Owning a pickup is much like owning a big house — the heating and cooling costs climbing by the square foot. That’s the price, however, many will tolerate for the pleasures of living in a princely place, the cost of owning choice real estate.
Owning a half-ton is much the same, the fuel costs high because these are big, heavy, utilitarian beasts shaped as aerodynamically as an outdoor sauna. But even within this corner of the world, some trucks are genuinely better than others at going further on a litre of fossil fuel. Sure, all trucks generally fall within a specific range — not great — but some are definitely better than others. So, if economy is more important than trailering ability in your truck, these are the pickups that will minimize your financial payload at the pump.
Figures below are for 4×4 models, based on 20,000 km of travelling per year with 55% city driving.
No. 1 —2015 Ram EcoDiesel
2014 Ram 1500 Laramie EcoDiesel Crew Cab.
Derek McNaughton, Driving
Ram might be cheating because it’s currently the only half-ton with a diesel engine, but the diesel strategy has paid off, putting the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel at the front of the fuel-economy class. Sure, the diesel engine is a $4,500 option, so the up-front cost is higher (but the residual values are also better). So with a Natural Resources Canada highway fuel economy of 8.8 litres per 100 km and 12.1 city, the average total fuel bill should amount to $2,374. While the current price of diesel is higher than gasoline, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is the clear winner for best fuel economy in a 4×4 pickup.
No. 2 — 2015 Ford F-150 2.7-litre EcoBoost V6
2015 Ford F-150
Derek McNaughton, Driving
Ford has not released official fuel economy figures on its new, aluminum-bodied F-150, a truck that is 320 kilograms lighter than its replacement, making for a 20% improvement in fuel consumption. Speculation is rampant over whether the new F-150 and its new 2.7-litre twin turbo V6 with 325 horsepower (and a start-stop system) can match Ram’s EcoDiesel. Our prediction? It won’t — but the margin will be extremely close. Our first drive of a 2015 F-150 4×4 Crewcab with the 2.7-litre EcoBoost returned an average of 11.5 L/100 km on mostly highway; but based on the observed economy of others, our forecast is this engine in the lighter 2015 F-150 will be able to attain close to 9.5 L/100 km highway. That’s impressive for gasoline engine in a truck, and should cost close to $2,400 per year in fuel.
No. 3 — 2015 Ford F-150 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6
2015 Ford F-150
Derek McNaughton, Driving
Ford’s bigger EcoBoost engine, the 3.5-litre V6 with 420 pound-feet of torque, already boasts decent fuel economy in the metal-bodied 2014 model. But the switch to an all-aluminum body, shedding the equivalent of roughly four adult passengers, equates to a 20% improvement in the truck’s economy, Ford says. Current NRCan figures say the existing 3.5 with the auto-select six-speed transmission will return 11 L/100 km highway and 15.4 city. No doubt those numbers will fall in the new lighter F-150, but a 20% improvement to the previous annual cost of fuel of $3,068 should mean an improved bill of $2,455.
No. 4 — 2015 Ram 1500, 3.6-litre Pentastar V6
2015 Ram 1500
Handout, Ram
While offering a 2WD HFE model with good fuel economy, Ram also occupies the fourth spot on our 4×4 list with its regular 1500 equipped with the popular and ultra-smooth Pentastar VVT V6. Matched to an eight-speed transmission to make the most of its 269 lb.-ft. of torque, the 3.6L should, according to NRCan’s new five-cycle testing, return a respectable 10.1 L/100 km highway and 14.6 city for a yearly fuel bill of $2,860.
No. 5 — 2015 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, 5.3-litre V8
The 2014 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ 1500 4WD Crew is a high-end, full-size pickup truck that comes loaded with amenities. But adding all of the options up can get very pricey.
Brian Harper, Driving
Not far behind the Ram is the Chevrolet and GMC cousins, the Silverado and Sierra. While its competitors have opted for diesel or turbocharging, GM has adopted neither, putting its money on a trifecta of direct injection, variable valve timing and cylinder deactivation that GM calls EcoTec3. Cylinder deactivation shuts down four cylinders when all eight are not required. The engine has 355 horsepower and 383 lb.-ft. of torque. Our real-life test of the Sierra and its 5.3 V8 saw a return of 14 L/100 km average, and a highway best of 9.6, though the official ratings are 10.6 L/100 km highway and 14.9 city. At that rate, count on an annual fuel cost of $2,964.
The upside to the GM trucks is they are the only half-tons returning V6-like fuel economy with a V8.
