The time has come to see exactly how the new 2020 Ford F-250 7.3L gas V8 performs in the real world! This time we put the truck on our highway MPG loop towing a maximum load trailer and unloaded. We see how the new big gas V8 compares against the 2020 Chevy Silverado HD 2500 with a gas V8.
2020 Ford F-250
The all-new 7.3-liter gas V8 comes with a factory rating of 430 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque. The new push-rod engine is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission.
Naturally, heavy duty trucks are not rated for fuel economy. As such, we thoroughly test them to give you as close of a comparison as possible. In this case, we are towing a Cimarron gooseneck horse trailer with living quarters that we got on loan from our friends at Transwest. Since this F-250 truck is equipped with a 3.55 rear axle ratio and a 14,700 lbs towing rating – we have a loaded trailer weight of just about 14,700 lbs. This truck is loaded to the maximum!
This test is part of TFLtruck’s 2020 Gold Hitch awards competition. This year we are focusing on new heavy duty trucks, half-ton diesels, and more.
We ran the Ford F-250 and the Chevy Silverado 2500 on different days, but with an identical trailer set to slightly different loaded weights. The new F-250 returned a towing MPG result of 5.6 MPG with a moderate side wind (wind speed: about 17 mph). The unloaded result was 15.1 MPG.
When we ran the Silverado HD on the same loop at the same 70 MPH speed, we got 6.9 MPG and 16.0 MPG towing and unladed (respectively). The wind speed during the Silverado run was less (wind speed: under 10 mph).
The wind may have played a factor during this test, but the new Ford gas powertrain was nonetheless smooth. The suspension handled the weight well. The transmission shifted predictably and smoothly, and the engine had plenty of power to maintain speed on the highway at maximum load.
Check out the full video review and see how it compares against the 2020 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD at TFLtruck Youtube channel.
