Be that as it may, 10mpg still seems on the low side for a modern/semi modern 1/2 ton. I've known people with first gen EcoBoosts that were able to achieve similar mileage as my first gen 5.0L.

 

To help put it into perspective for you. My 2013 5.0 is custom tuned, lifted and over size 35's, my driving style is what I would consider moderately spirited. I get 9mpg city and it's oh so fun to drive. Only 25k miles on the odo.

Point is when you have forced induction you have to force more than just air into the engine to make it work. Drive it like a granny and you'll see mild improvements in your economy. If economy is of the utmost importance to you, you probably shouldn't have bought a 5000lb brick.

 

Yes it's quite flat for 90% of where I drive. I try to keep my hwy speeds below 70mph too.

 

Well, I agree at least that if fuel economy is your primary goal you probably shouldn't be looking at F-150's or any full size trucks for that matter and I am aware how forced induction works. That being said, driving gently vs driving aggressively will affect your fuel economy regardless of if your vehicle is naturally aspirated or turbo/supercharged. Since the OP hasn't alluded to any ''spirited'' driving then I will still contend that 10mpg is low for first gen Ecoboost. My best guess if there isn't actually a problem is that he has a very unfortunate commute that involves lots of hills and traffic lights. Under normal driving circumstances its completely inexcusable for a 2011-2014 Ecoboost F-150 to get the same mileage at 1990 460ci F-350 or 2000 V-10 Powered F-350.

 

My 3.5 is getting 11.5 purrs like a kitten though and has 225,000 miles.
I was getting 13 then I put on some more aggressive tires and she went down to 11.5.
Had I paid $50,000 for my truck. I may be disappointed.
But I paid $9100 for it. I can buy a lot of gas for $40,000

 

I average about 14 in my regular mixed driving (13 SCrew 145" WB). Goes up a little in summer and down a little in winter, as expected, but 14mpg is about what I get. My truck has a small lift and slightly larger tires than stock. My mom, who has the same year truck I do, but a SCab and shorter WB, routinely gets over 17mpg. I'm a little jealous, but my truck looks better

 

None of these posts tell of what fuel you are using? My 2013 5.0 no turbo gets 5 mpg more with regular gas than Ethanol. Usually 18-24 mpg highway.fwiw

 

I have to wonder about the fuel also : according to the 2013 Manual ; 3.5L V6 EcoBoost engine “Regular” unleaded gasoline with a pump (R+M)/2 octane rating of 87 is recommended. Some stations offer fuels posted as “Regular” with an octane rating below 87, particularly in high altitude areas. Fuels with octane levels below 87 are not recommended. Premium fuel will provide improved performance and is recommended for severe duty usage such as trailer tow. Do not be concerned if your engine sometimes knocks lightly. However, if it knocks heavily while you are using fuel with the recommended octane rating, see your authorized dealer to prevent any engine damage also reads ;
Choosing the Right Fuel Use only UNLEADED fuel or UNLEADED fuel blended with a maximum of 15% ethanol. Do not use fuel ethanol (E85), diesel fuel, fuel-methanol, leaded fuel or any other fuel because it could damage or impair the emission control system. Your vehicle was not designed to use fuel or fuel additives with metallic compounds, including manganese-based additives. The use of leaded fuel is prohibited by law. I only run 91 or higher

 

I'm having the same issue here, and trying to figure out what to do. I got my 2013 F150 3.5L SuperCrew a few months ago, and I have been averaging 13.8 since then, over about 5k miles. Some towing, some mountains, some around town, but it doesn't seem to matter what I do -- if I drive it like I stole it or drive it like a grandma, if I set the cruise and hold it at 55, if I'm going downhill or uphill, towing or not.

I track my economy on Fuelly, and you can see that my lifetime average is 13.8, with a max tank of under 18. You'd think that driving down a mountain, unloaded, I would have gotten 20mpg or more.

I would love any ideas about how I can increase my economy here. This 13.8 mpg is killing my budget.

My truck is a 4x4 and has about 121,000 miles on it today.

 

(the obvious).

 

Thanks, yeah, great list. I did all of the 150k service just 1k miles ago, at 120k, so that included the air filter and spark plugs. I carry nothing in the cab or the bed. I check the tire pressure weekly. I had it aligned less than 5k miles ago. Mechanic recently did some work on the front end and did not give any indication that anything needed to be replaced. I have tried 87 and 93 octane, and have not seen a difference in power or fuel economy. I maintain my vehicle like a freak.

Rear parking brake and MAF sensors are things I should look at... now to figure out how to do that.

And, since I never use the parking brake, it's probably not that, but I should look into it.

 

Don't know if it was mentioned or not but there is also the matter of winter/summer blend fuels. We don't have that down here where it's perpetual summer but I recall many people complaining about one or the other when it switched over for fuel economy issues.

 

For reference, I've had my '09 XL since new
it currently clocks in @ over 135K miles.
I bought it for towing <9000#, it greatly outperforms my former '92 302V8 F150 in towing ability / payload and MPG

it has the 4.6l 3V V-8 (no ECOboost)

Hwy w/o trailer 20-21 MPG avg 70-75MPH (normal trip is Mich, Ohio Pa and NY)
around town w/o a trailer 15-16 MPG
Pulling my car hauler loaded just over 5000# 10-12 MPG

When I hauled the trailer (loaded) thru the mountains of eastern PA she got just under 10MPG.

Seeing the posted MPG's of the ecoboosts makes me believe I did the right thing not waiting for the ecoboost to come out.

Note: These are summer blend 87 octane numbers, when the winter blend comes out, I lose 1-2 MPG. Also the 88 octane 10% gas-ahol they sell in Iowa costs me 2 MPG, for only a nickel a gallon cheaper I don't waste time using it.

 

Thanks for that info there.

My engine seems to have lots of Boost, but no Eco.

Anyway, I started doing DoorDash with the F150 (it's the only vehicle I have, and I need the cash), and I actually got higher fuel economy doing that than I get with my regular around-town driving. I also used to get terrible fuel economy in my 2013 VW Jetta TDI. This tells me that my driving patterns are at least part of the fuel economy issue in the F150.

I do wonder if I'd get better economy by running premium. I run Costco 87 in it, unless I'm towing, and since I recently had to sell my trailer, I'm no longer towing and TBH I have no need of a truck anymore...

 

If your truck calls for 87 Octane, generally running premium does NOT improve short term fuel economy.. There are studies out their pointing to "top tier" fuel as being better for overall engine health.. That said I keep routinely my vehicles for well over 200K miles.. I buy gas at whoever is cheapest and / or most convenient. I don't remember having any "less than top tier" fuel related issues.

The Eco Boost MPG discussion is eye opening. I am a bit "old school" and pull a trailer periodically. My '09 has just over 135K on the clock, the "eco boosts" weren't out yet. I opted for the 4.6l 24V V-8, and 6 spd automatic for it's >8000# towing capacity (because a manual is no longer made for full size trucks). Also of note I run LT highway tires, they last a long time and have a high load rating. My driving style is I'll drive fast enough that no one is stuck behind me but alert enough to avoid speeding tickets. 75-80 MPH highway driving she gets just about 21MPG,. When I don't do any (steady) highway driving she's in the 16-17 MPG range. Towing a 5000#+ trailer in tow/haul mode drops the 75MPH, MPG to 11-12MPG..
I hauled my loaded trailer thru the "mountainous area" of Eastern PA, she still got about 10MPG. These discussions of Eco Boosts when "not" towing getting poor MPG sort of dismays me, I thought the whole point (marketing gimmick) of the Eco Boost was superior normal MPG, but had extra ponies in reserve when called upon. but I assumed they suffered severely when towing. I guess these (heavy) trucks cause these engines to run in boost mode more often than I would have thought. I guess the answer lies in what a vacuum / boost gauge would show. Boost is great when you need the power but you pay an huge MPG penalty.

Note these are summer (fuel blend) numbers, here up north the winter blend normally imposes a 10% mpg penalty.