1/2 ton pickups fuel mileage ?

[mtn.goat]

Looking into purchasing a newer 1/2 ton pickup, 4wd of course.  What kind of actual real world mileage are you getting?  I’ve heard 22+ and up to 25+ with the 2.7 Ecoboost in the Ford… Auto trans. trucks.  Not opposed to Toyota Tundra, or Tacoma, or Chev., or Dodge.  Even a 3/4 ton diesel, but I won’t be buying new, or spending more than $30k and preferably less. 
Thank you all.
Currently have a ‘12 F-150 3.5 w/ 179k.  Been a great truck for the 4 years we’ve had it, but 14-14.5 is pretty average.  Looking for considerably better mileage in order to justify spending more money etc.

[lewy]

Hey buddy! I had the 3.0 duramax and loved it, got legit 30mpg. It blew up at 25k tho and sat at the dealership for months waiting on parts   I got frustrated and moved on. Sure liked that truck and the mileage while I had it.

[EnglishSetter]

Hey buddy! I had the 3.0 duramax and loved it, got legit 30mpg. It blew up at 25k tho and sat at the dealership for months waiting on parts   I got frustrated and moved on. Sure liked that truck and the mileage while I had it.

When I had my '01 Cummins in the shop for a head gasket, they had multiple (new'ish diesel) trucks sitting around for months waiting on parts.

I looked pretty hard at 3.0's in Dodge and Chevy.  The fuel mileage is terrific.  But these lighter, high revving diesels with all the smog stuff seem problematic.  More so when utilized on shorter trips a gasser would do fine with.  Dodge has since ended their 3.0 with recalls that were never remedied.

I think my company Chevy 1/2 ton was a 2018 with a  V6 gas.  Got around 18 mpg.   

[Taco280AI]

23 F150 Lariat, have average 18.9 on an app. At 70mph, flat ground, no wind, summer time temps it'll get the advertised 23mpg highway - but rarely ever see those conditions or the 23mpg.

[bustedoldman]

If you're open to a Tacoma then look at the Colorado/Canyon diesels. I have a 2018 Colorado ZR2 2.8 Duramax, 25mpg in town/back and forth to wrk, 28-30mpg on long freeway trips, 8000lbs towing i want to say (This blows away the 2018 Tacoma TRD that I had). I also have a 2020 GMC Denali 3500 crew cab 6.6 Duramax 17-18 around town/to work and gotten up to 24mpg on long freeway trips. Wife has a Tundra 10mpg in town 14 on freeway trips.

[CP]

My 2.7 Ecoboost could get 23mpg on the highway if I kept the speed at less than 70 and kept the turbos from kicking in.  It averaged 18 for mostly stop & go driving.  But it is also capable of single digits when in sport mode.

[Wetwoodshunter]

I have a longbed 2014 Toyota Tundra with the V8 5.7i in it. I get 14.7 mpg, 9 if towing a 31’ 9,000 lb trailer.

[Sandberm]

Older pickup but maybe relevant because of the engine.

2008 chevy 1500 4wd with the 5.3 liter. I have a Range Technologies "chip", for a lack of a better term, plugged into the OBDII to keep the AFM/DOD engine locked into running on 8 cylinders.

16 mpg

[fowl smacker]

I've got a 2017 Tundra crew max that is leveled with 275/70/18 Cooper discoverer at3 xlt which is a little bigger than stock and heavier.  I average 13.8-14.2 mpg.  103k on it.  Best part about it is I've had absolutely 0 issues whatsoever.  Change the oil every 5k, do routine fluid changes and I have no doubt it'll last 500k.

[Wetwoodshunter]

I've got a 2017 Tundra crew max that is leveled with 275/70/18 Cooper discoverer at3 xlt which is a little bigger than stock and heavier.  I average 13.8-14.2 mpg.  103k on it.  Best part about it is I've had absolutely 0 issues whatsoever.  Change the oil every 5k, do routine fluid changes and I have no doubt it'll last 500k.

I have the same experience with mine mechanically. I have 140,000 on mine hoping to go to 300,000.

[Boss .300 winmag]

The wife has a 2020 1500 Ram Hemi 4x4 gets 18-19 on average pretty much includes around town, and back and forth down river 30 miles. Constant hiway low 20’s.

[MADMAX]

I've got a 2017 Tundra crew max that is leveled with 275/70/18 Cooper discoverer at3 xlt which is a little bigger than stock and heavier.  I average 13.8-14.2 mpg.  103k on it.  Best part about it is I've had absolutely 0 issues whatsoever.  Change the oil every 5k, do routine fluid changes and I have no doubt it'll last 500k.

I have the same experience with mine mechanically. I have 140,000 on mine hoping to go to 300,000.

Ditto
2020 Tundra crewmax
Leveled and Cooper AT3s
Canopy
Steel craft grill guard
Airbags
12 towing 24ft Minnie Winnie
13-14 around town
17 on highway
Love the 38 gallon tank
Good solid truck

[Happy Gilmore]

Just put 1,000 miles on a rental GMC with the 5.3. It's a great motor. Got about 18-20mpg driving in Texas over 75mph.

I owned a 2020 at4 with the 6.2.absolutely loved that truck. It was fast. It got 18 all day. Less when I had a heavy foot. I put 70k miles on it in a year and sold it for more than I paid for it during covid truck shortage.

Have 2 friends who got the chevy baby max diesel and traded them in for gas trucks after both had more time in the repair shop than they did driving. They both sold them with less than 20k miles.

[MR5x5]

Buying a new rig for fuel savings is really tough math.

At 15,000 mi/yr and $4/gal gas the savings is ~$1150/yr if going from 16mgp to 23mpg.  Going to take a lot of years of fuel savings to make up for the presumably higher cost of the new vehicle and the associated insurance increase.

Drive it into the dirt then buy the best you can when it comes time for the next one....

[IslandHunter]

2014 Silverado quad cab 4x4 leveled 5.3 125,000 miles no tuning or AFM delete average 17 city 20 highway

I have seen so many horror stories from people with the eco boost or Tundra with the v6 and twin turbos. I can't imagine spending top dollar on a new or used low mile truck and having it sit in the shop or have to pay thousands of dollars to replace a turbo or entire engine and turbo in some cases.

I would prefer more displacement and worse fuel mileage over trying to squeeze mileage and power out of a smaller engine with turbos. These smaller displacement engines have more stress of them and the turbo itself is an expensive part that in most cases will need to be replaced during the life of the vehicle.

Driving 10,000 miles per year the difference between getting 18 and 22 miles per gallon ($4.00 per gal fuel cost) the cost savings is only ~$400 per year. In many cases gaining a few MPG really isn't going to make a huge difference.

Plus with my Chevy I can find a good used low mile engine and trans just about anywhere and swap it in over a weekend.