Best options for a good fuel economy pickup truck

[JTK]

There's some impressive MPG claims in this thread. I can't speak for the Canyon/Colorado diesel, but I know lots of folks with Ecoboost Ford F150s. With normal day to day driving they typically see high teens to very low 20mpgs at best, especially in cold weather. I think for most of us, the difference between ~16-21mpg isn't going to have a huge effect on your pocket book. It's all pretty poor fuel economy for something that primarily moves 1-2 people around.

 

[buck91]

I've never come close to low 20's in my 5.0L F150. It is a 2011, so thats probably some of it but it has rarely even touched the EPA 19mpg highway. Of course, now I have load E 33's and it does much worse.

 

[Nick1994]

I'm failing to understand the need for a little bit better gas mileage.

You're considering the Ram Ecodiesel? It's around $6,000 more for 4 mpg better on the highway. Diesel fuel costs a bit more, but let's say for this calculation it costs the same. The 6 cylinder gas Dodge pickup gets 25 mpg. The diesel Dodge pickup gets 29 mpg. At 15,000 miles per year it costs $1,350 to drive the gas truck and $1,163 for the diesel. A savings of $187 a year.

So in order to break even with that $6,000 premium, it would take 32 years of driving.

Gas is really cheap, that's what a lot of people fail to see. It really doesn't matter if you buy a car that gets a couple miles per gallon better.

Here's another example to consider: People buying a Prius to save money

New Prius costs $24,685. New Corolla costs $18,500. Prius gets 52 mpg and Corolla gets 32 mpg. Huge difference right?

15,000 miles per year fuel cost of Prius: $649. Corolla: $1,054. For a difference of $405 a year

It would take over 15 years just to break even, and most people won't even keep the car that long.

So, buy what you like. And don't worry about fuel mileage as long as it gets reasonable mpg.

 

[doublebase]

Originally Posted By: Best F100
I have owned a Colorado diesel pickup since this summer. I am averaging about 30 mpg in 80% highway driving. (Although I have the 2 wheel drive version - not the 4 wheel drive that you want). I have 5,300 miles on it now. There are times that I see 33 to 34 mpg on my daily commute. Range of just under 700 miles. A towing rating of 7,500 pounds is impressive for this size and type truck.

No issues or problems to date. I plan on staying on top of scheduled oil changes or slightly shortening them - so I don't have any concerns that this engine will reach 300,000 miles. I don't know much about the durability of GM 6 speed transmissions, so those of you more informed, can chime in.

I wanted to buy the new Ford Ranger diesel truck (but could not wait). The Ranger diesel may be what you are seeking. Correct me if I am wrong, but it is supposed to have a 6 cylinder, 3.2L diesel, not the 4 cylinder turbo diesel that the Colorado has. Ranger comes in about a year?

Hope this helps.


The Colorado is a beautiful truck! Blown away at how the GMC looks as well. It has gotten great reviews, I just wasn't sure about the long term ability of that engine...didn't realize it's been around for a while. And I haven't even heard about the diesel ranger, will take a look into it. Thanks.

 

[doublebase]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
I'm failing to understand the need for a little bit better gas mileage.

You're considering the Ram Ecodiesel? It's around $6,000 more for 4 mpg better on the highway. Diesel fuel costs a bit more, but let's say for this calculation it costs the same. The 6 cylinder gas Dodge pickup gets 25 mpg. The diesel Dodge pickup gets 29 mpg. At 15,000 miles per year it costs $1,350 to drive the gas truck and $1,163 for the diesel. A savings of $187 a year.

So in order to break even with that $6,000 premium, it would take 32 years of driving.

Gas is really cheap, that's what a lot of people fail to see. It really doesn't matter if you buy a car that gets a couple miles per gallon better.

Here's another example to consider: People buying a Prius to save money

New Prius costs $24,685. New Corolla costs $18,500. Prius gets 52 mpg and Corolla gets 32 mpg. Huge difference right?

15,000 miles per year fuel cost of Prius: $649. Corolla: $1,054. For a difference of $405 a year

It would take over 15 years just to break even, and most people won't even keep the car that long.

So, buy what you like. And don't worry about fuel mileage as long as it gets reasonable mpg.


Excellent points. What I'm trying to do is get the same gas mileage out of a truck as I am out of my car. That's the goal, I haven't priced these vehicles out yet, I'm just trying to get my options together before I make a decision. And I've never really considered the V6 Dodge Ram, I just assumed it'd be a bad idea for longevity...worried the V6 will struggle carrying a full sized pickup around for a lot of miles.

 

[doublebase]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: doublebase
Just to be more clear, I don't intend to tow anything with the truck, although maybe that will change down the road. And I don't intend to load the thing up with much - although again I may do that once in a while, but nothing big.

I'm just looking for something practical to commute, must be 4 wheel drive. And like any pickup owner I'd throw the occasional stuff in the back. I mountain bike, it'd be nice to be able to toss my bike and gear in the back. It'd be nice to be able to not have every little thing delivered to the house and be able to occasionally pick up the mulch or dishwasher, stove, wash machine, couch ,etc.


The Honda Ridgeline is built specifically for you. It's the only vehicle with a pickup bed that's designed first and foremost as a comfortable passenger vehicle. My folks have a 2014 MDX with a similar drivetrain, and they get right at the EPA ratings (20/28 I think). Given what you say about your driving environment and driving style, you'd get at least mid-20s out of a Ridgeline. My commute (60 miles one way when I have to do it) gets me about 22 from my Ridgeline, and it's the older generation. Mid-20s would be easy for me with the current generation.

Your mountain bike will fit into the rear seat area with the seat folded up. Great for taking it with you and being able to keep it secure. Or, Honda makes an accessory that allows you to mount multiple bikes in the bed. This is a great vehicle for people like you and me...we don't haul much (but appreciate having the bed), and prefer driving manners and comfort over towing capability or payload numbers.


Thanks I'll take a look into it. I'm not a huge fan of the way the Ridgline looks, but then again it's not all that important to me. And I'm a little worried about Honda transmissions when mated to their V6...seen a lot of problems in the last with them. But I'll definitely do some research.

 

[doublebase]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Sometimes you just have to pay to play.
Take a look at your annual mileage and figure the marginal fuel cost of a pickup versus your current car. It probably won't be a life changing difference.
Personally, if I were buying a new pickup, I'd buy a Ford as old-school and simple as I could. I'd avoid gas turbos, diesels, gazillion speed automatics and DI.
One of the great things about pickup trucks is that they could be driven to heroic mileages with little in the way of repair along the way.
This may not be true with some current mechanical innovations.


You bring up some good points, I too worry about how some of these things are going to hold up long term and we're already seeing some problems. Dodge diesel has some issues. Direct injection cars have carbon issues and turbos are tough on oil.

I wish everything was as reliable as GM LS engine.

 

[wheelman1991]

A 22-24 mpg truck running on regular unleaded would be cheaper in the long run vs a 25-26 mpg car that you are stuck running premium gasoline. getting a "small" diesel truck? In my opinion, not worth it. You would have to pay more for the truck itself, more for the fuel, more for maintenance on top of having to buy DEF. just get a base model f150, ram, chevy 1500 for a full size truck.(the mid-size trucks get about the same mpg as a full size, with the price also being rather close.)

 

[mcrn]

Originally Posted By: Vlad_the_Russian
My fathet has a 2009 2wd Toyota Tacoma with the 2.7 4-cyl. I have gotten 28mpg on the highway regularly on that thing. Slow, but good MPG and very reliable. If you find a 4wd version, it would probably get 25-26mpg highway. Just another option. But if I was you - I would DEFINITELY look into the diesel Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon. Test drive it, do some research, but so far looks like a solid reliable truck. Cummins diesel engines are known for their reliability.




The next Nissan Frontier might have a cummins diesel.....the Canyon does not have a cummins.

 

[Graham Piccinini]

Originally Posted By: mcrn


Canyon does not have a cummins.

I stand corrected. Got Cummins and Duramax mixed up in my head. My fault. Do not know how reliable this Duramax is then. But have seen plenty of 600k-700k mile Chevy trucks from early 2000s. Hope this new Duramax is just as reliable.

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: buck91
I've never come close to low 20's in my 5.0L F150. It is a 2011, so thats probably some of it but it has rarely even touched the EPA 19mpg highway. Of course, now I have load E 33's and it does much worse.


Yeah, without regearing the mpg goes way down. I used to drive 4 hours each way once a week, and have seen as high as 23.5 mpg at 60 mph. Wind has a huge effect on larger vehicles...so the bad side is 13.1 mpg at 80+/- mph on that run.

 

[doublebase]

Some excellent posts, I've read through each one. I guess the truck that surprised me - because I never even considered it - is the V6 Ram. I never considered it because I was always told, taught, experienced...you don't buy a V6 Ram. I did a little research and people seem pretty pleased with them. That's the Pentastar engine, right? I haven't really heard of many problems with those except the exhaust valve issues when they first came out...or was it the exhaust manifold? I can't remember.

So I'm wondering what these things are going for used...couple years old with say 30,000 miles. And I'm wondering what people are getting for gas mileage...all the reviews people just basically said, great gas mileage! But I'm looking for real numbers. And I'd also like to know how reliable they are overall. I like the interiors of the dodge trucks. And I do like the thought of a full size pickup, over the mid size truck. So I'm going to focus on these for a little bit - I imagine the Hemi is more popular and therefore more sought after - maybe I can find some deals right after Christmas. I love buying cars right after Christmas because no one is selling anything that week. Bought a used Lexus LS460 for $7,000 under book the last time I went car car shopping, hopefully I can get a deal again.

 

[Robster]

I have a '15 RAM 4X4 with the 3.6L V6. I've owned it a year and have no regrets. I get about 24 mpg on a road trip, and 18-19 mpg around town. The 8-speed ZF tranny is what makes this engine possible in a full-size truck--extremely smooth shifting. On a hilly highway trip, the 8-speed will downshift between 8-7 and sometimes down to 6 if it's extremely steep, but the shifting is so smooth and the engine so quiet that I really don't notice it anymore. I don't tow anything, so I can't comment on towing capabilities, although there's a guy on a RAM forum that uses a V6 to deliver camper trailers all over the U.S. and has (I think) over 200,000 miles on his RAM without any serious issues.

I bought mine on New Year's Eve last year and got a good deal on a new '15-- you may want to check on possibly buying new, as I've found used-truck prices to be ridiculous. PM me if you want more details. --Rob


Originally Posted By: doublebase
Some excellent posts, I've read through each one. I guess the truck that surprised me - because I never even considered it - is the V6 Ram. I never considered it because I was always told, taught, experienced...you don't buy a V6 Ram. I did a little research and people seem pretty pleased with them. That's the Pentastar engine, right? I haven't really heard of many problems with those except the exhaust valve issues when they first came out...or was it the exhaust manifold? I can't remember.

So I'm wondering what these things are going for used...couple years old with say 30,000 miles. And I'm wondering what people are getting for gas mileage...all the reviews people just basically said, great gas mileage! But I'm looking for real numbers. And I'd also like to know how reliable they are overall. I like the interiors of the dodge trucks. And I do like the thought of a full size pickup, over the mid size truck. So I'm going to focus on these for a little bit - I imagine the Hemi is more popular and therefore more sought after - maybe I can find some deals right after Christmas. I love buying cars right after Christmas because no one is selling anything that week. Bought a used Lexus LS460 for $7,000 under book the last time I went car car shopping, hopefully I can get a deal again.

 

[4WD]

Man, that is good - is your RAM a 4 door crew cab ?

 

[nyumski]

hmm i think i have same case like you...

i need truck which i think before i should buy diesel but according to some research and opinion here for used truck with cost 10k cash. it'd be good to choose gas engine truck.
my target also good mpg (20-30 mpg combined average), durable (will be used 5-10 years, it can be minimal 200k miles), and 4x4 (4wd) is a must

i am gonna check all trucks mentioned here, so i can decide which one will be suited for me.

 

[Olas]

The pickup shape is too draggy to ever get really amazing MPGs but the Hilux Diesel gets 35-40 MPG depending on cab/engine/gearbox options.

 

[Olas]

Or buy something old enough to have a mechanical pump and run it on vegetable oil. Even less fuel cost.

 

[DuckRyder]

Originally Posted By: Olas
The pickup shape is too draggy to ever get really amazing MPGs but the Hilux Diesel gets 35-40 MPG depending on cab/engine/gearbox options.


You can't get a Hilux diesel here... thats the problem.

In fact I think the Ram and Nissan Titan are the only less than 3/4 ton diesel pickup trucks available...

 

[SteveSRT8]

A friend of mine who owns a water damage firm has 2 RAM 3.6 8 speed trucks in his fleet. They routinely break 20 mpg even with help driving. The 8 speed gets that little motor revved up instantly if you want. They move out pretty good!

 

[DuckRyder]

Originally Posted By: DuckRyder
Originally Posted By: Olas
The pickup shape is too draggy to ever get really amazing MPGs but the Hilux Diesel gets 35-40 MPG depending on cab/engine/gearbox options.


You can't get a Hilux diesel here... thats the problem.

In fact I think the Ram and Nissan Titan are the only less than 3/4 ton diesel pickup trucks available...


Oh yeah and the Colorado/Canyon.