2021 Ranger Extended cab, dismal MPG since new. Help please!

[OstAgain]

Hello, I have a 2021 4 cylinder extended cab (not the 4 door) 14-16mph has been pretty consistent, I got 22mpg once on an expressway set the cruise road trip years ago. Pretty dismal actually. I don’t drive agressively. I have drove aggressively and had it in Sport mode for a few tanks over the years to see if it would make a difference, not really. I keep up on maintainince. Everything checks out good. I don’t understand how I am getting such crap mpg when the quoted mpg from Ford is significantly higher than what I am getting. Any assistance would be appreciated! Thanks.

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[Dereku]

Any modifications? Driving habits? Mostly city? Because if all city 16 mpg is on the low end but possible.

 

[subquark]

My overall mpg over 3 years and 9,000 miles is 17.1, according to the console. On highway trips over an hour, it'll go up to 26 mpg for 6 to 10 hours of driving.

Most of my trips are under 5 miles (90%).

Those are all in the 16 mpg range ... =(

 

[Motorpsychology]

My worst was 15.3mpg driving to Custer, SD against a strong west wind. It'll drop into the high teens in winter with 5-10 min. warmups.

Is most of your driving in heavy and/or stop & go traffic?

Even with the long brake pedal travel on 5G Rangers, resting the left foot on the pedal can still cause minute drag.

Does it seem to coast OK? If that checks out, then it may be a fuel metering problem making it run rich.

Tire pressure OK?

 

[harringtondav]

22 mpg highway is low, based on my and other's experience. My mileage drops with head or cross winds. 65 mpg is always better than 70, so I assume even higher speeds = lower mpg.
The truck has more controller inputs than you can shake a stick at. Many influence the control's fuel delivery. These sensors aren't perfect forever. It may be worth a visit to a capable dealer and discuss the cost of a full scan to see if an input is suspect.

 

[Capt Jon]

I have kept a spreadsheet on all my fillups starting at 2100 miles, 158 entries.
Data: Total Gallons 1501.14, Total Miles 35,208, Average fuel milage calculated: 23.4541
I'll throw in Total Cost - $4473.59, Average cost per gallon: $2.98
My last reading from the vehicle at fill up: 23.5. The truck readings vary but are somewhat consistent. But I put more faith in the calculated readings. Being retired I don't drive a lot but most milage is short city trips.

 

[dozxab]

That is really low. In stop and go, I get 17-19, tuned, leveled a little and 265/70R17 tires. Highway gets up near 25-27. Easy things to check: Tire pressure. Very dirty air filter. Aggressive driving style. I got a new Mustang 12 years ago that had a defective caliper. Putting my hands close to each wheel after a drive, one was way hotter than the other 3. I had one brake on all the time.

 

[OstAgain]

Any modifications? Driving habits? Mostly city? Because if all city 16 mpg is on the low end but possible.

Thanks for the responses folks!

Truck is a 2021 & has just 15,200 miles on it.

No engine mods, just added mud-flaps from Husky, & some interior mats & little stuff.

About 90% short city trips, which I know hurts MPG. On the 10% highway trips I may get 22 MPG.

I always let it warm up for about 5 minutes before I take off.

I drive it pretty gently most of the time, like I want it to last forever is how I drive it

I’m in Michigan, and it doesn’t seem to matter if it’s 100 or negative 30 degrees, it’s about the same regardless.

My tire pressure is always kept on the upper end of what’s recommended - 30psi.

I get 3 or 4 oil & filter changes a year regardless of miles or usage.

I also replace the air filter then.

Fuel filter has been checked, flows fine, isn’t clogged.

I do not rest my foot near the brake pedal.

It coasts very well.

It has been scanned a couple times before, nothing.

No noticeable transmission issues detected by me, or the dealer.

I don’t have a spreadsheet but I have kept gas receipts and write the mileage and MPG I got from the last fill up to check for fluctuations.

I have not checked my brake calipers as you mentioned, but I will on its next outing.

Also - I had it go into limp mode on me while I was on the highway about 3 years ago. Turns out one of my coil packs was bad…. On a 2 years old truck :/ Ford replaced it and also told me they had a whole batch of bad ones that they know of.

Thanks again for the responses & I’ll keep playing detective with it.

 

[Grumpaw]

Thanks for the responses folks!

Truck is a 2021 & has just 15,200 miles on it.

No engine mods, just added mud-flaps from Husky, & some interior mats & little stuff.

About 90% short city trips, which I know hurts MPG. On the 10% highway trips I may get 22 MPG.

I always let it warm up for about 5 minutes before I take off.

I drive it pretty gently most of the time, like I want it to last forever is how I drive it

I’m in Michigan, and it doesn’t seem to matter if it’s 100 or negative 30 degrees, it’s about the same regardless.

My tire pressure is always kept on the upper end of what’s recommended - 30psi.

I get 3 or 4 oil & filter changes a year regardless of miles or usage.

I also replace the air filter then.

Fuel filter has been checked, flows fine, isn’t clogged.

I do not rest my foot near the brake pedal.

It coasts very well.

It has been scanned a couple times before, nothing.

No noticeable transmission issues detected by me, or the dealer.

I don’t have a spreadsheet but I have kept gas receipts and write the mileage and MPG I got from the last fill up to check for fluctuations.

I have not checked my brake calipers as you mentioned, but I will on its next outing.

Also - I had it go into limp mode on me while I was on the highway about 3 years ago. Turns out one of my coil packs was bad…. On a 2 years old truck :/ Ford replaced it and also told me they had a whole batch of bad ones that they know of.

Thanks again for the responses & I’ll keep playing detective with it.

It's most likely your 90% short city trips, stop n go n stop n go that's killing the mpg. Bet if you were to take a few more longer runs on the X-way you'd see better mpg.

 

[dozxab]

It's most likely your 90% short city trips, stop n go n stop n go that's killing the mpg. Bet if you were to take a few more longer runs on the X-way you'd see better mpg.

Agreed. 5 minute warm ups above 30 degrees is a killer too. I wait until the Sync 3 screen loads and drive easy through my neighborhood to the main road and then accelerate gently until the motor is warm.

 

[Superspirit]

The warm ups kill fuel mileage. My fuel mileage is very similar to yours. It's only 5 miles from one side of town to the other. In the winter after installing a remote start, my fuel mileage went down to 11.7 if I don't warm up but about 30 seconds it stays close to 14 to 17 with all the short trips. But mine is highly modified. I have all bolt ons and a tune. My mileage was the same before and after. Until I put 33 in E rated tires. Then I dropped a little. When new the truck got 24hwy for the 1st week. Then the wrench light came on and it went to limp mode. Took to dealer kept it a week said the knock sensor was bad they had to order it and replace it. Gas mileage has been crap since that day. If I leave the area I live in and get quality fuel(not available in Roswell) I can get 20 plus mpg. But buying fuel locally 17mpg highway max. Fill up in Alamogordo and it's 20 after crossing the mountain. Unreal the difference fuel quality makes.

 

[theprinceofsnj]

My 2019 Super Cab get's 26 MPG. But then again I drive like a senior citizen. Opps that right I am senior citizen.

 

[OstAgain]

It's most likely your 90% short city trips, stop n go n stop n go that's killing the mpg. Bet if you were to take a few more longer runs on the X-way you'd see better mpg.

Agreed, the quick little in town trips are bad for MPG. But come on Ford, my old K5 blazer got similar MPG!

 

[OstAgain]

Agreed. 5 minute warm ups above 30 degrees is a killer too. I wait until the Sync 3 screen loads and drive easy through my neighborhood to the main road and then accelerate gently until the motor is warm.

5 min MAY be a tad bit overkill hah, I think I’ll just wait till I hear the idle kick down from starting and then do like you mentioned, which is how I start off anyway.

 

[OstAgain]

The warm ups kill fuel mileage. My fuel mileage is very similar to yours. It's only 5 miles from one side of town to the other. In the winter after installing a remote start, my fuel mileage went down to 11.7 if I don't warm up but about 30 seconds it stays close to 14 to 17 with all the short trips. But mine is highly modified. I have all bolt ons and a tune. My mileage was the same before and after. Until I put 33 in E rated tires. Then I dropped a little. When new the truck got 24hwy for the 1st week. Then the wrench light came on and it went to limp mode. Took to dealer kept it a week said the knock sensor was bad they had to order it and replace it. Gas mileage has been crap since that day. If I leave the area I live in and get quality fuel(not available in Roswell) I can get 20 plus mpg. But buying fuel locally 17mpg highway max. Fill up in Alamogordo and it's 20 after crossing the mountain. Unreal the difference fuel quality makes.

Agreed, 5 minutes is a tad long hah. I’m going to shorten it till I hear the idle kick down from starting, then take off. I also have a remote start which in Michigan is great during the winter. Allows the interior fogging to clear off before I go. That’s quite a significant difference just from varying your warm up times! I also noticed only use the “top tier” rated gas stations. I forgot but mine also went into limp mode again another time, they blamed it on bad gas, yet I only fill up at top tier stations so… It sounds as if I might as well do the performance mods I was putting off because I thought they would hurt MPG even more. From what you folks are saying is that it hasn’t really negatively affected it.

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