Ford Ranger real world fuel economy

[TimNWVic]

I have a 2020 Ranger dual cab, XLT, 3.2 auto with a Ford tray fitted. It has a TJM roobar, 18" Wildtrack wheels with 275/65-18 Cooper ST/Maxx tyres. Mechanically stock. (edit fixed tyre sizes)

I'm permanently carrying a 1500mm alloy canopy, AGM battery, 50L fridge, Prorack whispbar roof racks, a 2.5m awning, plus maybe 30kg of tools.

I'm lucky to get low 13L/100km on highway, high 13's on combined driving (country town). My previous BT50 3.2 auto dual cab had almost identical setup apart from the tray/canopy (it had a tub) and Cooper AT3s not ST/Maxx, so a very similar vehicle, same driver and roads, and it was getting into the high 10's combined if I was careful, 11's easily.

What are others getting from late model Rangers? It's due for the 15,000km service soon and if it's higher than normal I'll ask them about it.

PS I posted about this on the newranger forum and got shot down for wanting fuel economy from a ute. I don't expect factory figures I know they are not real world. It's my work ute but I'm setting it up for touring as well, so fuel economy is relevant. At present I can barely get 600km from the stock tank, BT50 I was getting 7-800.

I was just told a mate's mate is getting into the 8's/100km from his new Dmax - shoulda got a Dmax...

 

[John U]

I'm getting 14's. Not great but it is what it is. My tyres had a a multiplying effect when changed. I went from 255/70?/16 all terrains to 265/75/16s mud terrains. More rotating mass has a noticeable impact on performance, but the larger diameter of the tyre is likely telling me I am getting less k's per litre. The speedo is spot on with the new tyres so I am gauging my economy readings as accurate now where it might've been a bit optimistic previously.

The only way I am going to get better fuel economy is to lighten my vehicle up (not going to change tyres). I am probably carrying quite a bit if stuff that is nice to have but not necessary, eg block splitter, axe, and chainsaw. I'm looking at cutting extra gear down and potentially getting rid of the drawers in the back. Keeping it simple should make for less hassle, less weight, less wear and tear, and better fuel economy.

 

[Neddysmith]

I have a 2012 wildtrak with 3.2 manual. m running TJM Bullbar with winch, spotties, lightbar, running 285/7 17R aggressive ATs, usually tray is empty, hve roof racks with awning and racks over the tub, around town mid to low 10s, highway mid 9s.

 

[TimNWVic]

I don't carry much at all other than the essentials listed above (forgot 20L water) - a 600km highway run on the weekend was basically that, myself, some food and a slab of Coopers. I don't drive like either an idiot or a grandma but sit on the limit with cruise on, some aggressive overtaking past semis when required but generally pretty normal I'd say. Running 41psi hot in the tyres.

 

[devjam]

What are others getting from late model Rangers? It's due for the 15,000km service soon and if it's higher than normal I'll ask them about it.

@TimNWVic I have a 2019 PX3 3.2 - ARB steel bar, steel steps, ARB canopy + drawers, 120Ah AGM + CFX50, platform rack and about 50kg of gear, 265/70R18 (32.6") BFG KO2 tyres. Likewise around 40-41psi hot.

I'm getting mid 12's around town and 11-ish hwy.

I was an the weighbridge just last week: 2.82T with all that gear, me and 1/3 tank of fuel. I'm actually going down a tyre size with lighter wheels from stock so that figure should drop (available GVM - especially when towing - is becoming a problem... but that's a separate discussion)

Have you adjusted your wheel circumference in the cars settings? As @John U says the larger actual diameter will be travelling further than the car thinks it is, and hence skewing your consumption upwards.

 

[TimNWVic]

I haven't adjusted wheel sizes (just bought a cable for Forscan last week actually), however it's less than 1km out from the gps now (note I had incorrect tyre size info in the first post, corrected now). It was reading slow with the oem tyres.

I will do that though and see if it makes a difference.

I have previously removed the roof rack and awning, didn't notice a difference. I removed the load rack from the tray now that I have the canopy fitted as I thought it might have been catching wind, no noticeable change.

 

[John U]

I don't carry much at all other than the essentials listed above (forgot 20L water) - a 600km highway run on the weekend was basically that, myself, some food and a slab of Coopers. I don't drive like either an idiot or a grandma but sit on the limit with cruise on, some aggressive overtaking past semis when required but generally pretty normal I'd say. Running 41psi hot in the tyres.

Mine is 2012 PX. It came fairly will kitted with gear. It weighed 2,600 with drawers empty, approx 50l in the tank. It was getting 12's at this weight with the original tyres. Extra weight and bigger tyres is costing me the extra 2 litres. If I had the space at home I'd like to take the canopy off, draws out, and see what kind of difference it made to performance and economy. I added a couple of hefty items since I got it, winch, arb side steps, arb canopy roof rack, as well. I've swapped the rack out for some bars which has dropped about 25kgs from up high. I'm guessing I won't be able to notice the difference. In theory it should at least handle a bit better.

I've found speedo's usually read about 10k's on the conservative side. This will help ensure you don't get busted for speeding but would also artificially inflate the mileage you are getting. I wouldn't adjust your wheel diameter as from what you say it is quite close to gps now. Changing wheelsize in the system will reinstate conservative speed measurements and inflated economy.

 

[TimNWVic]

Yeah, good idea, I might leave it alone so I've got a comparison to work from. Also I'm using the figures on the dash which are probably not that accurate, I'll start taking more careful notes each fill.

There's also a bit of "harshness" or vibration I can feel though the accelerator pedal (even though it's electronic) when accelerating, and I read early models had some injector issues. Something is not right.

 

[cam04]

Your numbers are about what my PX did. I have the new BT50 (Isuzu) and your mate is right. With an ally canopy, 3/4 roof rack and basic tools mine is down into the 8’s on the highway and in the 10’s around town.

 

[Hoyks]

2013 BT50 3.2 manual, ally tray, slightly taller A/T tyres, roof racks and steel bull bar. Mine shows 9.6 on the dash, but is just a bit over 10l/100km in reality. My commute has a hill, then its 20km flat, straight road with no traffic or lights.
With my camping stuff, canopy, 2nd battery and RTT added on it goes up to 12ish.

 

[TimNWVic]

I have the new BT50 (Isuzu) and your mate is right

I agonized for months over the new Dmax / old Ranger choice and went for the Ranger as it's a settled model run. Hope I don't regret it. I really like the vehicle overall, but this fuel usage needs to get better.

Found a few forum comments that say it improves after 20,000km when it's properly run in. Let's hope so.

 

[Rusty Panels]

I consistently get 10.2/100 or a bit better out of my Everest 3.2. South Coast NSW is nothing but hills. When I lived in the Southern Tablelands I always got good consumption from all my vehicles including the 6.0 litre SS Commodore auto which I rarely got worse than 10L/100 depending on how heavy my right foot was.
A lot of it depends on your terrain and roads. I lived on a road that was 100kph from my gate to the highway 16 kms away. I was in top gear for most of the drive to and from work every day. Given the same task down the coast here where it's so hilly I'd guess that I might get into top gear for maybe 2 out of every 10 kilometres. It makes a huge difference, so don't be too disappointed in your results.

 

[TimNWVic]

A workmate gets that from his Everest too.

I'm in Mildura. Flat country, open roads. 100kmh to work, 110kmh on the highway. A few roundabouts and one set of lights to get out of town then I use cruise control on the way to and from work - there's not much traffic. Weekend trip was to the Riverland which is a change in elevation of about 10 meters. So yeah, I'm disappointed, it should be better.

 

[cam04]

The tray and canopy grabbing the wind, and the extra weight is enough to make a difference. All the little bits add up. I stripped mine out for sale recently and the fuel use dropped straight back to 10’s from 13/14 constant.

 

[Vesko]

The only way to measure real world fuel consumption is to record distance travelled by GPS and compare it with litres of fuel you pump in at the station. Tyre sizes and car computer confuse any other calculations.

 

[Toyasaurus]

Are you using the cars computer to check your fuel useage?

If so don`t bother they hardly ever read correctly.

Brim the tank, reset the trip meter on your GPS, Next time brim it again, check how much you put in to the amount of K`s driven.

It will probably take some more time and K`s before the engine really starts to loosen up.

You might also want to check it in a few different servo`s, some of their pumps aren`t very accurate.

 

[discomatt]

If you increase tire size you must also add that extra % to the trip meter, do some testing with a GPS to track how far you drive compared with what the odometer says and never trust what the car tells you it is using, they always lie by anywhere up to 2l / 100.
Once you have worked out exactly how many km you actually drive then the amount going in the tank only then can you work out real world consumption.
Give it a caining for a week or 2 to run it in properly, to many make the mistake of babying a motor when new, take it easy for a 1000km or so then start driving it with plenty of load and right foot to bed everything in properly

 

[Rusty Panels]

Everything you bolt on is going to cause drag. I remember some research done years ago showed that just a single roof rack caused a loss of something like 2 or 3 horsepower.

Discomatt is right about running it in too. You don't thrash them but you make sure to work them and rev them out a bit. The worst thing you can do is going back too far through the gears and over-revving them. That's the only way you'll cause a diesel to over rev. I wouldn't over load it personally. Don't be afraid to take it up to around 4-4.5 k now and then and give it a taste of full throttle uphill here and there.

Toyasaurus is spot on about the computer too. Check your speedo against a GPS if possible and also use the old pen and paper method to check your consumption against the trip computer to see how accurate it is.

 

[TimNWVic]

Understand about bolting things on causing drag, but I'm comparing this vehicle to a near identical BT50 I owned previously. Only real difference is the tray/alloy canopy does stick out a a couple of inches, but I removed the load rack which was sticking out a lot. It should weigh less overall than the tub though (it's an alloy tray). Carrying the same battery, fridge, roof racks, toolkit, less water (had a 60L tank in the BT50, just using 20L jerry now).

I've checked the speedo against gps and it's almost spot on. The BT50 was about 7kmh slow at 110kmh but I compensated so I was driving at the limit by GPS not by the speedo ie the better consumption in the BT50 wasn't because I was driving slower. Would get slightly nervous passing a highway patrol at almost 120kmh on the speedo, but I knew I was within the limit and never got pulled over.

Another issue with this ute is the fuel filler wasn't installed correctly by the Ford dealer. It was almost horizontal when I picked it up, could barely get fuel in it - I had them fix it but they simply bent the bracket up a bit. As a result it always clicks the fuel pumps off early (no hope of filling at a fast fill pump) so I'm never 100% sure I get the same amount of fuel in every time. I need to buy some fuel filler hose and extend/relocate it so I can get consistent fills, then start tracking usage manually.

 

[RBJET]

I started with a standard 2015 BT50 with bar work and a roof rack that did High 8l/100.
Tyres (33s) added around 2l/100 or so, Steel tray and alloy canopy around the same so day to day I'm in the 12s and get around 650km to a tank.
The car sits at around 2800KG unloaded.
I'd probably get more but drive up a big hill for 10 mins every day using 20+l/100.

The DPF in later models doesn't help economy.