Range is a real problem - I'm heading to do the Trans Tiaga Road this month

[l00semarble]

My biggest disappointment in this vehicle is the range. WIth a rooftop tent and slightly upsized AT tires my fuel economy is about 14-15mpg. You can only put about 15 gal into the stupid thing so range can be as low as 210 miles and that is not leaving some reserve. I'm going on this trip with friends and I actually embarrased for this Land Cruiser that can't go even 250 miles between fuel stops.

As soon as I "sign in" to enter the backcountry at Matagami I won't even be able to make it the first (easiest) paved leg up the James Bay road to Relais Routier to "start" the trip as that is a 236 mile leg. I'll need to get into a fuel jug before we even reach the first stop.

Then after visiting Hudson Bay and Radison I can't make it from Radison to the next remote fuel stop which I understand is a pretty informal/remote place about half way out the Trans Tiaga.

From there at MINIMUM i want to get to the end of the road and back to this same place for fuel. That is AT LEAST 382 miles not counting side trips or exploring the remote road south from the end of the Trans Tiaga. I need close to DOUBLE the range of the vehicle. And we want to go exploring on side quests etc so the situation is actually far worse.

This problem can't be solved by 1 or 2 or even 3 jerry cans. I think I need to carry at minimum 4x5gal cans and even then I will need to keep a close eye on things. Luckily one of my buddies is doing the trip in a pickup and he said I can throw fuel in the truck bed. I think I'm just going to get a 4-pack of VP Racing fuel jugs. If it were not for my buddy carrying the fuel for me I'm not sure I would be making this trip in this supposed "Land Cruiser."

I think the range is almost a deal breaker for me. I will admit I had not considerd it fully when purchasing the vehicle. I wish I could have gotten the diesel and forget the hybrid. Though I will admit that I like the integrated high output inverter.

 

[Midwest Duo]

Trade it in for something you think is better. Move on.

 

[sooperslow]

Sounds like you need a different vehicle for your type of use.

 

[APIOQM]

That looks like a fun trip! I'd expect slightly better fuel economy than what you're predicting. Range should be in the ballpark of other SUVs (4Runner, Wrangler, Bronco), but you're never going to beat a truck. I'd just be happy you'll have one with you willing to carry fuel. Where will they be sleeping?

 

[LcAz]

Fantastic looking trip. Look, the small tank is an issue that should have been addressed, but if you are thinking you will need 20 extra gallons of fuel, there really arent too many vehicles with 37.6 gallon tanks. That is a bit myopic. Even 7 more gallons (which would be nearly a 25 gallon tank) doesnt get you where you need. Either your calculations are flawed or the trip you chose (which is common) will need you to carry fuel. Either way plan it out and enjoy.

**contrary to popular belief the tank will hold at least a verified 17.6 gallons. It is spec'd at 17.9, but I have not verified that.....I have however verified at least 17.6.......

 

[NoMe cruiser]

Do a trial run. Carry a few gallons of fuel around to find out what your range ACTUALLY is instead of taking the advice of Toyota’s computer generated figures.

 

[l00semarble]

That looks like a fun trip! I'd expect slightly better fuel economy than what you're predicting. Range should be in the ballpark of other SUVs (4Runner, Wrangler, Bronco), but you're never going to beat a truck. I'd just be happy you'll have one with you willing to carry fuel. Where will they be sleeping?

What are others getting for fuel economy? Even if you get 17mpg and you use 15 gal that is 255 miles of range which is bad. I know the tank is a bit larger but the gauge and reported range shows empty with about 15-15.5 gallons used.

My other land cruisers are diesels (in Costa Rica). I have a Series 80 with 2nd tank and a 150 LC Prado with about 400 miles of range. I wish I could have the 250 Prado with diesel but not possible in USA obviously.

 

[Merle]

My biggest disappointment in this vehicle is the range. WIth a rooftop tent and slightly upsized AT tires my fuel economy is about 14-15mpg. You can only put about 15 gal into the stupid thing so range can be as low as 210 miles and that is not leaving some reserve. I'm going on this trip with friends and I actually embarrased for this Land Cruiser that can't go even 250 miles between fuel stops.

As soon as I "sign in" to enter the backcountry at Matagami I won't even be able to make it the first (easiest) paved leg up the James Bay road to Relais Routier to "start" the trip as that is a 236 mile leg. I'll need to get into a fuel jug before we even reach the first stop.

View attachment 44428


Then after visiting Hudson Bay and Radison I can't make it from Radison to the next remote fuel stop which I understand is a pretty informal/remote place about half way out the Trans Tiaga.

View attachment 44429

From there at MINIMUM i want to get to the end of the road and back to this same place for fuel. That is AT LEAST 382 miles not counting side trips or exploring the remote road south from the end of the Trans Tiaga. I need close to DOUBLE the range of the vehicle. And we want to go exploring on side quests etc so the situation is actually far worse.


View attachment 44430

This problem can't be solved by 1 or 2 or even 3 jerry cans. I think I need to carry at minimum 4x5gal cans and even then I will need to keep a close eye on things. Luckily one of my buddies is doing the trip in a pickup and he said I can throw fuel in the truck bed. I think I'm just going to get a 4-pack of VP Racing fuel jugs. If it were not for my buddy carrying the fuel for me I'm not sure I would be making this trip in this supposed "Land Cruiser."

I think the range is almost a deal breaker for me. I will admit I had not considerd it fully when purchasing the vehicle. I wish I could have gotten the diesel and forget the hybrid. Though I will admit that I like the integrated high output inverter.

Maybe going slow will give you a lot more range? Keep us informed please! Have fun regardless!

 

[sf jakey]

I feel that the tiny fuel tank is by far the biggest shortcoming. It has caused me to balk at purchasing multiple times. Unfortunately, everything else in this class is also too small a tank. I sure like the 36 gallons in my F250, but It’s just too big to take in a lot of the places I like to go. PLEASE Toyota, fix this oversight. 24 gallons would be awesome.

 

[RideWithYanu]

A thoroughly-documented issue for sure.

 

[l00semarble]

Fantastic looking trip. Look, the small tank is an issue that should have been addressed, but if you are thinking you will need 20 extra gallons of fuel, there really arent too many vehicles with 37.6 gallon tanks. That is a bit myopic. Even 7 more gallons (which would be nearly a 25 gallon tank) doesnt get you where you need. Either your calculations are flawed or the trip you chose (which is common) will need you to carry fuel. Either way plan it out and enjoy.

**contrary to popular belief the tank will hold at least a verified 17.6 gallons. It is spec'd at 17.9, but I have not verified that.....I have however verified at least 17.6.......

I was doing math based on when gauge is on E and range in car shows <5mi I can pump about 15.0 gallon in. If there are 2.6 useable gallons remaining that does help. 17.6 gal * 15mpg = 264 miles of range. Still bad, but better. Sucks to have to use that significant amount of fuel "blind".

Yes I would have to carry fuel either way but 1-2 jerry cans is reasonable. 4 starts to be kind of ridiculous in my mind.

 

[Altitude]

It would not surprise me if your fuel economy was better than you’re expecting on a trip like this. These vehicles get their worst mileage cruising the highway at 75 MPH and their best crawling through traffic or on trails.

Counterintuitive for sure but seems to be a dynamic of the hybrid model. When I drive to the office in traffic I get 30-32 MPG.

 

[l00semarble]

That looks like a fun trip! I'd expect slightly better fuel economy than what you're predicting. Range should be in the ballpark of other SUVs (4Runner, Wrangler, Bronco), but you're never going to beat a truck. I'd just be happy you'll have one with you willing to carry fuel. Where will they be sleeping?

they have a rack mounted above the truck bed tent.

 

[l00semarble]

It would not surprise me if your fuel economy was better than you’re expecting on a trip like this. These vehicles get their worst mileage cruising the highway at 75 MPH and their best crawling through traffic or on trails.

Counterintuitive for sure but seems to be a dynamic of the hybrid model. When I drive to the office in traffic I get 30-32 MPG.

Well yes but no maybe. I have thought of this. This particular trip the main Trans Tiaga road is groomed gravel decently maintained to get trucks/supplied to critical hydroelectric plants out there. Most of this will not be "trail" speed, nor highway speed. Yes I think the mpg could be significantly better than highway as aero is horrible with RTT. However I likely will want to drop tire pressure for comfort depending on surface condition. Depending on how much air pressure is dropped could lose mpg to that.

The other variable that is unknown is how much side tripping we will do off the main length of road. Apparently there is plenty of opportunity and I don't want to limit my enjoyment of exploring because I can't make it back to the fuel stop.

 

[BlueCruiser]

What are others getting for fuel economy? Even if you get 17mpg and you use 15 gal that is 255 miles of range which is bad. I know the tank is a bit larger but the gauge and reported range shows empty with about 15-15.5 gallons used.

My other land cruisers are diesels (in Costa Rica). I have a Series 80 with 2nd tank and a 150 LC Prado with about 400 miles of range. I wish I could have the 250 Prado with diesel but not possible in USA obviously.

On flat highways at sea level running on original 20 inch OEM wheels and crossbar roof rack, I consistently get 28 MPG at 1,500 RPMs and traveling 62 MPH.

On the highway, in my case I can induce a "super cruise" where the vehicle maintains 62 MPH with the engine idling for significant stretches of time.

By leveraging the battery, I can also get similar mileage in mixed use commuter driving. In many ways, the hybrid is even better at those conditions. If careful, it can go up to 15 MPH almost entirely on battery and maintain 30 MPH on battery indefinitely. Try it driving around and empty parking lot and you will see.

With a roof tent and bigger tires running at 1,500 RPMs, maybe your at 60 MPH and 25 MPGs or 55 MPH and 22 MPG or even 45 MPH and 20 MPG. You get the point so figure out your sweet spot.

If maximizing fuel consumption is the goal, this vehicle should ideally be driven by the tachometer and not the speedometer. I suggest you try to establish a baseline of what your configuration can get in flat highway cruise at 1,500 rpms and then adjust driving strategy and tactics from there.

 

[l00semarble]

Okay here's an interesting piece of information to add to this issue. I decided to let my tank run down past indicated empty and indicated zero range. I drove maybe another 20 to 25 miles but I didn't keep track of it exactly because I didn't notice exactly when the gauge went to zero.

But the point is I drove it for a while after empty and then just now I brimmed the tank until it's splashed out and put over 19 gallons in assuming I can trust a regulated/ inspected pump.

I usually pump in about 15 gallons if I'm down near empty so this extra reserve in the tank is significant. Also seem surprising that they rate the tank 17.9 but I got over a gallon more than that. I guess some is in the filler neck but still seems like a big discrepancy.

 

[TakaraLC]

Did you manually top it off after the pump shutoff?

 

[l00semarble]

Did you manually top it off after the pump shutoff?

Yes. I "brimmed" the tank. I manually ran the pump into auto cutoff about 10x. I pumped until it overflowed.

 

[TakaraLC]

Yes. I "brimmed" the tank. I manually ran the pump into auto cutoff about 10x. I pumped until it overflowed.

You filled the neck, which takes about 2 gallons. So you had an about a gallon of fuel in the tank when you fueled up.

Also, you should not manually fill it beyond the shutoff. Neck contains charcoal canister and evap control equipment, which will get damaged by the fuel.

 

[NoMe cruiser]

Okay here's an interesting piece of information to add to this issue. I decided to let my tank run down past indicated empty and indicated zero range. I drove maybe another 20 to 25 miles but I didn't keep track of it exactly because I didn't notice exactly when the gauge went to zero.

But the point is I drove it for a while after empty and then just now I brimmed the tank until it's splashed out and put over 19 gallons in assuming I can trust a regulated/ inspected pump.

I usually pump in about 15 gallons if I'm down near empty so this extra reserve in the tank is significant. Also seem surprising that they rate the tank 17.9 but I got over a gallon more than that. I guess some is in the filler neck but still seems like a big discrepancy.

View attachment 44537

You’re welcome