Dan wrote:
Eisboch wrote:

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
. ..

On 11/4/2006 7:25 PM, Dan wrote:

I need to get a new tow vehicle that I can also use for the daily commute
and I've narrowed it down to two but that could always change.

'07 BMW X5 4.8 (limited info out right now)

or

'07 MB GL450

Any thoughts? I have an '04 X5 4.4 right now. I've never had a Mercedes
but I am impressed with what I see in the GL.

Thanks,
Dan


A 4.8 liter engine for a daily commuter? A fool and his money...


Depends on where and how far your commute is. These modern engines aren't a
Toyota Prius in terms of gas mileage, but they aren't that bad either
considering the performance they deliver.

Eisboch



My '04 X5 4.4 gets 16/22 mpg (city/highway). The 3.0 gets 16/21. I
have the same experience with the five F-150's I own (for my company).
The V-6's are marginally worse than the V-8's. The smaller engines just
have to work harder to move the same vehicle.

I wonder if the same is true with boats? Since running WOT in the ocean
can only happen on a calm day does a bigger engine give you better
economy for trolling, cruising, and running at near-idle in the no-wake
zones like the intracoastal waterway?

A boat engine is running under a heavier load than a car or truck all
the time. It takes a lot more energy to push a boat hull through the
water. No one really run's their boat at WOT for long periods of time
unless their a speed freak or they just don't care. But the engines are
running at higher RPM's (3000 to 3500 RPM) for longer periods of time.
And yes, typically, with inboard gas engines, a V8 will outlast a V6
simply because the V6 is working much harder to put out the same power.