Gas mileage… is this normal

I see a lot of people asking about gas mileage, so I figured I’d share my numbers.

Drove from Orlando to Santa Barbara to San Fran and back—7,200 miles through hills, mountains, and flatlands. Kept it at 85-90 mph most of the time, mostly in standard mode but used Sport a lot.

Averaged 16.3 mpg overall. When cruising at 85 mph, I got around 15 mpg.

Took a trip for MLK Day weekend to visit the in-laws. They gave us a day bed for our spare room, so we strapped it to the roof and drove home from Jacksonville to Nashville.

Same 16.3 mpg on the way back.

On my daily work commute (mostly highway), I usually get around 18.1 mpg.

Not sure if you’re happy or frustrated. You’re basically pushing a brick down the road—speed will always kill mpg, whether you’re in Sport mode or not.

Mine is loaded with about 500 pounds of gear (plus me). Running 4.7 axles, 2.3L automatic, 37” tires, 3” lift, steel bumpers, and a winch. I do regular Detroit-to-Louisville runs, keeping it at 75 mph with cruise control. Usually get 17.9-18.5 mpg.

When I slow down to 65-70, I hit 20 mpg, but I can’t handle getting passed by semi-trucks. When I had a Wrangler with the same setup, I barely got 14 mpg.

That said, who buys these and expects good gas mileage? We are not driving Priuses. /s

@Rowan
Not mad or excited. I don’t care about mpg. Just figured I’d post since I see so many threads about it.

Adi said:
@Rowan
Not mad or excited. I don’t care about mpg. Just figured I’d post since I see so many threads about it.

Yeah, makes sense. People buying these expecting great gas mileage are in for a rude awakening. Ford doesn’t really do fuel-efficient anymore. Profit margin is in the big trucks and SUVs.

@Rowan
My 2003 Dodge Ram got 11 mpg, so I’m actually pretty happy with my Bronco :joy:

Noor said:
@Rowan
My 2003 Dodge Ram got 11 mpg, so I’m actually pretty happy with my Bronco :joy:

A buddy had the V10 Ram (not the Viper one, the work truck). It got 11 mpg whether it was empty or towing 11k pounds. That thing was unstoppable.

@Rowan
Thinking about putting 37s on my Badlands Sasquatch. Right now I get 19 mpg at best… how bad do you think it’ll drop after 37s and a 3” lift?

Love these gas mileage threads. Someone always pops up like, ‘I don’t know, man, I drive uphill both ways in a hurricane, and I still get 26.4 mpg.’

Running a ‘21 BB 7-speed manual. Average 19.6 mpg, including off-roading. 2-door, 33” tires, 2” lift.

That’s interesting. I usually get 18.5 mpg on longer drives. Got a road trip to the desert this weekend, curious to see how it holds up.

Remi said:
That’s interesting. I usually get 18.5 mpg on longer drives. Got a road trip to the desert this weekend, curious to see how it holds up.

Forgot to mention—it’s a WildTrak SAS 4-door.

Same here, around 16 mpg in mixed city/highway driving. About 40-60 miles a day round trip.

Surprised you got that at 85-90 mph. Once I go over 80, I usually drop to 14-15 mpg.

Zephyr said:
Surprised you got that at 85-90 mph. Once I go over 80, I usually drop to 14-15 mpg.

Yeah, it dipped under 15 at times.

2-door Big Bend. 27 mpg at 55 mph using cruise control for a 1000-mile trip to New Hampshire. Cruise control is everything.

Reece said:
2-door Big Bend. 27 mpg at 55 mph using cruise control for a 1000-mile trip to New Hampshire. Cruise control is everything.

I was in ‘haul ass across the desert’ mode, so mpg was not a priority :joy:

@Adi
No judgment. I made my whole trip on two tanks, then burned through a third just having fun in Sport mode on backroads.

Same mpg here unless I’m doing straight highway driving, then it goes up to 20.

That’s about what I get with my Bronco Raptor.