BEST FISHING VEHICLE?

[troutbert]

Anyone have any experience with the Ford Transit Connect?

Would that fit the bill of a good mileage vehicle you could sleep in?

 

[dryflyguy]

I just bought a Honda Fit for my wife. Although it doesn't have enought room to sleep in, it is the roomiest small car I've ever seen.
And very efficient on gas.

For fishing and camping in, I think it's hard to beat a pickup with a cap/camper. But none of them get very good mileage.
I have a 2000 Ranger 4WD with a 7 foot bed, and it serves me well. Gets maybe 20 mpg on the highway at best, though

I looked at the Honda Element a little while ago, and it would be pretty tight for me to sleep in. I'm 6 feet tall, and just don't think I would be very comfortable in it.

The Ford Transit Connect is a little roomier, and gets decent mileage. But it doesn't come in 4WD.

There is an Indian company called Mahindra that is set to launch a small pickup in America soon. It looks very interesting. It has a 4 cylinder diesel engine that they claim gets 30 mpg. And you can get it with a 7.5 foot bed and 4wd. I want to take a look at this when it finally starts being sold here

 

[gfen]

troutbert wrote:
Anyone have any experience with the Ford Transit Connect?
Would that fit the bill of a good mileage vehicle you could sleep in?

Looking at fueleconomy.gov, the TC is 22/25, for a 2WD no interior cargo van config. The Element is 19/24 for a AWD with a proper interior. Estimated difference in a year of driving, +$192 for the Element.

If you're serious, look at minivans to be the best competitor to the Element, although it still won't be as nice because there's something to be said for getting out of the stream, getting in and driving to the next point without worrying about wet waders, gunk on the boots, or anything else. The rubbermaid interior is awesome.

Edit: The only "minivan" that does better than the average is the Mazda5, which I also own. Its a pretty rad little car, but its not a minivan in the modern sense, and I wouldn't want to sleep in it even if I constructed a platform to take advantage of the interior length.

 

[David]

I'd say go with another volvo. You know how well they run and how long they last. I had 3 volvos when I was young, then got into fords and chevys for a number of unhappy and expensive years. I am now happily back to a volvo and doubt I will ever leave!

 

[RyanR]

TimRobinsin wrote:
RyanR,

My buddys dad has a colo and that thing is awesome for fishing. we took trails around the south side of rt6 near the lumber museum that i thought were pretty rough and that thing handled them like nothing.

I slept the night in my toyo last year up at that campground near poe paddy during the GD hatch at colburn and thatll be the last time i sleep in the back of that thing with the tailgate up! there were some bears snooping around i didnt want my piggies getting bit!

The size of the bed (5ft) is definitely the drawback (at least for truck camping.) I'm 6'2" and could never do it, however I have slept OK in the front passenger seat up at the Beaverkill.

I'm a truck guy, they fit my lifestyle and come in handy more often than not. I do keep wishing they come out with more hybrids trucks though. A biology and envioronmental science teacher running one of our TIC programs has a GMC Sierra full size truck that is a hybrid. He said they were hard to find. I tried to find one before I bought my Colorado. Found only 2 or 3 many states away and they were selling for about $25,000 used. I couldn't afford it.

 

[gutcutter]

i own a gas guzzling 4wd 4 door american made (not government made) pick-up. it pulls my camper and fishing buddies and has room for all of our gear.
however - when i fly to montana, i rent - a minivan. rods don't need to be broken down and all of my gear fits easily.
in my opinion - the best "fishing vehicle" is a awd minivan (toyota sienna) as far as storage, sleepability gas milage and transporting into the back woods. but, that said, who in their right mind would want to be seen in one...

 

[sandfly]

i own a gas guzzling 4wd 4 door american made (not government made) pick-up. it pulls my camper and fishing buddies and has room for all of our gear. however - when i fly to montana, i rent - a minivan. rods don't need to be broken down and all of my gear fits easily. in my opinion - the best "fishing vehicle" is a awd minivan (toyota sienna) as far as storage, sleepability gas milage and transporting into the back woods. but, that said, who in their right mind would want to be seen in one...

Why I got the astro for one, more manly. LOL. 5" lift awd or real transfer case. I had both right now awd. chevy engines fit from the v6 to the whopper 572 big block (got torgue) fits a full size mattress plus frig, heater, stove inside along with 3 batteries. can climb the rockies, and run the beaches. V6 not so good on gas, V8 will get around 20 to 24 depending on your driving. (me I would get less ) Has enough pulling power to pull campers or boats. Can go from front seat to rear without getting wet in a rain storm. Easy to modify for conditions. will take a 8' pontoon inside with no problems, can your bubaru's do that...

 

[mike_richardson]

My current car is a 2005 neon. Nuff Said. LOL My previous car was an 03 neon but a maniac in a 1989 or so caravan thought it would be cool to take the front end off by blowing through a stopsign doing about 50. Imagine that. JERKS!! LOL

 

[ryguyfi]

mcfinn wrote:
Gotta plug my hoopty Subaru Ipmreza/Outback Sport.
AWD turbo for the hills, holes, and slush, but i REALLY dig the big windows all around for those quick over-the-shoulder glances at moving water we all take. (You know the glances i mean; shoulders forward pokin' our chins out the open window like Labradors lickin' the creek air... the 'covered bridge slow-down technique'... as well as the famous 'inching closer to a trailhead birm to look for fresh tire tracks'...).

I second that. I just bought one about a year ago and really like it. It isn't the jeep wrangler that I had before, but it's a nice ride. Mine has 100k plus on it now and has been nickle and diming me ever since I got it, but may spring for a newer one in the next year or so.

 

[pcray1231]

Mcfinn and ryguy,

I'm digging my Subaru, and we will likely consider another Subaru when the time comes to get rid of our sedan. 2 Subaru's, I know, I'll be one of those crazy guys!

Anyway, my question is, do you find the turbo to be worth it? One of my big complaints is that my Forester is underpowered. In this area where I'm at, onramps are ridiculously short, and it has no power to get up to speed, its actually pretty dangerous. But is the extra boost worth the fairly significant lower gas mileage and the necessity of premium gas?

When I bought it I said no, and went with the standard engine. But I'm still thinking over that decision, and not sure if I regret it or not.

Then again, the lack of mid-range acceleration might have as much to do with the 4 speed auto as the engine power. Seems plenty powerful from a stop or at highway speed. Perhaps I shoulda gotten the stick, and they'll likely have a 5 speed in most vehicles soon, you know, to catch up with the rest of the world, lol.

 

[NoMoreCornChuckin]

pcray, I believe you are right about the auto vs stick. I have a stick and it's quite powerful for a 4 cyl. I never checked what size it is but it's more powerful than I thought it would be.

 

[franklin]

pcray1231 wrote:
Mcfinn and ryguy,

I'm digging my Subaru, and we will likely consider another Subaru when the time comes to get rid of our sedan. 2 Subaru's, I know, I'll be one of those crazy guys!

Anyway, my question is, do you find the turbo to be worth it? One of my big complaints is that my Forester is underpowered. In this area where I'm at, onramps are ridiculously short, and it has no power to get up to speed, its actually pretty dangerous. But is the extra boost worth the fairly significant lower gas mileage and the necessity of premium gas?

When I bought it I said no, and went with the standard engine. But I'm still thinking over that decision, and not sure if I regret it or not.

Then again, the lack of mid-range acceleration might have as much to do with the 4 speed auto as the engine power. Seems plenty powerful from a stop or at highway speed. Perhaps I shoulda gotten the stick, and they'll likely have a 5 speed in most vehicles soon, you know, to catch up with the rest of the world, lol.

You might want to run a test comparing gas mileage of different octane rated gas. I have a Dodge RAM that gets 13.5 mpg with 87 octane. Last summer I towed a large load some distance so I loaded up with 93 octane. I noticed I got 16 mph even while towing. After doing some experiments I found that it's more cost effective for me to buy 89 octane in that vehicle than 87.

 

[JustFish]

I have a 6 speed four door jeep. As far as gas mileage goes I get around 19 miles to the gallon. As far as space goes I like it. I can fit 5 people in it without breaking rods down. So it's nice for runnin and gunnin. But if your looking to save money on gas some of the other sedans people mentioned are better for that.

 

[tomgamber]

Had an Isuzu p/u with a shell I liked a lot. Had kids and bought a Cherokee...liked that too but not roomy enough to sleep in. Had a hatchback Celica in the 80's that seemed to go everywhere in Idaho. Whatever I'm driving on my way to fish... that vehicle is my favorite.

 

[hughzar]

I drive a little Hyudai Accent and I love every minute of it! It zips me where ever I need to go without putting the hurt on my wallet. Space is super limited, but the drive's seat is comfortable. I mean really, who cares about passengers...

 

[Biggie]

I will never get rid of my suburban. (unless Obama makes me 🙂). When I'm fishing upstate NY and the other guys want to go out for dinner or something guess who's vehicle they all run to? I get hit hard with the gas price but atleast I'm comfortable driving any distance.

 

[tomgamber]

hughzar wrote:
I drive a little Hyudai Accent and I love every minute of it! It zips me where ever I need to go without putting the hurt on my wallet. Space is super limited, but the drive's seat is comfortable. I mean really, who cares about passengers...

They key is being able to put a 9ft rod into it without breaking it down...

 

[pcray1231]

franklin, the gas mileage is fine. It's rated at 21/26. I push 30 mpg on pure 2 lane highway, but my overall average is right around 24-25 for the driving I do, which seems about right.

What I was complaining about was mid-speed acceleration. It jumps from a stop. And on the highway, plenty of passing power. But from 20-45 or so it feels real sluggish, which is right in that range where you need the power to merge from onramps and such. Reading's so-called "onramps" don't help matters.

The turbo would reportedly get significantly worse mileage, and the requirement of premium gas would make it more expensive yet. But you'd get significantly more power, which could help with the acceleration.

That is, unless the lack of mid-range acceleration has nothing whatsoever to do with engine power, and everything to do with antiquated 4 speed tranny (almost everyone has a 5 speed these days), and the fact that it REALLY likes 2nd gear, lol.

 

[gfen]

On Mahindra: Ain't gonna happen. They killed the contract with their proprosed distributer, have the price on their truck way, way up ($22K!!) and the mileage on the proposed diesel way down. Also, as an ex-diesel owner, it ain't all that. ULSD has killed the price advantage diesel sees in America. For the 30% bump in mileage, you pay a 20% bump in cost and many associated headaches.

On octane: If your car demands 87 octane, putting in 89, 93, etc provides absolutely zero positive benefit, and may actually result in worse performance. Your engine is designed to run within certain parameters, and fuel octane is one of them. By using higher octane fuel, the car has to retard performance to make up for gas that ignites at higher compression.

Most times the onboard computers can compenstate by changing operational parameters to fit what you've fed it, so if you accidently dump 87 into your high compression (ie, turbo) engine that demands 91, it won't have a very adverse effect other than decreased mileage and power. Doing so on a regular basis, however, will result in issues as the fuel ignites from compression, not spark, leading to damage. That pinging sound you hear isn't a good thing.

 

[FFChineseman]

My bimmer 335xi is not necessary a fishing car, but I do enjoy it and the all wheel drive makes me feel comfortable to drive it off road in a snowy winter.The only problem is it is not very roomy for all the fishing gears.