Eco or boost your choice. It's not a hybrid. It still takes X amount of energy to move this 6,000lb brick and the trailer weight, people and gear. They didn't magically make it as aerodynamic as a corvette. When you get into the boost, around 14psi, you are driving the volumetric equivalent of a 7.0L motor. You are driving a 3.5L when not into the turbos that's where the greater mpg comes into play.
How fast were you going? What octane are you using? I've towed from Alabama to NY, Roanoke VA to Fl, Upstate to NY to Roanoke Va a couple of times, mostly in hot weather. Doing 65 towing a large (very wind resistant) utility trailer weighing from 3,000 to 6,000 depending on what's loaded. I was getting around 9 mpg. Not towing I'm getting nearly 19mpg average. I have the EL 4x4 3.73 gear ratio using 93 octane.
For comparison my 2007 Sequoia got around 8mpg towing and 14.7mpg average in the same driving conditions.
I hope I didn't come off as being condescending but folks that don't know how a forced air induction motor works in relation to their gas mileage are here asking the same question often. It's like folks read the window sticker mpg ratings, buy the SUV and because it's rated for high mpg when tested by the EPA at 55mph not towing in perfect conditions, can floor it when driving everywhere or tow on the highway doing 80mph+ and get the max miles per gallon. Nope, under those conditions the mpg will be worse than a naturally aspirated V-8, that is the cost of more peak HP and torque. It's the non turbo use end of the scale where you are driving a v-6 that the MPG increases
Eco OR Boost.
