Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Which diesel truck gets the best mileage?

I know this will have several answers, but which diesel truck in the '08 and newer lineup will get the best mileage? I don't mind putting a chip in it if that's going to make a good difference. Just looking at upgrading from a half ton and would like to know some real world numbers on the mileage.

Thanks.

I am a Cummins guy through and through, but I just bought a 2004 F350 with the 6 point oh no! I also have a 12 valve Cummins sitting in the floor of my shop to make the swap next year.

That being said, I hear really good reports out of the 2011 Ford 6.7 Scorpion engine. You specified 2008 and up, but I wouldn't touch any of the Ford engines, but this new one. That is with the hope that they hit it good like GM did with the Duramax from the beginning.

I know the Duramax is an Isuzu with a tremendous history, but the engine was still a new engine for Isuzu and I don't believe they suffered much of the new combo blues like happens pretty often. There are several reports that the 6.7 Ford is getting a lot better mileage than the 6.4 Navistar and even the 6.0.

I really like the 6.7 Cummins and the new Dodge with a true crew cab, but the Ford has my attention of the new trucks. Be prepared for sticker shock.

I think the Toyota 4 cyl diesel that I sometime use at work would be hard to beat. It goes forever on a tank (and is as reliable as a brick)!

...but they do not sell them in the USA.

John

I've heard great things about the new Ford engine as well. Like you said though, they cost twice as much as my first house.

Toyota has a long history with diesel engines outside the US but I guess importing is out of the question for now.

Unless you're going to spend the majority of your time pulling a heavy load, you'll be $'s ahead getting a gas powered 3/4 or 1 ton. The added emmisions items to the current crop of diesels has the mileage of them running unloaded pretty much on par with a gas rig.

If you want a good mileage diesel rig, look at an '06 or older cummins powered truck.

Where are all the cummins guys claiming 22+ MPGs???

For what its worth, I have a 2003 F250 with the 6 liter. It gets 16 MPG with its 3.73 gears, 6" suspension and 37" radial tires. Oh, and 170,000 miles and never a problem!

The brother of my hunting buddy bought a 2008 or 2009 ford and got rid of it 15-16 mpg was the best. My brother had a Duramax that got 21 on the highway and boy is he sorry he got rid of it.

2007 5.9 cummins, auto trans in a standard cab 4x4 with canopy. Stock everything. It gets about 19.5 on cruise at 60mph. No more ever. But it makes power to the ground, pulls anything great.I would not buy any post 07 diesel. 05-07 5.9 is about as good as they get.

My 2006 5.9 got 22 mpg cruising 70, but a newer 6.7 Cummins will not.

My parents just drove up from MI in there 2010 3/4 ton chevy. With the duramax, I was real surprised that in town when I drove it, I was averaging around 20.5MPG. when my mom drove in from the border she averaged 21+ in 4wd doing around 55mph.

Decent power also........for a chevy

I've got a 2008 Dodge with the Blue Tec Cummins...



I have a safe full of guns...



I have several reloaders...



If you want the truth, the Cummins gets about 15 MPG, The guns are all inch or so with a couple that can do an honest 1/2 inch group, my reloaders will mess up on occasion.

I get sick of hearing how everyone has trucks that get 22 mpg, guns that all shoot 1/4 inch and their reloaders never mess up...How is it I get all the junk?

Here's one. I've got a 98.5 2wd regular cab 2500, one of the first ones with the 24 valve engine in it. It's a 5 speed and has a 3.54 rear end. The only modification from stock is a set of Bosch 275 HP RV injectors. On the highway driving 70 it averages 22 MPG. My all time best fuel mileage was last june when I bought a cultipacker off of ebay and had to go to Ohio to pick it up, 600 miles each way with a night in a motel 6 in the middle. I had plenty of time so I set the cruise control for 58 MPH up there and back, my tank on the way up there got 26.0 MPG, on the way back with a 2000 lb. cultipacker in the back it got 25.5 mpg. The truck has 371,000 miles on it also. If you drive them fairly slow they'll get some amazing fuel mileage.

They all get close to the same mileage. the difference is the repair bill for bad injectors and how often you have to have them replaced etc.

Cummings is the best by far (and Im a Ford Man I just wont buy their diesels)

Ford and Chevy have constant injector problems around my area

Dodge has the top of the charts in many of the categories for diesels

I dont know shrapnel. All I know is that my parents put 71,000 in 4 months on there chevy. they haul commercialy. I looked at there logbook and they note the miliage.

going through the midwest where they get alot of the hybrid fuel, they average around 18, otherwise they are in the low 20's. they installed a 100gallon secondary fuel tank in there bed so they can bypass those states

only engine issue they had was when they drove up a couple of weeks ago, they left MI and it was in the 60's. ran into a snowstorm and they forgot there bra. had to limp it to a station to buy a new air filter and bra. the snowstorm they hit caught them off guard, besides they had there new granddaughter on there mind they were trying to see.

Shrapnel, you have a 2008, you are not going to get anywhere close to 22mpg. Most 5.9s will not get 22 either, but mine did once it got broken in and before I put mud grips on it. If you take of your dpf you might get 20. Nice looking truck, nice looking guns.

I hand calculate my mileage and compare it to the overhead readout. The overhead is usually about 1-2mpg optimistic. I have on occasion got up to 24 mpg hand calculated but that was really trying. 60 mph or less unladen on my '03. Realistic average with mine is about 17-18.5 on my commute if traffic is ok, 19-21 on the road empty, and 15-17 depending on what I tow. I don't tow very heavy, usually less than 8k, but I've noticed that if the towee's profile (frontal area) is tall, mileage goes to hell regardless of the weight. My 1500lb Honda Big Red with windshield eats more fuel than when pulling a BMW on a U-Haul trailer with a gross trailered weight of 7k.....

Just clicked over 200k miles on Monday, damn thing has been through 2 waterpumps . Sick of these unreliable Dodges .

Pulling an 9000lb TT i get 9.5 to 12.5 mpg depending on terrain. general driving, trips to town, out hunting etc. the 07 5.9 gets 16mpg on average for several tanks of fuel. trip computer reads on average .6 mpg over calculated. Pretty close as it gets more miles this has been shrinking. started at almost a 2mpg spread. Just turned 22,000 miles by the trend the trip computer should be pretty close at 50,000

My '06 cummins will get 21 on the freeway, but town driving it's down to about 17. If I could keep my foot out of it, I'm sure I could get the city driving up to about 18, but every once in awhile it's nice to blow the accumulated soot out of the exhaust. Towing my boat which with trailer is barely two tons mileage is 16-17, but that's running through mountain passes. The nice thing is, you litterally don't feel the load.

The only problem I've had is the waterpump, crapped out at 50k. Oh, and I need a new set of tires now at 58k.

A bit off topic, but any of you that tow much. Especially if the load varies quite a bit from light to heavy should take a look at the MaxBrake controller. It is the single best thing I have come across in years!

You will be stunned at how much smoother and more controlled the braking is on your truck. I have been using Prodigy controllers, but recently took another person's advice and I couldn't believe the results.

They even work on air brake systems like in my RV for my trailer.

Mileage was much better all the way around the horn for most diesels but when that Sulfur was taken out, mileage went down the ladder.

I have several friends that have the newer Cummins and it was a big disappointment to them on fuel mileage, which was in the 14teens as a general rule. Their older 5.9 Cummins got over 21 mpg rain or shine.

It has taken FORD 3 tries to get it right on diesel truck engines, however I do believe they have finally broken through the ice, with this new 6.7 engine......hope things continue in grand style for them and this engine. I have not met anyone with this type of Ford rig to get any feed back as far as mileage goes.