Commuting in a truck (a year later).

[ls1mike]

I will always have a 2500hd or better because I tow a large travel trailer. I recently went from a 2002 2500hd to a 2017 3500hd. Both gassers. I was not a truck guy until now. I love this truck. So smooth and quiet, plus tows my trailer so well.
I still drive my full size Caprice daily but I would not have a problem daily driving the truck. Helps my commute is 12 miles each way

 

[tiger862]

It's funny when I get plywood from local Lowes and I watch pickup truck owners putting plywood in the back of truck with having to leave tailgate down then take off with just a red tag tied on. I load mine in Caravan shut tailgate and go. I can go from work truck to passenger van in less than a minute. Good vision and comfortable. Had many trucks but only thing I can think of right now that I miss is need to move furniture.

 

[ls1mike]

Originally Posted by tiger862
It's funny when I get plywood from local Lowes and I watch pickup truck owners putting plywood in the back of truck with having to leave tailgate down then take off with just a red tag tied on. I load mine in Caravan shut tailgate and go. I can go from work truck to passenger van in less than a minute. Good vision and comfortable. Had many trucks but only thing I can think of right now that I miss is need to move furniture.

That is why I have a long bed crew cab. Your van will not tow a 32 foot 7800lbs travel trailer.

 

[tiger862]

Originally Posted by ls1mike
Originally Posted by tiger862
It's funny when I get plywood from local Lowes and I watch pickup truck owners putting plywood in the back of truck with having to leave tailgate down then take off with just a red tag tied on. I load mine in Caravan shut tailgate and go. I can go from work truck to passenger van in less than a minute. Good vision and comfortable. Had many trucks but only thing I can think of right now that I miss is need to move furniture.

That is why I have a long bed crew cab. Your van will not tow a 32 foot 7800lbs travel trailer.

No it won't but it will tow 3600 lb trailer if I had one. With wife in a wheelchair van is perfect for us. The most embarrassing thing I've done with a truck 80 Chevy long bed is go hunting then walk out call Mom to come and get dad and I then dad decided to go in woods with mom's Grand Marquis 4 door then proceeded to pull truck out. I sold it after that. I have driven trucks but mostly for work but being retired I am down to one vehicle and it must be able to do more than one thing.

 

[Railrust]

Originally Posted by IndyIan
Originally Posted by Railrust
Originally Posted by DGXR
I commute in a Tacoma 4-cylinder. The ride is surprisingly good but then most modern trucks ride like cars, and the interiors mimic cars more and more as well. The fuel economy is not great (23-24 average) but my commute is only 15 miles each way... it gets close to 30mpg on long interstate drives. I do need a pickup for my hobbies (camping, dirt biking, helping friends move LOL) and also use it for work sometimes. Commuting in the Corvette would make the insurance go sky-high due to the extra mileage. Someday I will sell the Corvette and either get a sports sedan, or an econobox for commuting. I am enjoying the legendary Toyota reliability, with a 4-cylinder, ultra-simple drivetrain and live axle. If reliability is important, Tacoma is a good choice.


The truck definitely comes in handy for mountain biking...I mountain bike 3-4 days a week (Santa Cruz Tallboy 3). Truck makes things a whole lot easier than tossing a $5,000 dollar mountain bike onto a $70 dollar bike rack (I never really felt comfortable with that. Lol).

I do like the wagon for taking the bike to work in the morning and going for a ride on the way home, its nice having it locked up and out of sight. For me the truck doesn't compute in terms of initial cost and mileage, but we have higher fuel prices up here. Plus I like the use the DD for autocross, for the nearly free motorsports fix. With good snow tires I think a fwd car is great in the winter, on main roads atleast and if its bad enough that I wish I had AWD I'm staying home anyways.


I'd consider commuting in a wagon, and kid of using it as my "everything vehicle" . I've always liked the looks of some wagons...Audi, Caddy, BMW. I'd definitely miss sitting up from a high vantage point and being able to really kind of stretch out my legs in a truck, but the wagon does intrigue my a bit because when you fold those seats down you can fit a lot of stuff in there. The rear ceiling height might ruin some of that but with a little maneuvering I think I could figure it out....that's one thing that's great about the truck...you just toss the muddy mountain bike in the back and not think twice about it (same with the sweaty helmet and pads). But parking it would certainly be easier...probably save some on gas too.

 

[JLTD]

Originally Posted by supton

All depends on where you commute....an hour in LA vs an hour on a two lane in BFE are worlds apart.

As someone who lives in BFE I take offense!

My trip of 54 miles to work takes, according to Android, 54-55 minutes. I can think of only two traffic lights that are in a 20 mile radius of where I live.

No need for that, I aspire to live in BFE!

2 lights in 54 miles = Heaven...

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted by Railrust
Originally Posted by IndyIan
Originally Posted by Railrust
Originally Posted by DGXR
I commute in a Tacoma 4-cylinder. The ride is surprisingly good but then most modern trucks ride like cars, and the interiors mimic cars more and more as well. The fuel economy is not great (23-24 average) but my commute is only 15 miles each way... it gets close to 30mpg on long interstate drives. I do need a pickup for my hobbies (camping, dirt biking, helping friends move LOL) and also use it for work sometimes. Commuting in the Corvette would make the insurance go sky-high due to the extra mileage. Someday I will sell the Corvette and either get a sports sedan, or an econobox for commuting. I am enjoying the legendary Toyota reliability, with a 4-cylinder, ultra-simple drivetrain and live axle. If reliability is important, Tacoma is a good choice.


The truck definitely comes in handy for mountain biking...I mountain bike 3-4 days a week (Santa Cruz Tallboy 3). Truck makes things a whole lot easier than tossing a $5,000 dollar mountain bike onto a $70 dollar bike rack (I never really felt comfortable with that. Lol).

I do like the wagon for taking the bike to work in the morning and going for a ride on the way home, its nice having it locked up and out of sight. For me the truck doesn't compute in terms of initial cost and mileage, but we have higher fuel prices up here. Plus I like the use the DD for autocross, for the nearly free motorsports fix. With good snow tires I think a fwd car is great in the winter, on main roads atleast and if its bad enough that I wish I had AWD I'm staying home anyways.


I'd consider commuting in a wagon, and kid of using it as my "everything vehicle" . I've always liked the looks of some wagons...Audi, Caddy, BMW. I'd definitely miss sitting up from a high vantage point and being able to really kind of stretch out my legs in a truck, but the wagon does intrigue my a bit because when you fold those seats down you can fit a lot of stuff in there. The rear ceiling height might ruin some of that but with a little maneuvering I think I could figure it out....that's one thing that's great about the truck...you just toss the muddy mountain bike in the back and not think twice about it (same with the sweaty helmet and pads). But parking it would certainly be easier...probably save some on gas too.

I'm still running my old 3x8 26er bike so with the wheels popped off I don't even put down the rear seat and mud isn't really an issue in my old beater! I used to get my bike, a 20" wheel mtb, and a 16" wheel bike in the back without putting the seats down, but now my kids have bigger bikes so I have to rack a couple. Only VW has kept a real wagon around but I read that's gone soon too...

 

[supton]

Originally Posted by JLTD
Originally Posted by supton

All depends on where you commute....an hour in LA vs an hour on a two lane in BFE are worlds apart.

As someone who lives in BFE I take offense!

My trip of 54 miles to work takes, according to Android, 54-55 minutes. I can think of only two traffic lights that are in a 20 mile radius of where I live.

No need for that, I aspire to live in BFE!

2 lights in 54 miles = Heaven...

I wish it was that few! I get down to the city, and then off the highway, and the last mile is like 5 lights. And of course Manchester is full of lights (but thankfully I'm in and out).

But I can't think of more than two in a 20 mile radius. Of course I have to go through both of them on my commute. All small towns out here, couple thousand residents per. Quiet life. Was walking out on my 5 acres and scared up a black bear--not sure which of us was more scared.

Edit: as a kid I lived in coastal Maine. There were spots where it was 20 miles between exits (I think Vermont can be the same way up on I89) (of course, where I was, we got off the highway, and then drove for another hour). As a teenager, on a fri or sat night, we'd think nothing of hopping into the car and driving 30 minutes to get a strip mall or movie theater. A "real" mall was another 30 minutes. I don't mind visiting NYC but it's like visiting a different world.

 

[wtd]

I used to daily drive a truck from 1993 until 2006 when I bought my Cavalier and didn't mind it at all. I've had a truck continuously from 1993 til present and while I don't drive them daily, I won't ever be without one.

 

[Ws6]

Originally Posted by Railrust
Couldn't be happier. Made the switch a year ago...always thought people were nuts for doing it...been pleasantly surprised. Now I know why I see so many pickups on the road.

The driving height and visibility is great. The gas mileage has been a pleasant surprise (I average around 25 mpg over my 500 mile weekly commute).

I need to have a truck anyway, as I've always had a beater truck in the driveway. And I needed something where when repairs are needed, parts wouldn't be hard to get or overly expensive. I owned a Lexus LS 460 before this...great car...but when you're replacing the entire front suspension every two years and it's costing you thousands?? Kind of gets old. Of when the heater blower motor breaks in the dead of the winter and you figure...oh it'll be a $150 dollar part...and it quickly turns into a $350 dollar part (not labor, but price at the parts counter).

Pleasantly surprised how quiet, comfortable and smooth the truck drives. Love the driving feel of being able to sit up a little higher and being able to see what's ahead of you. It's been great. Love not having to worry about road conditions, snow, getting stuck.

Anyone else commute in a truck? Or make the switch?

I always had sports cars. Corvette, 370z...a ws.6...and then I moved to NWA, where I planned to camp and hike more. Wanted awd for snow, and ground clearance for soft offroad, and snow. I bought a 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee with hemi and QD2. Raced one on the freeway in my 370 and was surprised how well it did, and that's what inspired me, lol!

I thought it would be [censored] to drive, but i threw some bilsteins on it and actually liked it! Remains one of my favorite rides ever, actually...except it was a Jeep, so it was constantly broken.

I never realized how nice a mid to small suv was. Quiet, sensibly quick, etc. Bought a 2015 cx5 to replace it but never fell in love. Replaced the 2015 with my 2019 turbo cx5, and its probably my favourite vehicle I've owned. Tons of tech, decent performance, boring reliability, awd, etc.

I dont think I'd like a truck because of all the space I'd give up, considering I dont haul things but I can see the definite appeal now of SUV and non car vehicles due to the better ride, quieter, etc..

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted by Railrust


Anyone else commute in a truck? Or make the switch?


I went from a series of cars, SUVs and subarus to back into a pickup about 1.5yrs ago. It was more of an impulse buy than anything. I didn't really *need* a truck. My work commute is 40 miles each way, with just 2 signal lights for the first ~37.

I agree with all your points in terms of lots of comfort and capability and the fuel economy with my pentastar powered 2017 Ram 1500, quad cab 4x4 averages out to ~23mpg tank/tank hand calculated. Dash readout can go as high as 24-25mpg average.

is your 25mpg per the dash or hand calculated over entire tanks of fuel? That's a phenomenal number for a V8, full sized pickup. None of my friends or co-workers with late model Silverados get close to that.

Parking lots and tight spaces is where I miss a smaller car.

 

[RayCJ]

I commuted in the Tacoma for 4 years. It's OK but commuting in the Hatchback Mazda3 is more fun, comfortable and handles better in all road conditions on that commute. It's hard to argue with getting 35 MPG instead of 23. A 52% increase in fuel economy... Yeah, I'll take it.

Ray

 

[antonmnster]

Drove various pickups for work, but have been driving BMWs since 1997.

Couldn't imagine commuting in a truck, by choice. Quiet, yeah, but no sense of control or engagement. And I'd rather invest extra cash than blow it on fuel.

 

[Railrust]

Originally Posted by JTK
Originally Posted by Railrust


Anyone else commute in a truck? Or make the switch?


I went from a series of cars, SUVs and subarus to back into a pickup about 1.5yrs ago. It was more of an impulse buy than anything. I didn't really *need* a truck. My work commute is 40 miles each way, with just 2 signal lights for the first ~37.

I agree with all your points in terms of lots of comfort and capability and the fuel economy with my pentastar powered 2017 Ram 1500, quad cab 4x4 averages out to ~23mpg tank/tank hand calculated. Dash readout can go as high as 24-25mpg average.

is your 25mpg per the dash or hand calculated over entire tanks of fuel? That's a phenomenal number for a V8, full sized pickup. None of my friends or co-workers with late model Silverados get close to that.

Parking lots and tight spaces is where I miss a smaller car.


My fuel mileage is not hand calculated, but off the dash. How close it is to accurate, I'm not sure...and not sure I want to know. Lol.

I've averaged 24.9 for the entire summer (3,500 miles). That's a little off from last year when I averaged 25.5

The lifetime best is 30.1, but that was in the white mountains (going down). And my lifetime average (36,000 miles), is 24.2...if I drove in warm weather year round it'd be higher.

Most people I know who own the late model Silverados can get great fuel economy, but most of them won't try, so they end up around 18, which isn't terrible. There are some guys on the GM truck forums getting the fuel economy I'm getting, with some doing better.

 

[Railrust]

Originally Posted by Ws6
Originally Posted by Railrust
Couldn't be happier. Made the switch a year ago...always thought people were nuts for doing it...been pleasantly surprised. Now I know why I see so many pickups on the road.

The driving height and visibility is great. The gas mileage has been a pleasant surprise (I average around 25 mpg over my 500 mile weekly commute).

I need to have a truck anyway, as I've always had a beater truck in the driveway. And I needed something where when repairs are needed, parts wouldn't be hard to get or overly expensive. I owned a Lexus LS 460 before this...great car...but when you're replacing the entire front suspension every two years and it's costing you thousands?? Kind of gets old. Of when the heater blower motor breaks in the dead of the winter and you figure...oh it'll be a $150 dollar part...and it quickly turns into a $350 dollar part (not labor, but price at the parts counter).

Pleasantly surprised how quiet, comfortable and smooth the truck drives. Love the driving feel of being able to sit up a little higher and being able to see what's ahead of you. It's been great. Love not having to worry about road conditions, snow, getting stuck.

Anyone else commute in a truck? Or make the switch?

I always had sports cars. Corvette, 370z...a ws.6...and then I moved to NWA, where I planned to camp and hike more. Wanted awd for snow, and ground clearance for soft offroad, and snow. I bought a 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee with hemi and QD2. Raced one on the freeway in my 370 and was surprised how well it did, and that's what inspired me, lol!

I thought it would be [censored] to drive, but i threw some bilsteins on it and actually liked it! Remains one of my favorite rides ever, actually...except it was a Jeep, so it was constantly broken.

I never realized how nice a mid to small suv was. Quiet, sensibly quick, etc. Bought a 2015 cx5 to replace it but never fell in love. Replaced the 2015 with my 2019 turbo cx5, and its probably my favourite vehicle I've owned. Tons of tech, decent performance, boring reliability, awd, etc.

I dont think I'd like a truck because of all the space I'd give up, considering I dont haul things but I can see the definite appeal now of SUV and non car vehicles due to the better ride, quieter, etc..


The CX5 is a sharp looking SUV, definitely one of my favorite SUV's on the road today.

I think commuting in an SUV is right on par with a truck...lots of reasons to love an SUV.

 

[odotb]

Dang, I need a new truck. My 2005 Silverado 5.3 gets 16 MPG on it's best day. You are getting 50% better than that. Got any idea what the gearing is on yours?

 

[LoneRanger]

I'm not allowed to commute to work in my new truck. Have to drive the company car.

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted by antonmnster
Drove various pickups for work, but have been driving BMWs since 1997.

Couldn't imagine commuting in a truck, by choice. Quiet, yeah, but no sense of control or engagement. And I'd rather invest extra cash than blow it on fuel.



This. My BMW is the perfect commuter vehicle. I've driven many trucks, a few Jeeps, etc. The only thing is they are higher off the ground but that is it. My Jeeps I had to fight the wind on long highway trips and it was exhausting. The BMW the steering is heavy enough I could probably take my hands off the wheel for a whole minute without it deviating from center.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted by jeepman3071
Originally Posted by antonmnster
Drove various pickups for work, but have been driving BMWs since 1997.

Couldn't imagine commuting in a truck, by choice. Quiet, yeah, but no sense of control or engagement. And I'd rather invest extra cash than blow it on fuel.



This. My BMW is the perfect commuter vehicle. I've driven many trucks, a few Jeeps, etc. The only thing is they are higher off the ground but that is it. My Jeeps I had to fight the wind on long highway trips and it was exhausting. The BMW the steering is heavy enough I could probably take my hands off the wheel for a whole minute without it deviating from center.

I think that's called "on center dead spot"? Something like that. I know my Toyota's sure don't have it, it took a long time to get used to it--I'd look away and when I looked back I'd have wandered, as any pressure on the steering wheel will easily move it.

Originally Posted by odotb
Dang, I need a new truck. My 2005 Silverado 5.3 gets 16 MPG on it's best day. You are getting 50% better than that. Got any idea what the gearing is on yours?

The newer trucks tend to come with very tall gearing--they now use 6, 8 or 10 speed transmissions with a really wide range. The rear end ratio is still important but not nearly as much as it used to be. Your 4AT is definitely not helping you, big jumps between gears, regardless of what you run out back.

 

[SeaJay]

Originally Posted by LoneRanger
I'm not allowed to commute to work in my new truck. Have to drive the company car.


Nice benefit, you don't have to put those miles on your own vehicle.