Ford vs Chevy

Get the truck that tickles your fancy more than the other... :) The amount of 'towing miles' compared to 'not towing miles' is probably a lot, so your 'not towing miles' is going to be the more time you spend in the seat...

If mpg's is your concern and you need a truck, you can't dispute the Chevy's numbers... The Eco is right up there too, plus it's just plain fun to drive! :) Yes, I'm a bit biased on that statement, but it's true for me! :)

For me, my Eco is doing better on mpg's both towing and not towing compared to my 97 F150 and the 'fun factor' of the Eco is way beyond anything I've had before.... I had an 86 Mustang GT and that was fun, but this Eco would walk all over it!! :)

Good luck with the search and enjoy whatever you get! :)

Mitch

As it happens, I have a GM 5.3 and an Ecoboost. Yeah, my 2010 isn't an 'Ecotech,' but I can't imagine the fuel economy improvements to the motor make any difference when towing.

Anyway, they're easily w/in 10% of each other towing. The 5.3 'seems' to be working a lot harder, ie, higher rpms and all of that, but the end result is about the same as far as mpg goes.

I prefer the towing performance of the EB over the 5.3 by a good margin, but fuel economy is not the reason!

FWIW, the EB does seem to get better mpg for daily driver/commuter use -- my average commuting tank is around 18.5 in the EB, where is was closer to 15 mpg when I was driving a 5.3 every day.

Good luck!

therink wrote:
All gas powered trucks will get similar mileage Towing. Expect between 8 to 12 mpg depending on terrain, headwinds, speed and how heavy you are on the pedal. Wind resistance is the greatest factor in Towing efficiency.

THIS

Get the one that you like the best that you can get the best deal on and that has the payload and towing capacity to meet your needs. They're all about the same.

Out of the 2 that you have mentioned if cost were the same I'd go with the Ecoboost. It's a great motor with loads of power.

I agree with FordLover. The difference in fuel cost between any of them is insignificant compared to other factors about why you like one over the next.

I chose white over any other color for my Suburban... :)

Meaning it is WAY SUBJECTIVE...like my choice on vehicle color

Of course the basics has to be there, but it depends on terrain...how you
maintain your vehicle (like tire PSI, eng oil, etc, etc)...the biggie how you
drive...etc, etc, etc

ib516 wrote:
2013 Light Duty Challenge

Fuel economy numbers for all the popular 1500 series trucks, the Ford F150 in the chart below was a 3.5L EcoBoost model.

Using these numbers, I decided to run some quick math.

I compared towing MPG of the Ram @ 10.4 (lowest) to Chevy @ 12.6 (highest).
after 5,000 towing miles, the Ram would use $1,584 of fuel vs. the Chevy at $1,306, for a total cost difference of 278 bucks.

For a full timer, this is probably worth considering. For the RVer who tows ~500 miles a year, it would take 10 years to realize the <300 bucks in towing fuel savings. That's about 30 bucks a year in savings by going with the Chevy Vs. the Ram. All the other vehicle comparisons would be less savings.

My best GUESS would be the one with the least power would give the best results for a small trailer. I believe that would be the Chevy. Horsepower costs fuel and even the least powerful would have plenty of power for 5,000 lb. Keep in mind however, the difference will likely be less than one MPG from top to bottom.
Good luck / Skip

2013 Light Duty Challenge

Fuel economy numbers for all the popular 1500 series trucks, the Ford F150 in the chart below was a 3.5L EcoBoost model.

brulaz wrote:
Well, I would eliminate the Ecoboost. It's a great engine with gobs of low end torque, lot more than both those V8's, but when you use that torque you burn gas.

So if you're running up and down hills on cruise control with a 5000# trailer, the Ecoboost will behave as if the trailer almost isn't there, except when you have to fill up the tank.

For a 5000# trailer, one of those two V8s would have enough torque and probably give you better mileage towing. But I'd probably buy the Ecoboost anyway ... :)

Me too! The overall fuel economy is close enough that the Ecoboost is definitely worth it IMHO.

All gas powered trucks will get similar mileage Towing. Expect between 8 to 12 mpg depending on terrain, headwinds, speed and how heavy you are on the pedal. Wind resistance is the greatest factor in Towing efficiency.