TESTED 2015 Ford F-150 3.5L EcoBoost Fuel Economy
Switching to an aluminum body from the steel used in the 2014 F-150 saved the truck nearly 700 pounds of weight. A lighter truck means a more fuel-efficient truck, and that was the claims that Ford made on the reason for the change. We tested the smaller 2.7L EcoBoost earlier in the year, but now we have the top-of-the-line 3.5L in for review and put it to the same fuel economy test.
Before we get to the actual test numbers and results, there are a few things you should know about this particular truck. Our review sample is a fully-loaded Platinum edition with the 3.5L EcoBoost, four-wheel drive, and the FX4 off-road bits. It also has the heavier extended-range fuel tank fitted.
Additionally, this truck has 3.55 gears, which are the standard gears for this configuration. While straight-line performance might suffer a bit over the 3.73 (which are an optional upgrade), the 3.55s should give the best fuel economy.
Finally, the truck is fitted with heavy optional equipment, such as a dual-panoramic sunroof and massaging front seats. The point is this; this truck is the heaviest of the F-150s.
We drove the truck over our usual fuel test drive route on a day that had very similar temperatures to the time we tested the 2.7L EcoBoost. We made every effort possible to keep the engine RPMs as low as possible, attempting to use various hypermiling techniques.
We’d lightly accelerate down hills, and use our momentum only to take us up the next hill. The route we choose is hilly, throughout a lot of hit, with a few flat areas. The highest speed limit on the route is 55 miles-per-hour, and we were driving for fuel economy.
It should be noted, like on our last test, that no normal human being drives like this. Most people climb in, put it in gear, and go. Hypermiling requires concentration and patience. While we attempted to coax every MPG out of the truck we could, we didn’t do anything dangerous, such as turning off the truck or drafting of other vehicles.
According to the on-board computer, over our 57.3 mile trip, we averaged 23.2 miles-per-gallon. According to the window sticker, our highway mileage should be 23. While most of our drive route is highway, there are some slower in-town bits with stop and go traffic.
We then took the truck on a different road trip, with highway speeds hitting 75 miles-per-hour. Under those normal driving conditions, including mixed big city driving, our fuel economy sat right around 19 miles-per-gallon. Again, according to the window sticker, we should be getting 19mpg.
With our normal driving habits, we were able to obtain the mileage stated on the window sticker. Of course, your mileage will vary, and that mileage will depend on how often you dip into the turbo boost. The more boost you use, the worse your fuel economy will be. That is why your fuel economy will drop pulling a trailer.
While it might not offer the fuel economy of Ram’s 1500 EcoDiesel, the 3.5L EcoBoost in the 2015 Ford F-150 gets the mileage claimed by Ford in our testing. With loads of available features and excellent towing and hauling capabilities, the 2015 F-150 is a well-rounded truck.
What do you think? Let us know over in the forums!
