Gas vs Diesel RV: Which Is Right For You?
RV Lifestyle & Repair EditorsDescription
There’s been a longstanding disagreement between those who believe gas-powered RVs are superior and those who favor diesel. A couple decades ago, it wasn’t really worth it to invest in diesel unless you were partaking in a very specific type of travel. Nowadays, the gap has narrowed, and the debate has intensified. Whichever side of the gas vs diesel RV debate you represent likely depends on a few factors. In this lesson, we teach you about those factors, and discuss some of the distinguishing characteristics of gas- and diesel-powered units.
Making the choice: gas vs diesel RV
To help you pick a side in this great debate, Dave Solberg contrasts the capabilities and limits of each type of RV. He explains why certain types of towing and travel are best suited for diesel RVs, what makes them much more expensive and less affected by wind, and how you should decide whether the upgrade is worth the cost. Per Dave’s advice, always be sure to factor in your specific needs when opting for one option or the other. Know what you’ll be doing when you hit the road, then choose your side!
One of our members wrote in, "I'm looking for a new Class A motorhome, "what do you recommend? "Gas or diesel?" That's been a question or a debate for quite a few years. Back 10, 15 years ago there was a huge difference. The gas didn't have quite the torque. It didn't have the power to do mountains If you're gonna be towing that type of stuff. You really had to step up to a diesel. And that was some pretty big bucks back then. Today's gas and diesel have really come a lot closer. The gas chassis right now, as of today it's the Ford chassis, the Triton V10. It has I believe 362 horsepower but the main thing is torque. And the diesel engine is gonna have better torque. The reason you buy a diesel over gas in my opinion, is it's got a heavier chassis. You're gonna get a better ride, airbags, larger tires. All that's gonna translate in going down the road, giving you a better driving experience. It also is a little less affected by wind from side drafts, or from truck shear that would come by you. The gas engine, and I look at the difference right now. You're gonna pay a lot more money for the diesel. The diesel engine is also gonna come with the transmission and the chassis. So it's a substantial jump. Sometimes you'll see 25,000 up to 75,000 depending on the size of that engine. Now, the price of diesel versus gas kind of fluctuates over the years. Last year, diesel was a dollar more than gas. You're gonna get about two miles a gallon better with a diesel engine. But I don't look at buying the diesel for fuel economy because I'm never gonna make up that difference in the price I have to pay for diesel versus gas. Now if I'm looking at a unit that's maybe under 34 feet, and it's gotta couple slide rooms not triple slides, quad slides. I want to tow 5,000 pounds, and I don't mind if it goes down into, if I'm driving 65 miles an hour, I may go down to 60 miles an hour on a 6% grade in the mountains. But I don't see in my opinion, having to take that big step up to the diesel with a smaller coach like that. Now if you're gonna be towing more, or you're gonna be going in the mountains more often, you wanna maintain speed. The diesel does have its advantages. So look at how you're using that coach, where are you going with it, the things you're gonna take. Diesel will allow you to have more amenities inside, like marble, Corian tile floors the heavier stuff like that. But take a look at how you use it, where you're going, and make the choice between gas and diesel.
Han an Allegro Open Road 35 QBA for five years, traded it in for a Phaeton. We wish we had spent the extra money in 2011 for a RED! I had to stop our "books on tape” going up EVERY big hill because we couldn’t hear above the din. Then at night the generator is under the bed. The Phaeton is incredibly quiet underway. For MPG reasons I don’t drive over 63 MPH, when big trucks pass the bow wave and slipstream are barely felt! We only average about two MPG better than before so with the price difference the cost of fuel is a push. Oil change/regular maintenance is much more expensive. We’re glad we traded up.
This discussion is obviously for motorhomes and not gas vs. diesel trucks. Our neighbor up the street has a Ford V10 and is lucky to get 6 mpg. Whereas my 2004 Dodge Cummins 4x4 towing around 10,000 has gotten as much as 15 on the flat. The worst was 10 mpg on a miles long upgrade. And with a six speed New Venture manual we seldom slow for the grades and were able to add a Pacbrake for the downgrades. Just saying.