Gas mileage question.

[Robcatt24]

I'm shopping around for a truck.

Aiming for an F150 or a Silverado.

For those who have owned one, is there a major difference in MPG in the Ford's 4.6 versus the 5.4?

Same with the Silverado's 4.8 and the 5.3.

The smaller motors are much harder to find, and I'm not really wanting to go on a months long search for the smaller engine if the MPG isn't a significant difference.

 

[ukfan606]

I have the 5.0 Ford F-150 and get about 19.5 miles to the gallon. Not sure on the rest what kind of mileage they get. Get around 700 miles for a tank of fuel.

 

[Lexie's Dad]

Just venting because it's not near what you asked - apologies. I bought a '14 Escape for the wife last year, FWD not AWD. They're supposed to get around 32 mpg. Bull-ish. Best it has gotten on a road trip at Interstate speed was around 25. It averages in the neighborhood of 23/24 if that much. Has less than 7000 miles though, still hoping it will get better as I've been told.

 

[#1LJcat]

with the silverado stick with the 5.3 better power and no MPG difference that i have seen. i still drive my 2000 silverado x-cab with 210000 on it and runs great, averages right at 17 on the highway. the new silverados are averaging around 23 mpg now

 

[BlueRaider22]

You won't get the best mileage at interstate speeds.....nor in stop/go neighborhoods. Find a flat stretch of highway, reset the mileage, and cruise at 55.....then what is it getting? You would probably hit 30+ then. Most people are getting a combined 24-25 mpg out of the Escapes.

Also, it could be driver related. If you brake late, accelerate fast, and drive above speed limit then you mileage will stink. My wife will leave her car running in the morning when she takes our daughter into daycare to keep it warm/cool......it kills mpg. My uncle is a contractor who eats fast food at least 2x daily. Sitting in a drive through for 10 minutes a day will kill the mpg. If you carry heavier loads (like you may have carried on your vacation) can limit the mpg. If you put something on the vehicle.....(luggage carrier on roof, UK window flags, etc)....it will limit mpg.

 

[BlueRaider22]

There won't be a huge difference between all of those engines. Good rule of thumb is to split the difference between the factory city/hwy estimates. So if the truck is rated 16/23 mpg, then most people will average about 19.5 mpg. If you live in the city and drive mostly all city then it will be closer to 16 +\- And, of course, some of what I mentioned above.

A difference of 1-2 mpg won't amount to much. You likely won't recoup the price difference over the life of the vehicle. Nor will you notice a huge difference at the pump.

 

[blufvr4evr]

I own a Silverado.......believe me ford 150 much better........

 

[BlueRaider22]

Both trucks have little to complain about that's outside of personal preference. Just do your research and make a decision....your shouldn't be disappointed with either as long as you are smart with your decision.

 

[tammefan]

Do not get the 4.6. Made for a car but put in trucks. The 5.4 was in the F150 unitl 2010 when replaced in 2011 with the 5.0. 5.4 is a great motor. 4.6 was underpowered for F150s and Expeditions. You wont get much more MPG's with the 4.6. Towing for sure.

 

[ukfan03]

I have a 05 5.4 f150. I bought the truck in 07 with 30k miles. It now has 180k. Here are a few things I've experienced with my truck. Transmission went out around 100k miles. It was my fault because I towed extremely heavy loads for 6-8 hour drives several times. The rubber vacuum hoses that activate the 4x4 are known to start leaking. Mine did this and I had to replace the 4x4 actuators. It probably cost 300 bucks. One other issue is the exhaust manifold leak. A lot of them crack and makes your truck sound like a diesel. Mine has been doing it for about 100k miles. One other thing, the spark plugs CAN be a pain to change. They're known to break off in the heads. I changed mine without a problem though.
That's all the problems I've had with my truck. It runs great and I don't regret buying. It gets around 17mpg.