[gregsfc]

Are you going my the vehicle's calculations? I've got the smallest, lightest, highest-geared F150 with only a few options; drive like a granny rarely exceeding 2000 RPM and 65 mph and can achieve only 24 with 85% highway (slow highway from 45-59 mph) commuting in a rural area, babying the truck, and usually cannot achieve more than 25.5 in near highway-only trips and that's at 65 mph. I'm not complaining even though it falls short of the EPA estimate, because most reviews put this truck, with this engine, in any configuration, at no more than 18 mpg.

I went for the lightest and highest-geared F150 with the 2.7L EB in a 2015 model; hoping for decent mpg, as many reviews claim both F150 EB's are way overrated with regards to mpg, but I wanted only a smaller truck, but didn't like the value or options for any compact and am addicted to mid-range power from previously owning a diesel car and so pulled the trigger on a minimalist full-size with the torquey 2.7L EB. At the risk of turning this into a Ford commercial, it should be noted that Ford offers their most advanced-technology engine for only an $800 premium and offers it for every trim level and every configuration up to a certain point of luxury where then one must opt for the larger EB engine. This is in contrast to the other two big players who offer their most advanced engines only in the higher trims, and the player who offers a diesel (I'm a huge diesel fan, but not a fan of the current prices and exhaust-treatment reliability woes of modern diesels) offers it starting at around $38.5K in a truck that starts at or about $26.5K. I got my truck for around $28K and it does have some options like power glass and mirrors and cruise.

For 2015, Ford/EPA estimates were 19/26/22 for 2-wd; and 18/24/20 for 4-wd, but for 2016, Ford added an extra estimate for heavy payload package, and so now, instead of just two ratings, there is about four. For my particular truck, which is standard duty, and 2wd, the rating did not change. It's still 19/26/22. Amazingly, for me, I think I could actually beat the city rating, but can't say that the highway estimate is accurate, as I don't even quite drive the speed limit.

I'm averaging 24.2 mpg life time so far with 13K miles, but, for me and my vehicle, there are a couple of errors to account for. First of all, the fuel-consumed data that the vehicle calculates is way, way off, but not consistent. On average my calculator will underestimate the fuel burned by at least 8%. That's a huge error, and so anyone who claims mpg in an F150 w/o hand calculating will likely be reporting a huge over estimation, as it's not likely that it's just with my truck. The second error goes the other direction but is much smaller, which is good and may just be for my particular tires, which are Michelin LTX 17". I calculated my trip meter/odometer on several occasions with two different GPSs and get a consistent 1.8% pessimistic calculation, meaning I'm actually driving farther from tank-to-tank than the vehicle indicates, but when I report to Fuelly, I calculate a 1.5% underrepresentation just to be conservative.

Also, it should be noted that I measure only from tank to tank, but I've had some 250 mile round trip, and on an average day, at a slow 65 mph, my truck can come in just under the 26 rating, at or about 25.5 accounting for the two errors noted above. It should also be noted that my driving style and my commute are very ideal with respect to fuel economy. As a point of reference, I can achieve 78 mpg on average on my 700 cc motorcycle that has a Fuelly average at or about 67, and I can average 32 mpg in a Saturn Aura that also has a much lower Fuelly average.

I have seen my vehicle's computer show me achieving 30 mpg for short jaunts or on the highway with a tailwind or headed down towards a river basin from the Highland Rim, but it always comes back down on the return trip, but I did measure one very good trip wherein I achieved around 26.8 during a 230 mile, round trip jaunt. In that case, what probably happened was that I had a normal tailwind going and then the wind died down before heading back. That's the only explanation I can think of, as I always set the cruise at the same speed, have driven that exact route several times, usually get very consistent results in warm weather at or about 25.5, and have not replicated that same result, before or after.