Which new Ford F-150 engine is more efficient at towing a 7,000 lbs trailer? We put both of these closely matched trucks on our highway mpg loop to find out. The result was indeed a surprise.
2019 Ford F-150
The truck with the chrome package is an F-150 XLT crew cab 4×4 with a 2.7-liter turbocharged V6. The truck with a monochromatic Sport package is a Lariat crew cab 4×4 with a 5.0-liter V8.
Both of these trucks are equipped with a 10-speed automatic transmission. The 2.7-liter EcoBoost is configured with a 3.55 rear axle. The 5.0-liter Coyote V8 truck has a 3.31 rear differential ratio.
The two trucks weigh between 5,200 – 5,300 lbs when unloaded. These trucks are pretty closely matched on weight and configuration. Both are equipped with an FX4 off-road package.
Both of these engines have a rating of 400 lb-ft of torque, although the twin-turbo V6 make maximum torque sooner in the rpm range than the bigger V8. The V6 is rated at 325 horsepower and the V8 at 395 horses.
We hitched up a Cimarron Norstar trailer that we got from our friends at TransWest. The total weight of the trailer and ballast is 7,000 lbs.
Yes, the 3.31 rear axle ratio is giving the V8 a little edge on fuel economy over the 3.55 in the V6 truck. The turbocharged V6 made the towing experience more effortless. It got to speed easier and quicker. It had lots of immediate passing power. Both trucks were very stable with the trailer at highway speed (70 MPH for this test).
The naturally aspirated V8 truck returned a result of 9.8 MPG. The ran the 2.7-liter turbo V6 right after and got a result of 8.7 MPG.
