Cost of Regular vs. Premium Fuel

[Big Blue]

It's not at all unreasonable for people who bought a 4 cylinder mid-size truck to expect to get decent fuel economy, especially considering they are advertised as such. It's not like we are talking about a 7.3L gasser F250.

You need to remember what is decent mileage for a mid size pickup that is capable of towing 7500 pounds is quite different from what is decent for econobox 4 cylinder sedan. The Ranger does quite well for what it is capable of.

To get back on subject. No place in the manual does it say that premium is required in a stock truck. It is recommended for best performance in hot climates and while towing. I have run both 87 E10 and 91 E0 in mine with minimal to no increase in mileage, yes there is a noticeable performance improvement. But not what I would consider worth the current 0.70 to 0.80 cost per gallon e tra cost in my area. This subject keeps coming to the surface as new members join. It has literally been beat to death multiple times and the answer is always the same. Do what you feel is the best for you and your truck, in your area. And, what makes you happy.

Sponsored

 

[Apples]

Aside from the Red state/Blue state arguments, nothing gets folks riled up more than talking about fuel costs and MPG! I'm with Grumpaw on this one. If you want high mileage, go buy yourself a Prius. If you want utility, keep your Ranger! But in any case, quit your darn bellyaching!


PS: I have about $3,500 worth of go-fast goodies attached to my 2019 Ranger, which means I must use the best fuel numbers I can buy! If I drive like a retired, old-maid, school teacher (that is no boost ever!), I can eke out 20 MPG... barely! In my normal urban driving, I get a consistent 17.5 MPG. Short highway trips (under 100 total miles), I can get it up to about 23.5 MPG. And I NEVER (!) care about the price at the pump!

 

[towpro]

Aside from the Red state/Blue state arguments, nothing gets folks riled up more than talking about fuel costs and MPG! I'm with Grumpaw on this one. If you want high mileage, go buy yourself a Prius. If you want utility, keep your Ranger! But in any case, quit your darn bellyaching!

Why not recommend they buy a hybrid ford? our excape can hit 50mpg

 

[slowmachine]

Aside from the Red state/Blue state arguments, nothing gets folks riled up more than talking about fuel costs and MPG! I'm with Grumpaw on this one. If you want high mileage, go buy yourself a Prius. If you want utility, keep your Ranger! But in any case, quit your darn bellyaching!

Best of both worlds

 

[RANGER_MARC]

The "bottom line": I like power and performance; that is why I bought a Ranger, knowing that I would have to pay a few bucks more per tank to drive it....

 

[Spence's bumper sticker]

My wife previously had an Escape with the 1.6 Ecoboost that always got 87 octane. We complained about that engine from day one. Guess I never put two and two together.
Fast forward to now and I decided with this truck I'd only use premium, and top tier at that. Between the top quality fuel, Livernois tuner, and a tonneau cover this truck is a rocket. Tons of power to spare. Plus I'm averaging up to 26 MPG depending on how much freeway driving I do.
Wife now drives an Edge Sport with the 2.7 and only runs premium. Yes we pay a bit more to fuel up but it's the way to go.

 

[BOB RAD]

I will drive my Ranger about 6000 miles a year with about 1000 of that towing a trailer. I use mid-grade fuel. Seems like my normal a little bit cheap tendency is here it stay.

 

[Langwilliams]

I didn't buy a ranger to get economy car gas mileage BUT I do expect to get at least what the new car sticker says I should get (unless of course I'm not doing typical commuting).

 

[JesseS]

If you are worried about mpg in a truck, maybe a pickup isn't for you. Tesla, prius?? Like buying a dodge viper or suped up vet and asking abiut mpg. !!??!! When i bought a pickup. Very first question was.....

Payload

Second question was......

Towing

But never mpg. I know that subject has been murdered to death on this forum. But a prius is a good choice for mpg

Actually it is, my wife's 2016 Prius gets 55 MPG, she fills up the 10 gallon tank once a month at the most. Our RV on the other have gets an average of 9 mpg, so 20 in the truck is great!

 

[Delirious]

This is an extremely location dependent calculation--around here (right now) the spread between regular and premium is more like 80 cents a gallon than 40. In other places there's only a few cents difference.

Our premium gas versus regular unleaded is $.90 difference here in East Coast of Central Florida. Like I said, I do a full tank every week and more if I travel anywhere for the weekend or a day. Full tank is 18 1/2 gallons which is actually $16.5 dollars more per tank full. At 52 weeks a year, that comes out to $858 a year difference. Minimum. More when I travel. Yes, I average 15 miles to the gallon around town and 20 on the highway. I like to drive my turbo truck. Yes, I'd like the performance with the high test in there especially in this hot weather. Is it worth it to me? Yes, as long as my wife is still footing the bill. If she left, would I continue using high test? Yes, as long as I could afford it. I got into this truck knowing the fuel economy so I don't complain about it. If I wanted double the fuel economy, I would've gotten back into a CR-V. but I'm a truck guy and I have been since 1988. Did three years in CRV's and didn't realize how much I miss trucks until I got back into this Ranger.

 

[JohnnyO]

Why not recommend they buy a hybrid ford? our excape can hit 50mpg

The new Maverick is a hybrid.
I’m just happy the Ranger gets literally 50% better mileage than the Sport Trac I had before. I’ve not seen any meaningful difference between 87, 89, and 93. If anything it might get slightly better mileage on E15 88.

 

[paval3]

I bought a 1986 Ford Tempo new. Very basic car, 4 cyl., stick shift, no power windows. I always put premium in it. I drove it to 140,000 miles, then sold it to a lady we knew and she was still driving it after it turned 200,000 miles.

I don't know what the dealer put in my Ranger for the first tank (came with a full tank when I picked it up), but I've put 93 oct Premium in ever since.

 

[Dgc333]

The new Maverick is a hybrid.
I’m just happy the Ranger gets literally 50% better mileage than the Sport Trac I had before. I’ve not seen any meaningful difference between 87, 89, and 93. If anything it might get slightly better mileage on E15 88.

It is also available with a 2.0l turbo 4. If you want AWD it's the 2.0.

 

[Delirious]

I didn't buy a ranger to get economy car gas mileage BUT I do expect to get at least what the new car sticker says I should get (unless of course I'm not doing typical commuting).

I remember when the difference between regular and premium was .20c/gal in my area. I'm not sure what happened, but it's currently .60c/gal+ more.

I was thinking the exact same thing! What the hell happened to the $.20 difference?! It is now $.90 difference in central FL.
On a sidenote, I always tell people to check to see what the recommended fuel is when buying a vehicle because a lot of those fuel economies are based on that premium fuel and poor suckers buy these cars and then have to put 91 or better octane in their cars at that price difference. It kills the better fuel economy and the performance of the vehicle if they don't. A 2011 Dodge hemi recommended 89 octane. I could tell a difference in performance just from 87 to 89 but when I put 91 or 93 in there, wow.

 

[Delirious]

I'm going to play the "devil's advocate" and probably get flamed here, but...
Everybody on the forum bought these trucks knowing that they got average mpg, and loaded or towing got crummy mpg.
Even in stock form, owners manual indicated that premium grade should be used, although regular can be used.
Those of you that have tunes, got them knowing that you would almost have to use premium grade fuel.
Bottom line is that if you need gas, you get gas. It's readily available across the USA, and fairly cheap compared to most of the rest of the world.
The only way to "save" is to cut back on your driving, or sell your Ranger and get a "putt putt".
I never keep track of how much is being used, or my mpg, or cost, simply because gas is a needed commodity that is necessary for day to day living.
I have a motor home, that on a good day, going down hill with the wind behind me, may get 10 mpg, but that has never stopped us from using it, driving almost 100,000 miles, and at times paying over $4.00 per gallon, and more in Canada.
And I realize that cost is different across the country...I'm paying around $3.50 for premium, while in other areas it's much more. That is just a product of where you live, and other than moving, your stuck with it.
Since joining the forum I've seen members post about dropping big $$$$$ on every conceivable mod, many which actually reduces the mpg, and yet threads keep comming up about the cost of fuel and its cost. People spend thousand's on "stuff", but moan and groan about spending a few hundred over a years time.
Thank your lucky stars that your not paying $6--$8 per gallon as in some other countries. In Canada right now, their paying almost $6 per gallon (sold by the liter), for regular grade.

Our premium gas versus regular unleaded is $.90 difference here in East Coast of Central Florida. Like I said before, I do a full tank every week and more if I travel anywhere for the weekend or a day. Full tank is 18 1/2 gallons which is actually $16.5 dollars more per tank full when using premium. At 52 weeks a year, that comes out to $858 a year difference. Minimum. More when I travel. Yes, I average 15 miles to the gallon around town and 20 on the highway. I like to drive my turbo truck. Yes, I like the performance with the high test in there especially in this hot weather. Is it worth it to me? Yes, as long as my wife is still footing the bill. If she left, would I continue using high test? Yes, as long as I could afford it. I got into this truck knowing the fuel economy so I don't complain about it. If I wanted double the fuel economy, I would've gotten back into a CR-V. but I'm a truck guy and I have been since 1988. Did three years in CR-V's and didn't realize how much I miss trucks until I got back into this Ranger. You left a great comment. Thumbs up to ya!

Sponsored