The headline number that Ford is keen to hang its efficiency hat on is for trucks equipped with the 282- hp 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine...
The headline number that Ford is keen to hang its efficiency hat on is for trucks equipped with the 282-hp 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine and two-wheel drive, so we’ll start there.
There’s been no shortage of debate surrounding Ford’s decision to adopt aluminum construction for the new 2015 F-150 pickup, and now we have some key metrics that will feed the fire: EPA fuel-economy ratings.
That truck has earned an EPA city rating of 19 mpg and a highway rating of 26 mpg. Combined fuel economy is rated at 22 mpg. Those numbers go head-to-head with the EPA numbers for the mid-size 2016 Chevy Colorado with the V-6 and two-wheel drive, the Ford bettering Chevy’s smaller truck in the city rating by 1 mpg. But if wringing every last mile out of a gallon is your top priority, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel still trumps them both with its 20/28/23 numbers. Checking the box for a 4×4 drivetrain with the same engine drops the Ford’s numbers slightly to 18/23/20.
The two-wheel-drive F-150 with the naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V-6 base engine knocks the numbers down a smidge, to city/highway/combined EPA estimates of 18/25/20. Stepping up to 4×4 capability reduces those ratings to 17/23/19.
Selecting the 385-hp 5.0-liter V-8 accelerates the downward trend, but not as drastically as you might expect. It comes in at 15/22/18 in rear-wheel-drive versions and 15/21/17 in 4×4 guise.
Lastly, the optional 350-hp 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 two-wheel-drive F-150 checks in at 17/24/20, and 17/23/19 in the 4×4 version. Of course, your mileage will vary with the turbocharged EcoBoost engines depending on how often you take advantage of the boost part of the equation. Either way, it’s kind of fascinating that the truck world has finally found a set of numbers to argue over as voraciously as it does tow ratings. Pull up a chair, this could get good.
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