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Best Fuel Economy in a new truck

IHateMyJob2004

IHateMyJob2004

Lifer
UPDATE 3:
Did a test at 60 mph this morning but there was alot of traffic so I think the result is skewed in one direction or the other. At 60 mph, I seemed to be getting about 25.5 mpg. I have to do this test again to verify but I am confident that the number is definitely over 25 mpg.

Recap:
60 mph: 25.5 mpg (unverified) .. second run 24.7
65 mph: 23.5 mpg
70 mph: 22.8 mpg

UPDATE 2:
Over 38 minutes of driving that was a 65 mph cruise (half last night, half this morning), my truck reported fuel economy of 23.3 and 23.7 mpg. So, 23.5 mpg. Not bad. I think this is a fair estimate.

Might try the 60 mph cruise tonight.

UPDATE 1:
I just did a long drive and for a good chunk, I did all highway driving. So I have some good fuel efficiency numbers. I did 70-71 mph probably 90% of the time. There were a few sections where I did 60 mph for work zones. I had 330 pounds or so of cargo, myself included. I also had an average of maybe 3/4 tank of gas during this test which is good for another 150 pounds but you can ignore that I guess. I also have a tonneau cover. The result? 22.8 mpg. I did not think it would do that well, but it actually did. At a 65 mph cruise, I totally believe the 23 mpg claims.

Also, Some of those work zones at 60 mph were long, maybe 10 minutes. At those times the instantaneous fuel economy was being reported as 27-28 mpg. Take this with a grain of salt though since I don't know if it was a slight uphill or downhill at the time. It definitely did seem from observation during the trip that impressive fuel economy can be had at a 60 mph cruise.

As a reminder, I have a 2011 Ford extended cab XLT with the towing package. 2WD. 3.7L V6. 6.5' bed.


ORIG:
I hate this process.

I am interested in a Ford, Dodge or Chevy. I want extended cab and a 4x2 and a 6'-6.5' bed. Also want something in a mid level trim.

Chevy is pissing me off because the "good engine" is not available in the LS trim that I want. I'd have to move up to LTZ trim which cranks the price way up.

So, anyone go through this process? What make (Ford, Dodge, Chevy) has the best fuel economy in a 4x2/ext cab/standard bed? Don't worry about trim. The question is, what engine/transmission do I need?

Car.com seems to provide alot of this data but it is a PITA to go through every single combination that is available. If I get through it, I'll update here.

Dodge:
http://www.cars.com/dodge/ram-1500/2011/
Chevy:
http://www.cars.com/chevrolet/silverado-1500/2011/
Ford:
http://www.cars.com/ford/f150/2011/

EDIT:
It looks like you need:
Chevy - 5.3L V8 w/ 6 speed auto to get 15/21 (V6 seems to do 14/20)
Dodge - 5.7L V8 w/ 5 speed auto to get 14/20 (is there a V6?)
Ford - 3.7L V6 w/ 5 speed auto to get 17/23
 
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Dodge is CERTAINLY NOT gonna be any option. i have an 03 silverado 4.3 V6 5speed 2wd i get 19-20MPG around town and i got 23MPG all highway to harrisburg PA and back. i personaly go with the new ford with the 3.7V6 Great power and fantastic fuel mileage and ford just keeps going out of there way to improve year after year with there cars. if i was in the market for a new 2wd truck its what i would go for
 
the ecoboost in the F150 is gonna cost the same as the 6.2L V8 or atleast the trim levels its gonna be offered at. for a mid level truck the 3.7 is more then enough and has lots of grunt
 
Black2na said:
the ecoboost in the F150 is gonna cost the same as the 6.2L V8 or atleast the trim levels its gonna be offered at. for a mid level truck the 3.7 is more then enough and has lots of grunt
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a good friend just bought an ecoboost. He does a lot of driving (20K+/yr) and after driving the 6.2, he didn't like it. felt it was too harsh and noisy. He felt the ecoboost was 98% of what it was powerwise.

as far as mileage, I would guess, a truck is a truck is a truck. I have an 08 tundra with a 5.7, my dad has an 09 F150 with a 5.4 and they both pull 14-15 mpg on mixed driving. doubt any manufacturer is going to best another by a large amount (assuming comparable motors and trim levels).

I would probably opt for an ecoboost ford. If driven tamely I think they will give you comparable milage to the 3.7 non boosted version, but still have the available power if/when you may need it
 
You left off the biggest question/answer when looking for a truck, what are you going to do with it?

I have a nissan titan and would give up some of my 385ft/tq for a couple more MPG as I don't need that much power but nissan only has 1 engine option.

If its light loads and very little to no towing then yea the new F150 and V6 is the best bet IMO. I prefer GM trucks but they have no real answer to the Ford V6 right now.
GM does have a V8 setup that gets better gas milage under their XFE title then other V8s if you need the extra power.
 
Well, I'm in a tough spot for usage.

I don't think I'll be using it often for moving stuff. I used to though. It used to be mountain bikes, house projects. Just alot of random use especially when I was remodeling my house.

I am having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that a truck might not even make sense. I have a fear that if I go with a car I will regret it for the occasion I do need it.

Might keep my old truck and get a car but we are moving to a new home soon we hope. The new home may or may not justify a truck if it needs remodeling.

As fate has it, the local dealer has the truck I want (Ford) so I am going to go over there on Monday to look at it.
 
Could always step down to a ranger and get 22/27 if you go 4 banger and 5 speed. Unless they are running super deals on those I would go used though.
 
IHateMyJob2004 said:
Well, I'm in a tough spot for usage.

I don't think I'll be using it often for moving stuff. I used to though. It used to be mountain bikes, house projects. Just alot of random use especially when I was remodeling my house.

I am having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that a truck might not even make sense. I have a fear that if I go with a car I will regret it for the occasion I do need it.

Might keep my old truck and get a car but we are moving to a new home soon we hope. The new home may or may not justify a truck if it needs remodeling.

As fate has it, the local dealer has the truck I want (Ford) so I am going to go over there on Monday to look at it.
Click to expand...

Well then just buy a practical car, and rent a truck as needed. Home Depot and Lowes rent them for $19.99 if you just need to bring something home. Otherwise, Enterprise will rent them for ~$40 a day.
 
I have a f150 with the 5.0 v8, 3.55 gears, 2wd, Supercrew and I'm averaging around 17mpg mixed driving. Not bad for a truck but It does get painful at the pump. Having said that I still think the positives are outweighing the negatives by far. I have a ton of room inside the cab and a full four doors. Recently remodeled the house and it was nice having a pickup I could just chunk shit in and I know a 12ft long ladder isn't fitting in a car. About to buy another house and I'm sure we'll be making plenty of trips to the home depot with that one too. I also love running over dips or imperfections in the road that would make you cringe in a car and not even noticing it.
I think every household should have a truck. Unless you live in an apartment in the city.
 
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Look at the Canyon/Colardo 4cyl or ranger 4cyl.

The canyon/colardo are larger than a ranger and have more power, inbetween a full size and small truck (ranger).

The ranger is the smallest truck left and gets the best gas milage. But has less power and room.

I don't drive much so gas milage does not hurt me to bad in my Titan, that and seats 6 so that helps take the place of a car as well. So a full size king-cab V6 f150 may work better than you think.
But if you drive a lot and don't need a lot of power/room than the can/col or maybe even a ranager if only seating 2-3, may work better.
 
Marlin1975 said:
Look at the Canyon/Colardo 4cyl or ranger 4cyl.

The canyon/colardo are larger than a ranger and have more power, inbetween a full size and small truck (ranger).

The ranger is the smallest truck left and gets the best gas milage. But has less power and room.

I don't drive much so gas milage does not hurt me to bad in my Titan, that and seats 6 so that helps take the place of a car as well. So a full size king-cab V6 f150 may work better than you think.
But if you drive a lot and don't need a lot of power/room than the can/col or maybe even a ranager if only seating 2-3, may work better.
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the midsize compact trucks can cost as much or more than a fullsize ... and for what? 10% better milage (a few mpg). If you get a stripper, 2wd, manual trans compact, then it can be worth it, but if you need a truck, get a fullsize
 
How many home improvement projects really require a truck? Other than sheets of plywood and sheet rock or huge loads of cement or dirt you really don't need it. For the once in a while that those come up you can rent a truck. Once you get past that hurdle in your mind, there are tons of other vehicle choices that get better millage. How many miles do you driver per year?

edit: You can also buy a small utility trailer for a few hundred $ for the occasional large items.
 
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i dont think i could ever get rid of my pickup truck. i might buy a small car soon to drive to work and such, but i own a pickup for life. nothing beats a ford truck.
 
I think I am pretty much in line to get a new truck. If I don't get a good deal though, I will just get my old truck fixed. And it is the Ford with a V6 or I'm waiting for a 2012.
 
My ma and step dad have a diesel Ram, biggest cab, and they often average 20-23 on the highway, and it always has power.

The backseat also has more legroom than the front, when I ride in the back, I feel like I'm in a limo.
 
IHateMyJob2004 said:
Well, I'm in a tough spot for usage.

I don't think I'll be using it often for moving stuff. I used to though. It used to be mountain bikes, house projects. Just alot of random use especially when I was remodeling my house.

I am having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that a truck might not even make sense. I have a fear that if I go with a car I will regret it for the occasion I do need it.

Might keep my old truck and get a car but we are moving to a new home soon we hope. The new home may or may not justify a truck if it needs remodeling.

As fate has it, the local dealer has the truck I want (Ford) so I am going to go over there on Monday to look at it.
Click to expand...

You can rent an E250 from enterprise for like 20 bucks a day (+unlimited mileage). I maintain that some 80% of people that drive trucks have no use for a truck.

I rent rapists vans for the 5x a year i need to haul dirty/big stuff and don't have to subject myself to bad gas mileage, crap suspension and fisher price interior the other 360days out of the year.
 
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IHateMyJob2004 said:
Well, I'm in a tough spot for usage.

I don't think I'll be using it often for moving stuff. I used to though. It used to be mountain bikes, house projects. Just alot of random use especially when I was remodeling my house.

I am having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that a truck might not even make sense. I have a fear that if I go with a car I will regret it for the occasion I do need it.

Might keep my old truck and get a car but we are moving to a new home soon we hope. The new home may or may not justify a truck if it needs remodeling.

As fate has it, the local dealer has the truck I want (Ford) so I am going to go over there on Monday to look at it.
Click to expand...

I owned a truck once in my life for exactly the reasons you state. Having said that I really have very little to zero actual need for a truck so I got rid of it after my son was born 9 years ago and I haven't had one since despite enjoying some of the things you do like biking, home improvement projects etc. If you need to haul something big there is always the $20 rental from Home Depot or Lowes.

My next car will get 30mpg combined at least. I'm sure any of the trucks on your list are terrorist approved though. 😉
 
I can borrow my father in laws truck who is 3 miles away. I tend to need it enough that even that hassle is not worth it. My sister in law is the same story. She and her husband are considering a truck too. Just because going out and borrowing a truck is a hassle. It takes time.

I have enough projects even at slow times that it is worth the money. Next house might need a new deck if we get the one we want and I'll probably have a ton of landscaping to deal with. And i have a few projects I want to do for X-mas.

So today, I bought the Ford ext cab w/ 3.7L V6. Could not be happier. Now for that tonneau cover!
 
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