Ford F-150 Ecoboost: MPG test when towing.

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: oldmaninsc

I've routinely gotten 18 MPG@ 70 MPH in our 08 Ram 1500 quad-cab (4.7L) and have gotten as high as 22 @ 70 a few times when the ambient temps were low enough that the AC cycled a lot. And that's over a whole tank of gas, not a spot reading on the trip computer, either. My advice is don't EVER judge performance of a class of vehicles by anything you rent from U-haul!



Originally Posted By: oldmaninsc
First you are comparing apples and oranges.


Comparing a Ram 1500 to an F-150? That's about as "apples to apples" as you can get.


Originally Posted By: oldmaninsc
Second - why does the fact that I rented from Uhaul have anything to do with it? UHaul pickups are all low mileage. The dealer said Uhaul only lets them keep the pickups for about a year and then they are replaced with brand new trucks.
Some of these trucks had under 5K miles on them, some had about 15K. Either way they all got about the same MPG, which also coincides with various family members/friends who have owned NUMEROUS F150's over the years!

My advice is not to comment on something that you know little about!

Well, I've NEVER rented a U-haul vehicle that wasn't a beat-to-death pile of junk. Ever. But I won't debate the physical condition of the trucks- you had the trucks and you saw the odometers. But I do NOT think the mileages you reported are at all representative of a modern half-ton v8 truck. Not by about 3-4 mpg.

The unloaded Ecoboost in the test made a few forays into the 20-mpg range. That's good, but my point is that its not really outstanding for a modern half-ton V8 pickup, like our Ram or newer F-150s which routinely do 18-19 on the highway, and more than occasionally break above 20 mpg. It may be better in mixed driving, where our Ram peaks out at about 16 mpg- if the Ecoboost could turn in a consistent 20-22 under commuting (city/highway) conditions, I'd consider it a major improvement.

But my bottom-line point is that the real-world numbers that are popping up *so far* are only showing about a 2-5 mpg improvement over a V8 for the Ecoboost. I'm just not sure its worth the added complexity in the long run. Neat idea, neatest implementation I've seen yet, but smallish payoff. Now if it turns out that the Ecoboost lasts as long as a Dodge 4.7 or Ford 4.6 without any more maintenance, then the verdict will CLEARLY be that its the way to go. If its a shorter-life engine, then my personal opinion is that it needs bigger efficiency numbers to make it worth it.

But we'll see... they just haven't been on the market that long yet.

 

[oldmaninsc]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Comparing a Ram 1500 to an F-150? That's about as "apples to apples" as you can get.

No - you obviously missed my point. I'll explain it simply. They may be the same class of truck but there are many different variables. Different engine, different rear ends, different wheels/tires, possible weight difference, 2 WD vs 4WD, type of fuel etc. (and of course as one old guy told me about people and their mpg) the exaggeration factor!
You can't claim because your Dodge pickup gets xyz mileage that a Ford or Chevy pickup should get the same or better! Again way too many variables. Common sense there!
Ever looked at the EPA stickers on new cars? I haven't in a few years but it used to be they had a range for the class the vehicle was in. There can sometimes be a very large range in the same "class".
I just checked at fuel economy.gov - the EPA web site. For market class of pickups the range is from 14 highway to 27 highway. Admittedly if you click the "EPA class" for standard size pickups the numbers are much closer for gas powered engines (not including E85).

I'm a member at many different forums and there are always MPG discussions. Some people claim much higher numbers than others. One of the things I've seen over hundreds (maybe thousands) of posts is the rear axle ratio makes a big difference - for obvious reasons. For example my Trailblazer had 3 different axle ratios available from the factory.

I HAVE rented some of the big trucks from UHaul that were a piece of junk. A couple shouldn't have been on the road and believe me I complained loudly to Uhaul. But EVERYONE of the pickups I've ever rented were basically new vehicles. Some were Fords, some were Chevys. All of them got about the same MPG. This is from several different dealers in the southern ca. area.

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
But my bottom-line point is that the real-world numbers that are popping up *so far* are only showing about a 2-5 mpg improvement over a V8 for the Ecoboost. I'm just not sure its worth the added complexity in the long run.

So where is the numbers you would be comfortable with? What does it have to be - 10 MPG improvement? Personally I'd say 2 - 5 (especially the 5) is a very good improvement.

My whole point to start with was I thought the new engines are a step in the right direction.
Also I don't see why you have such a problem with my reported MPG on the rental trucks. I'm assuming your claimed MPG on your Dodge is unloaded. I don't rent a truck to drive to Walmart. I haul stuff in it. I don't doubt that unloaded the trucks I rented would do better and for a couple of them they would have done better after getting broke in a little more. The one truck that got 15 MPG had only 400 miles on it. I would never in a million years say that a 10 year old truck rented from Uhaul with 300K miles would be a worth while comparison to a new vehicle. I've been driving for a LONG time - I know better. I even mentioned that the trucks I rented were "newer" models.

And of course in my case it wasn't all freeway. If you had read my previous post carefully you would notice I said "15 - 17 mostly on the freeway with speeds around 60 - 70" Also it has to be mentioned - I wasn't trying for any MPG records. I'm sure if I had driven easier with no load the MPG would have been higher.
Also I've been reminded by a family member that my claimed "60 - 70 MPH" MIGHT well be a conservative estimate!

 

[MNgopher]

The fact is compared to the predecessor lineup of engines (5.4l V8), the ecoboost has more power on tap and gets much better mileage. It also seems to put the F150 on par or better than the Ram or Silverado fuel mileage wise, with more power and the ever present extra weight that F150's have always been carrying around in their present layout.

Some see a 2mpg fuel milage increase and scoff because its only 2 mpg. I look at it and see if that takes me from the 17-18 mpg I usually see out of my 5.4 on the freeway, and gets me 19-20 mpg, that is an 11-12% improvement in fuel economy with more power on tap. Nothing to scoff at. Reports are coming in that 20 mpg and up is certainly obtainable with a little training and experience for the driver.

All in all doesn't seem like it will hurt things for the F150, which hasn't had too much trouble selling from what I can tell...