In this video, Andre hooks up our 2020 Ford F-250 FX4 Super Duty to our trailer and Polaris RZR Pro XP 4 SXS for a short MPG loop outside suburban Denver. The goal: See how the Ford performs against the mid-size Jeep Gladiator Mojave towing the same load. In that test the Jeep delivered around 12 mpg on a short 24-mile suburban/rural loop.
F-250 Built to Tow
As a heavy duty truck, our Ford features the new 7.3-liter V8, a.k.a. Godzilla, mated to a new 10-speed transmission. The engine’s rated to 430 hp and 475 lb-ft. torque. The truck’s max tow rating, according to Ford’s towing guide is 14,700 pounds. That’s helped by a 3:55 rear axle, the lowest you can get in a Ford. To connect the truck to the trailer, Andre used our Gen-Y BOSS torsion-flex adjustable hitch, which helps smooth the ride.
The Results
As Andre expected, the F-250 drives as if he’s not towing anything behind him. Thanks to the ample selection of gears and all that power, the engine cruised along at 1,500-2,000 RPMs. By comparison, the Jeep’s V6 was working hard to move it max towing load. So did the F-250 beat the Jeep’s 12 MPG results? Nope. So far this year, we’ve been averaging about 12.5-13 MPG with the truck empty, and adding 5,000 pounds off the back of it reduced its fuel efiiciency to 9.8 MPG. That’s not bad, but as André points out, there wasn’t really any *feeling* from the truck that he was pulling anything that would sink the Ford’s fuel economy by 20 percent.
The Goods
In conclusion, we knew the F-250 was more than we needed for the job, but the Jeep got the job done as well. For that reason, Andre opines that the Jeep is fine for loads up to 5,000 pounds that need to be pulled every so often. But if you’re trailering every day or pulling any loads over 5,000 pounds, a midsize truck isn’t the best answer. For that, you’ll want to look at the capability of a heavy-duty model.
