Anything that will haul bikes and get 30mpg?

I think I'd have to sell my house two or three times to afford one of those.

anyone got a prius and hitched towed a bike? Would like to get advice..

i have a few mpg I could spare..

i tow up to 3 dirt bikes behind a 97 subaru outback sport, 2.5l / 5 speed.

i specifically bought this vehicle to tow to the races that are far away, for dirt cheap.

i built a 3 rail trailer from a jet ski trailer. added 14" wheels. trailer is very very light.

with 1 dirt bike on i get 28mpg.

with 2 on i get 26mpg

with 3 on i get 22mpg

all at 70mph.

a friend does the same with a 2011 dodge caliber. he has a very heavy trailer, and pulls 3 dirt bikes behind it also. he gets similar mileage.

i think the best mpg is gonna be the manual jetta tdi. towing capacity is almost nil, but it will easily tow 1 bike on a small trailer.

i bet a mid 80's mb 300d (turbo) could easily approach 30mpg and towing a bike or 2 with minor tweaking...then you could travel in style. best highway car ever.





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I use my 1985 Mercedes 300d. It gets 27 mpg empty and pulling my double wave runner trailer I get 27 mpg. The car does not care it is back there.

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hell, it even says MAN on the grill!

Is that a pusher motor added to the back of your car?

Maybe something like this ? From Ratman , think it will get over 30 MPG at 70 ?

30 mpg towing two bikes, with 2 more on the roof, 65 mph cruising speed. TDI FTW!

They didn't need fancy diesel cars or Sprinter Vans in the old days.



I did learn something while using my SUV to haul bikes. When I went on a trip, I took two small bikes with me. One inside the vehicle and one on the hitch mount. The smell of fuel mixed with two stroke oil was a bit overpowering and had to run on the freeway with the windows opened. Something to think about before you get a Sprinter etc.

Those MBZs didn't get as good as you'd think. At least the 5cyl 2.5 NA Diesel in 190D only returned 30 on the hwy unloaded and the Turbo doesn't help mileage any.

My 280E (Gasoline) only got 18mpg towing an XR on a harbor freight trailer. The low MPG was the main driver for to switch over to a pickup truck (well that and I blew the motor).


I think 30mpg and towing at highway speeds is still just a dream.

I still think a tall geared 2wd 6cyl truck or a maybe a van would return the best mileage

There is a Prius towing group at yahoo.com. Some of them tow 1200 pound tear drop campers cross country.

U.S.-rated towing capacity may be almost nil, but that doesn't mean anything. Get a Westfalia hitch and you can put 1800kg back there (with brakes on the trailer). Get the Euro plug-in harness and convert your trailer to Euro-spec lighting and VCDS can be told to detect the trailer and adjust the ABS automatically.

The problem with most european cars is that they have to use premium. My Audi and my brother's Mercedes both need super to run and even so, they are both gutless. My Audi only has the 2.8 V6, but only returns 22 mpg. Not really very good. Factor in the cost of premium over regular and may as well say it gets 19mpg, averaging the cost factor. My brother's E series with the straight 3.0L six doesn't do any better. And it's relatively gutless as well.

Try (finding) one of those early 80's Toyota "Space Vans". Some came few with sticks, 30 mpg, and you can fit two bikes in there, low floor height, no trailer needed. Of course they are rare, and most would be run out and (depending on locale) rusted, but they were pretty indestructible. If you found a decent one it would be very affordable. Less van = more bike.

As stated many times here, we use our '11 Golf TDI as our tow vehicle. Trip from Atlanta to San Diego via Des Moines and Denver (in a snow storm) netted us 38mpg with a loaded trailer. I had to look back several times to make sure it was there due to the car handling it so well. Good upside of the Golf TDI is the standard trim. Full GTI interior and suspension standard. Only remaining options available is the sunroof, cold weather package, GPS, HID, and premium sound. The car handles well enough for the wife to competitively Auto-x it in stock trim. (MPG drops to about 30 for those days.)

It's not a matter of making money, it's that they bill themselves as a luxury-only brand here and don't want to dilute their marketing message. Mercedes does the same thing. No A-series here, no cloth seats, no manual windows, etc.

Yes, isn't it funny that all over the world they use Mecedes as taxis? Maybe they could do a Acura/Honda reversal. Bring in their lower models as another line and sell them rebadged at another dealership? Probably never happen.

The only non-commercial brand name they have available is Smart. I don't think that would work for a stripped C-class, but they could perhaps sell the A as a stretch Smart. I don't know what BMW would do.