F150 2.7-liter Ecoboost

[gregsfc]

Has anyone else ever been an outlier on the high side?

I'm confused about my new vehicle as compared to owners with the same full-size truck, engine and transmission. All but one of my mpg recordings (there have been 5) are outliers according to fuelly, and the only driver that comes within 2mpg of my experience with this truck, so far has a huge error recorded and so throws that vehicle out completely. But mine is legitimate at 23.4 mpg in a truck that the EPA estimate is 19/26 and the average on fuelly is 17.7. I've got a low of 21.4 and a high of around 24 and I've checked against the trip meter against a GPS and everything is on the up and up.

Since the F150 with the new 2.7-liter Ecoboost is a full-size truck, there are many different cab configurations, wheel base lengths, axle ratios, and suspension choices, which means curb weight, gearing, and ride height vary alot, and also there are different utility levels since a truck is often used as a tool at different load levels, and of course, there are different driving styles and many accessory choices that can drive down mpg. Still though, one would think out of seventy-something drivers of this truck in different configurations but with the same power train, that at least a few others, besides me, would be recording something close to what I'm achieving.

I don't like being an outlier, because I work hard to ensure accuracy and always error on the conservative side when I report mpg and I'm no hypermiler. I do own the lightest, smallest, and highest gearing choice in this truck and I do have an ideal commute and have not used the truck for much work, but still, a full 2 mpg above everyone else seems alarming. I bought this truck thinking I'd take a chance on a vehicle and engine that is reported to be highly exaggerated with regards to the EPA estimate, and I'm glad it's working out for me as best I could have imagined, but I don't understand why most everyone else reporting on here is getting very truck-like fuel economy, whereas I'm getting mpg in near diesel territory but in a truck that was much, much cheaper than any diesel truck.

[Draigflag]

I wouldn't really call a whole 2 mpg increase "alarming" that is a tiny discrepancy. There are owners with the same car as me getting an entire 22 mpg more in an identical car. It's most likely down to driving style and journey type, even a small effort to preserve fuel will make a difference.

[trollbait]

2 mpg is 10% or higher difference when it comes to full size trucks.

As the OP points out, there are simply a wide range of body styles, and equipment choices on a full size truck that effect fuel economy in addition to drive style, commute, and climate. In the US. the manufacturer only has to post the MPG ratings for the most commonly equipped model. So seeing what the difference is is difficult. Though, yesterday I saw Ford has a separate rating for the heavy payload package.

Gregfsc, I see you do around 80% city. The 2.7L has auto start/stop standard. That can really bump up your fuel efficiency with many stops. A random pick of a sub 20mpg 2.7L lists 100% highway, and I expect that is actually speeds in excess of the EPA test cycle.

[gregsfc]

Originally Posted by trollbait

2 mpg is 10% or higher difference when it comes to full size trucks.

As the OP points out, there are simply a wide range of body styles, and equipment choices on a full size truck that effect fuel economy in addition to drive style, commute, and climate. In the US. the manufacturer only has to post the MPG ratings for the most commonly equipped model. So seeing what the difference is is difficult. Though, yesterday I saw Ford has a separate rating for the heavy payload package.

Gregfsc, I see you do around 80% city. The 2.7L has auto start/stop standard. That can really bump up your fuel efficiency with many stops. A random pick of a sub 20mpg 2.7L lists 100% highway, and I expect that is actually speeds in excess of the EPA test cycle.

The city/highway should be just opposite unless I reversed it. It should be 80% highway; 20% city.

Thanks. Yeah, 2 mpg would have me wondering even with my 46-mpg VW TDI that varied that much only occasionally, like in extremely cold weather or high urban use, but 2mpg is head turning in a 15-22 mpg truck. I'm 2 mpg better than the next best out of 77 drivers. That's what is weird. I usually do a little better than most drivers, but this is ridiculous. My personal worst tank is as high as the next highest average so far. And my best is more than 2 mpg of the next highest average. There is one vehicle with 23.6, but I looked at it and it has to be thrown out.

I've started looking at some of the vehicles/drivers reports with this engine and truck specifically, and one of the things I'm seeing is that most persons reporting F150 mpg, even with the mpg champ 2.7-liter, are not nearly as careful and diligent, nor are they as detailed and information revealing as those reporting the VW Jetta TDI crowd that I'm used to. I've found a few that have huge errors with regards to a fillup, which the drivers left that way throwing the average off terribly. How could a driver leave 50 mpg in fuelly without trying to correct it or understand what they may have done wrong?

I think this might explain alot of things as in general, this crowd is just not nearly as mpg conscious, which seems kind of odd since these drivers chose the highest mpg version of this truck, yet doesn't care or understand how to record and report mpg.

Another thing I found was that there are a few that, if you take out a couple of 9-14 mpg reports (which are obviously heavy towing events in a short span of time), then their average would go up considerably, and so I think that, if I ever use my truck to tow or haul near the GVWR, I'd set that up as a separate vehicle, so that it doesn't impact mpg so much and report odd numbers. I did find one driver consciences enough to enter a note that he or she was towing on a couple of fillups, but most drivers give almost no details of anything nor do they explain any anomalies, which I think is odd.

I found a few of the 77 drivers of this truck, with this engine, that are getting 20-21 range, but there is little detail of whether these are 2wd or 4wd or the rear axle ratio, but most all the drivers are driving crew cabs and just a few extended cabs, but I find none that is specified as a regular cab and I'm assuming that most are higher axle ratios, as I've not found one other specified as a 3.31 ratio like mine. I'm going to make the assumption that most versions of this truck with 2wd, and fuel-conscience drivers; not requiring alot of daily high utility are getting 20-21 and I'll be able to achieve 22-23.5. I usually do better than most drivers with the same vehicle, but I'm not usually the champ out of 77 drivers, and I certainly usually don't get thrown out as an outlier.

[Draigflag]

I appreciate it's a big truck, but in my opinion a 10% better fuel economy reading still doesn't strike me as that big an increase. If it's down to driving technique alone, me and a few other members experimented and found that applying "hypermile" techniques can make up to a 30% difference. Given that it's a large truck and therfore probably uses 50% more fuel than the cars we tested, maybe a 15-20% increase in fuel efficiency would be more realistic with the same driving patterns. Just my input theory