First hand F150 hybrid experience anyone?
Surely someone in this group has purchased and towed with an F150 hybrid by now. If you are one of those people I would love to hear how you think that the hybrid impacts towing.
Forum Discussion
aftermath wrote:FishOnOne wrote:
The impact is reduced fuel economy. The hybrid shines when driving in town only.
Not to start any wars here but, isn't this the same argument for the Eco-Boost? I have a friend who gets basically the same mpg I get while towing with my Tundra. It is sort of a wash until you factor in what he gets while not towing. Wowsa, I am glad that I don't have to use my Tundra as a daily driver. Is this the same kind of thing that hybrid owners are experiencing?
Yes & No.
The EPA numbers are based on a lightly loaded pickup. Cruising down the freeway empty, the ecoboost is going to be operating effectively as a Naturally Aspirated (NA) engine. This allows the smaller displacement NA engine to operate at near peak efficiency. A large displacement NA engine isn't being tasked hard enough to get to that max efficiency.
Of course, historically, no one wanted the 6 cylinder if they could afford the V8 because acceleration and towing suffered. The turbo addresses that shortcoming by allowing increased output when it's demanded...but that comes with increased fuel consumption. As long as that demand is a small percentage of operating time, it's a win overall.
City driving, if you are constantly asking for lots of boost, you get a peppy ride but not much fuel savings.
