Jeep Stuff
The Road Chose Me Volume 2 OUT NOW!!
The Road Chose Me Volume 2: Three years and 54,000 miles around Africa
I’ve been saving gas receipts for a while now so I could figure out my mileage and the results are in:
In the last 3659kms Jeep used 453 liters of gas at 12.32L/100KM.
In other words, in the last 2287 miles Jeep used 119.26 gallons at 19.18 miles/gallon.
That all cost me $525 CAD for an average of $1.16/L CAD
or $472 USD for an average of $3.96/gal USD.
I always thought this Jeep got 20mpg when I drove it conservatively, now I have confirmation that it’s pretty close to that.
There are some points to note here:
- More than a few tanks of gas I did not go over 80kms/h (50mph) due to road surface and speed limits.
- The average price is high because gas was $3.99/gal USD in the Arctic Circle.
- I didn’t adjust my speedo after putting on my 31″ tires which have a different circumference than stock. It reads somewhere around 10-15% low, so the mileage figures are in reality a little better than the above.
I just did an oil change, air filter and tire rotation as well which was a great chance to crawl all over the Jeep and have a good look. As far as I could see, everything is going great. Oh, I did smash a headlight on the Dalton so I’ll have to get a new one of those. It doesn’t really matter for now though because it hasn’t been dark enough to use them yet.
-Dan
Hi Dan,
Looks like an awesome adventure! Found your site looking for directions to Ram Creek Hot Springs.
I’d love to hear more about Jeep. Why you chose that as your expedition vehicle, 4×4, 4.0?
Anyways good luck with the rest of you trip. Looks like a blast!
Hey Alex,
I chose the Jeep because truth be told I wanted to do the trip on a motorbike, but I’m too soft right now for that. The Jeep with doors and roof off is the next best thing. Also high ground clearance and dedicated 4×4 were high on my list of wants in a vehicle. I infact only have the 2.5 4cyl, gutless up hills, but much better on gas, which is nice when you are driving 50,000km.
I once posted directions to Ram Creek hotsprings on the soak.net forums if you are still looking – it’s a great place.
Dan,
I love your reasons for taking the jeep…for anyone else considering a soft top on this trip, would you recommend anything besides locking up valuables? I’d love to see a list of pros/cons
I really enjoyed following your trip and I’m a little sad it’s over
~Cheers!
Hey Brenton,
In the end, the soft top turned out not to be a great choice, and I wouldn’t take one in the future. For a number of reasons (dust, heat, sunburn, etc) I hardly ever folded it down or took the rear windows out.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t take one on your trip – everyone has their own preference.
-Dan
Dan,
It was good to hear you were originally considering a motorcycle for your trip but ultimately decided on the jeep. I’m at the same point and am considering a jeep because it’s wide open. I’m even considering removing the doors for the entire trip. Your comment above leads me to think you may have considered this as well. What’s your thoughts on a trip similar to yours in a wide open jeep?
Hi Dale,
Going “wide open” in the Jeep is for sure an option.
You have to remember you’ll be living in this thing for years first of all. This is not a weekend trip where you get to go home to your shower and bed afterwards.
Also remember you’ll spend months driving through insane dust, torrential rain, freezing temperatures (I saw snow more than once), high altitudes, absolutely intense burning sun, etc. etc.
It would be a very exhausting way to go, that’s for sure. The motorbike guys do it, so it can certainly be done.
All the best!
-Dan