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What Truck Gets the Best Gas Mileage?

20 Oct

Fuel Economy Ratings Changed in 2008

The main issue that plagues truck buyers is the fact that fuel economy ratings are not real world ratings. Fuel economy ratings are done with a dynamometer which is a set of rollers that lets the truck sit in place while the meter turns the wheels. An adjustment is made on the drag of the rollers to simulate several different driving conditions, but these test never tell the real world story because every driver drives differently, and other real life conditions can impact fuel consumption.

In the 2008 the fuel tests changed. The EPA increased the simulated speed of the city driving test as well as the highway test. Before 2008 the average simulated city test speed was 20 miles an hour and the average highway test speed was 48 miles an hour, which certainly is not the average speed on the nation’s interstate system these days.

The EPA also increased the simulated driving speeds; they increased acceleration speeds, and started the air-conditioning system during the test, plus cold weather driving issues also became an important factor in the ratings. These additions reduce the mileage ratings, but they still don’t reflect actual driving conditions because duplicating actual driving conditions in a laboratory is a difficult task.

It is possible to get an idea of what truck gets the best gas mileage based on EPA fuel economy ratings. Mademan.com listed the ten best gas mileage trucks of 2010. Visit: Made Man: 10 Best Gas Mileage Trucks 2010 to read the complete article, but here are the models that get great gas mileage. Mademan.com says that the 2WD Ford Ranger gets the best gas mileage.

The Ten Best Gas Mileage Trucks of 2010

In first place is the 2010 Ford Ranger 2WD, 4 cyl, 2.3 L, Manual. The Ranger gets 22mpg city and 27mpg highway.
Second place goes to the 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 15 Hybrid 2WD, 8 cyl, 6L, Automatic, which gets 21mpg city and 22mpg highway.
In third place is the 2010 GMC Sierra 15 Hybrid 2WD, 8 cyl, 6L, Automatic, which get the same mileage as the Chevy Silverado.
Fourth place goes to the 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 15 Hybrid 4WD, 8 cyl, 6L, Automatic. It gets the same mileage as the 2WD version, but maxes out at 491 miles per tank instead of 515 miles per tank for the 2WD model.
The GMC version of the Silverado earned the fifth slot. The 2010 GMC Sierra 15 Hybrid 4WD, 8 cyl, 6L, Automatic gets the small mileage as the Silverado because the specs are the same.
In sixth place is the 2010 Toyota Tacoma 2WD, 4cyl, 2.7L, Manual, which gets 20mpg city and 26mpg highway.
Toyota also claims seventh place with the 2010 Toyota Tacoma 2WD, 4cyl, 2.7L, Automatic, which tests at 19mpg city and 25mpg highway.
Ford has the number eight spot with the 2010 Ford Ranger 2WD, 4 cyl, 2.3 L, Automatic, which gets 19mpg city and 24mpg highway.
In ninth place is the 2010 Suzuki Equator 2WD, 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Manual that tests at 19mpg city and 23mpg highway.
The number ten spot goes to the 2010 Nissan Frontier 2WD, 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Manual, which gets the same gas mileage as the Suzuki Equator.