys on the road, do some “off-grid” Airstreaming utilizing my fresh water capacity, full propane capacity, and for the first time I can store my clothes in the closets, use the under bed storage area, etc.

Long story short – was no longer willing to limit my enjoyment of my Airstream to the limitations of my tow vehicle….


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Old 02-11-2011, 08:10 PM   #33
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Thanks for the quick response. The reason I asked is that the Airstream I want is the Flying Cloud 25FB which has a base weight of only 5443 lbs. (well within Touareg TDI limits) but the tongue weight is 837 lbs. (67 over). By the time the trailer is loaded, the tongue weight would certainly be several lbs. heavier still. I want to use the Touareg as a TV so I don't have to either drive a truck for my primary transportation or buy two vehicles. I noticed that your 25FB Classic had a tongue weight a little closer to the Touareg limit so I wondered if I could reasonably arrange enough weight behind the axles to lower the tongue weight to be under 770. My gut feel is that I'd still be at (or slightly over) the tongue weight limit, and even with a Hensley or PP hitch I don't like leaving no room for error. I think your answer solidified my thoughts that the Touareg is a smidge too small.
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Old 02-11-2011, 09:01 PM   #34
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So close yet a bit too heavy- these Airstreams are so darn tounge heavy (must be the front windows or something) - you can do what I did and pretty much tow empty but like I said, that gets old after awhile.

Still, the Touareg and Cayenne's are every bit great tow rigs - you should have seen the faces of folks watching me tow up mountains with 1500 and F-150's struggling with their gas engines let alone SUV's.

Love me some diesel engines...

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