MPG according to the ranger vs Real

Roaring Gorilla

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I was a bit frustrated at first with the MPG not meeting manufacturer specs. When I bought the Ranger, I had been driving my wife's Kia Optima for 6 months after selling my 15 Colorado.

Her car requires more throttle input in ECO mode than the Ranger required to accelerate at a normal rate. I learned the Ranger does not require a lot of throttle input to accelerate.

With that knowledge, I changed my driving style and the MPG improved by 2 MPG. I'm at roughly 15k miles on the truck and get a consistent 20.5-21 MPG city and 26 MPG.

Most of my driving is city, but as of 2 months ago, I make bimonthly trips to North Texas for work, 250 miles each way. It took some time for the highway mileage to come up but it did as stated with cruise set at 75 MPH.

I tried using premium fuel for better MPG but the gain did not offset the cost, so I only use 87 octane. I only use 93 when I'm towing or hauling.

It seems to me that it takes my truck about 7 miles of highway driving(in Texas climate) to get up to operating temp and switching to closed loop. A lot of idling will tank the mileage. Also, the mileage is very susceptible to headwind. While I was heading north at 75 MPH, a front was blowing south, giving me a 20 MPH headwind. My mileage for that trip was 19 MPG.

So, the truck is capable of getting the MPG, it's the driver that has to learn the truck.
You are correct about adjusting the driving. My last vehicle was a 2015 Camaro V6 Coupe. However, I would argue the acceleration rates are pretty similar. I try to not hard accelerate in this truck - sometimes it is hard NOT to avoid doing so when I have to deal idiots on the interstate on my commute daily.

I am still concerned about my MPGs. I have yet to have tank average 20 MPGs or greater. It is frustrating and I am about 5k in.
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I'm new to Ranger 5g community only having our 2019 Ranger Lariat for about 2 weeks. It was a dealer DEMO model which we got a great deal on & it had less than 2500 miles on the clock. It came full of fuel & at half a tank I filled & will now track the mpg's.

However, we traded in a 2017 Explorer & I was on the Explorer forum where I learned of a website called fuelly.com. This website takes the paperwork &/or calculator aspect out of your calculations. It does it all for you & gives you a complete running history.

Give it a go. You may like it a lot! Also, we are enjoying driving the Ranger, & the power as well. Thank the Lord it came with the running boards to make it easier for wifey to climb aboard!!!
A coworker turned me on to fuelly. Been using it for the last 11000 miles or so on the Ranger. Unfortunately, a majority of those tanks have been either winter or towing/hauling, and not the first 7000 miles where I had gotten some of my personal best mileage. haha Oh well, just have to see what my overall average changes to after it warms up again.
 
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SubVet

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A coworker turned me on to fully. Been using it for the last 11000 miles or so on the Ranger. Unfortunately, a majority of those tanks have been either winter or towing/hauling, and not the first 7000 miles where I had gotten some of my personal best mileage. haha Oh well, just have to see what my overall average changes to after it warms up again.
At least with Fuelly.com You get hand calcs. Have to adjust to match truck's listed MPG
 

P. A. Schilke

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It really doesn’t matter. I love how it runs, when it’s empty I fill it up.
Hi Rick,

In the same camp....I do not care what the fuel economy is...I just love the feeling of the big thumb that presses you back into the seat when you jump on the gas pedal! Being a former racecar driver, I love the power of the DI 2.3L...

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired
 


MannyS

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I don't know if anyone else has this "problem" or noticed it even. But I noticed I have better MPG rating on a full tank I do when getting close to empty.
 

Mark Lally

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I guess I'm in a camp that most truck owners couldn't give a rats butt about; I actually drive like I want to get the most miles out of a gallon of gas. Don't get me wrong, nobody would ever accuse me of being a slow driver, I rarely pull away from a light without pulling away from traffic, I most always drive 5 to 8 mph over the speed limit, I have no qualms with flooring it when passing or for any other legitimate need. I use this as my daily as a building contractor and load this thing down at times at weights over the design limit, but I am proof that this truck WILL get its rated mileage when driven with a conscience. Note: winter gas and winter weather does take a toll on the mileage though.

Fuely MPG.PNG
 

Langwilliams

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I can get ethanol free here but it's "boat gas" an it's 4 or 5 bucks a gallon vs 2.39 for unleaded an 3.19 for 91 premium.
 

jzinckgra

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New Lariat owner here. Can't say I'm impressed with mpg at all. I have a highway segment, ~10mi at sea level, mostly flat. I reset the trip just as I enter highway. At end of 10mi this morning I got 22.7mpg. That was with the cruise set to 68mph. Granted it was cold (8F), but my Ridgeline I just traded easily got 28-30mpg all the time. And that was using a VCM muzzler to keep it in running 6cyl all the time.
How the heck does the Ranger 4cyl with 10speed tranny underperform like this compared to 6cyl 6 speed tranny?
 

harringtondav

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Cold weather seems to be a factor, even after the truck is at full operation temp.

In 'ideal' summer conditions I can get 25.5 highway. Ideal means no wind. A head wind will drop me to 22, but no surprise since the truck isn't aerodynamic.

I've been taking the same 217 mi round trip weekly this winter. I struggle to get over 23 mpg in no wind conditions. My guess is the ECM is adjusting the fuel delivery to compensate for low (6 deg F yesterday) temps.
 

jzinckgra

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Only 10 miles in 8F weather at 68mph with winter fuel blend. All knocks against good mileage. Sounds reasonable to me to get low mpg doing that in this truck, based on my experience. Mine drops from 24-25mpg in the summer all the way down to 16-20mpg in the winter driving the same route (8miles @ 60mph). Though I do regularly get up to 28+mpg on highway trips in the summer. It is disappointing, but every vehicle I've ever had has had a substantial drop in mileage in the winter.
Yes, but like I said the Ridgeline gets significnatly better economy in the same winter conditions.
 

Cape Cruiser

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Yes, but like I said the Ridgeline gets significnatly better economy in the same winter conditions.
You say new owner, is it broken in yet ?As Matt said above, winter blends, longer warm ups ,driving over 70 mph all will contribute. Trust me it will get better. Bret
 

jsphlynch

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New Lariat owner here. Can't say I'm impressed with mpg at all. I have a highway segment, ~10mi at sea level, mostly flat. I reset the trip just as I enter highway. At end of 10mi this morning I got 22.7mpg. That was with the cruise set to 68mph. Granted it was cold (8F), but my Ridgeline I just traded easily got 28-30mpg all the time. And that was using a VCM muzzler to keep it in running 6cyl all the time.
How the heck does the Ranger 4cyl with 10speed tranny underperform like this compared to 6cyl 6 speed tranny?
Few things:
1) Your Ridgeline was beating expectations pretty thoroughly as 28-30 is well above the EPA highway rating, and WAY above the real-world fuelly data.
2) Don't forget that mileage does improve with break-in. Not by 5+ mpg, but it will improve.
3) Don't discount the "granted it was cold" caveat. The cold, dense air adds to aerodynamic drag.
3b) It also keeps your truck from warming up to optimal operating temperature as quickly. How warmed up is the truck on such cold mornings when you get to the highway stretch?
4) Winter blend gas has slightly less BTUs than summer blend. The difference isn't as much as most people seem to believe, but it nonetheless has an effect.
5) The vehicle with the 6cyl/6-speed is designed with different goals in mind than the one with the 4cyl/10speed. That means the 4cyl can tow more than that 6cyl, but that comes with tradeoffs.
6) All these things are additive.

Anecdotally, I do believe that the Ranger MPGs are more severely impacted by winter driving than other vehicles I have owned, including after the engine has had plenty of time to get all warmed up.
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