I just drove 200 miles to pick up some furniture from a relative. On the way down got an easy 18.1 mpg at 70-75 mph

I picked up a 5x8 U-Haul trailer¹, loaded up a bed, a dresser, and a chair, and drove back. And got 13.8 mpg while going 65 mph. Click the banner in my signature to see the chart.

That extra weight and wind resistance really hurts.

But didn't have any problems - the GX would sometimes drop into 4th on hills. And when you accelerate out of rest stops you need to use more of the merge lane.

Chip H.

¹ Check the tires before you accept the trailer. I had one bald one and I had to get them to swap it for one with two good tires.

 

Gas mileage while pulling a trailer with these things is pretty bad. I pull a boat across the country a couple times a year and mileage gets down into the 11-12 range. It could certainly use about 50 more HP as well as it struggles a bit on steeper hills.

 

S/C

 

You've got one of the (now) rare TRD superchargers? Cool.

Chip H.

 

I wish!! No, I was saying to S/C his rig. Since he was commenting that it needed 50 or so more ponies.

 

Why don't they have an 8 speed or overdrive in these vehicles? Rolling on the hwy, I think it would make a lot of difference on mpg. makes me wonder when comparing to competition (for me that would be X7, XC90, or GLS)

 

What is the point of this comment? The X7 didn't come out until 2018...and the comparable model years for the XC-90, X5, and GLS all had similar specs and tech. 8 speeds did not exist in 2003 when the GX first came out so comparing a car designed in the early 2000s to one thats 20 years newer makes no sense...

Thats also missing the point that the GX is designed to be an offroader not a crossover. Its simpler because simple is rugged and thats whats needed offroad

 

While an 8 or 9-speed would be nice, Toyota doesn't really adopt new technologies like that unless they're forced to. The Corolla has had a 4-speed automatic for years and years (I think you can get a CVT now).

Chip H.

 

I haven't done any real long distance towing with the GX, but about 40mile round trips coming in around 11mpg during that transit. I am towing a 20' boat with a loaded weight of about 4500lbs.