Ford bumps up fuel economy on new F-150

DETROIT -- A new 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine and 10-speed transmission make the 2017 Ford F-150 as much as 2 mpg more efficient than the current version, Ford said today.

The 4x2 version of the F-150 is EPA-rated at 25 mpg in highway driving, 18 mpg in city driving and 21 mpg combined. Each of those figures is 1 mpg higher than the 2016 model.

The 4x4 version gets a combined rating of 20 mpg, a gain of 2 mpg. Highway and city ratings each rise 1 mpg, to 23 and 17.

The improvements give the aluminum-bodied F-150 a slight fuel-economy advantage over its all-steel rivals. The 2017 Chevrolet Silverado with a 4.3-liter V-6 and a six-speed transmission has the same city ratings but lags the F-150’s highway and combined ratings by 1 mpg each. The 2017 Ram 1500 with a 3.6-liter V-6 and eight-speed transmission ties the F-150’s highway ratings but trails by 1 mpg on the city and combined figures.

Ford said the second generation of its 3.5-liter V-6 and its first volume-production 10-speed transmission also improve the F-150’s acceleration, performance and refinement, particularly when hauling heavy payloads and towing trailers.

The new engine delivers 470 pounds-feet of peak torque, 50 more than the first generation and more than all diesel and gasoline-powered competitors, Ford said. It produces 375 hp, 10 more than the previous version.That compares to 285 hp for the Silverado’s 4.3-liter V-6 and 305 hp for the Ram’s 3.6-liter V-6.

Ford said the 10-speed transmission, which it developed jointly with General Motors, uses closer ratios between gears and patented hydraulic controls to optimize engine power and torque ranges. It is Ford’s first transmission made without cast-iron components, using a design that reduces its weight and size compared to previous gearboxes.

About 60 percent of F-150s are sold with EcoBoost engines, which use turbochargers to improve performance while saving fuel. Ford also sells the 2017 F-150 with a carryover 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine.