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Thoughts on 2.7 fuel economy

Nateandapril

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As a general comment, it always amazes me that:
1. A 2.7L turbo gets the same gas mileage as the old 5.0L gas V8. Yes I know there’s a power and acceleration difference but I would take a reduction in output to see fuel efficiency in the mid 20s.
2. In 30 years fuel economy hasn’t gotten better.
3. Ford and other major brands are making a big deal about getting rid of V8s but their 4 and 6 cyl motors don’t do much better… at least not enough to be proud of
4. Why is diesel not more prevelant? I see all major companies making an effort to offer diesel motors but they aren’t being adopted by the consumer. I already knew about the heavy duty truck segment getting mid 20s fuel mileage on the highway. I recently learned about the 1/2 truck segment having decent fuel economy and everybody and their brother knows about diesel VWs and even the smaller Chevy Cruze and so forth getting mid 40s fuel economy but they aren’t really being readily adopted. I wonder why that is
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‘21OBX

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A 4cyl diesel with the torque of the 2.7(or more) would be a nice option! After talking to folks and watching some jeep diesels at holly oaks I believe it could be a good thing.
 
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BluebroncoNC

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As a general comment, it always amazes me that:
1. A 2.7L turbo gets the same gas mileage as the old 5.0L gas V8. Yes I know there’s a power and acceleration difference but I would take a reduction in output to see fuel efficiency in the mid 20s.
2. In 30 years fuel economy hasn’t gotten better.
3. Ford and other major brands are making a big deal about getting rid of V8s but their 4 and 6 cyl motors don’t do much better… at least not enough to be proud of
4. Why is diesel not more prevelant? I see all major companies making an effort to offer diesel motors but they aren’t being adopted by the consumer. I already knew about the heavy duty truck segment getting mid 20s fuel mileage on the highway. I recently learned about the 1/2 truck segment having decent fuel economy and everybody and their brother knows about diesel VWs and even the smaller Chevy Cruze and so forth getting mid 40s fuel economy but they aren’t really being readily adopted. I wonder why that is
I honestly believe the answer to your question lies in the fact Ford is transitioning into EV's and putting its efforts into the development of the Electric vehicle. I fully expect an all electric Bronco within the next few years.
 

Tricky Dick

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IDK about all that, with my 2.3 I'm seeing about a 25% improvement in fuel economy over the most comparable 5.0L vehicle that I owned, while still having more power, comfort, and features.
 

ctandc

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As a general comment, it always amazes me that:
1. A 2.7L turbo gets the same gas mileage as the old 5.0L gas V8. Yes I know there’s a power and acceleration difference but I would take a reduction in output to see fuel efficiency in the mid 20s.
2. In 30 years fuel economy hasn’t gotten better.
3. Ford and other major brands are making a big deal about getting rid of V8s but their 4 and 6 cyl motors don’t do much better… at least not enough to be proud of
4. Why is diesel not more prevelant? I see all major companies making an effort to offer diesel motors but they aren’t being adopted by the consumer. I already knew about the heavy duty truck segment getting mid 20s fuel mileage on the highway. I recently learned about the 1/2 truck segment having decent fuel economy and everybody and their brother knows about diesel VWs and even the smaller Chevy Cruze and so forth getting mid 40s fuel economy but they aren’t really being readily adopted. I wonder why that is

Huh?

If you're talking big SUVs and trucks - there is only so much car manufacturers can do to get around the rule of aerodynamics (trucks aren't exactly wind tunnel creations) and WEIGHT. Not to mention the added power drain of 4WD and AWD systems.

Meanwhile, I put 30K HARD miles on a '19 Mustang GT with a 460 HP (stock power rating from Ford- it wasn't stock when I sold it) V8 that got 27mpg on road trips with the cruise set at 70+ mph.

That's 27mpg on the highway from a car that ran 11 second 1/4 miles pretty much stock.

Thing is, if the EPA and other agencies really cared about making vehicles more efficient they'd update their MPG and CAFE standards. A large cubic inch V8 with a modern EFI system is more efficient at pulling a vehicle with a large GVW than a higher revving, smaller displacement engine - with less wear and tear on the engine itself. Gearing and mechanical advantage plays a big part as well, but the manufacturers are dealing with current CAFE standards.

Do some research at how they get the MPG standards on new cars. It's a shell game.
 

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Nateandapril

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IDK about all that, with my 2.3 I'm seeing about a 25% improvement in fuel economy over the most comparable 5.0L vehicle that I owned, while still having more power, comfort, and features.
My experience was based on my 95 Bronco 5.0L which got about 15 versus the 2.3L 4door Badlands Bronco which got about 17
 

‘21OBX

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My 2.7 OB… all stock
Ford Bronco Thoughts on 2.7 fuel economy 947928A8-5DAA-4579-8A4D-1C11AA031BD6
I can’t even get close to that on my OBX 2.7 in stock form or now with the badlands wheels/tires (not even an inch taller). I can’t get above 16.5 combined. If I did all highway I might get 19
 

jb56

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My 3.5 L Ecoboost on my F150 averages 19-20 MPG in mixed driving, and it's a great motor. It's not the best for towing heavy campers in terms of mileage, but it has plenty of power for that. So I think they made some incredible strides with their truck motors.
But I'm really disappointed that my 2.7 Bronco is projected to get 2-3 MPG worse than my pickup. I know it will have bigger tires on it, but still.
 

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Wraithracing

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My currently stock OBX with the stock OEM wheels and tires (hope to be swapped out sooner rather than later) averages between 18.5 and 19 MPG with almost all in town driving. My office is only 6 miles from my house so my morning commute is generally 15 minutes or less. So not necessarily the best conditions for optimal fuel mileage. I have seen numbers in the low 20's when cruising on the interstate, but haven't had the chance to take it on too many trips. Colorado with the terrain here can be tough on fuel mileage depending on how you drive and where you are going since it can easily be uphill the whole way there and get terrible mileage or it can be all downhill and get great mileage. ;) Usually it evens out, but not always. I will be making the trek over the mountains in 2 weeks to Colorado Springs to see my daughter and that should give me a good indication of overall Highway driving mileage for the Bronco. I am guessing it will be in the low 20's just due to the terrain, the speed limit, and the fact that I do tend to have a heavy foot.

Overall I am pretty happy with the fuel mileage of the 2.7 and the power of it. Would I like more of each sure, but overall I really can't complain. Never had a lack of power on or off road and for a flying brick the mileage is decent in my mind. Oh and by comparison my 1986 5.0EFI AOD Bronco with 31" tires never got more than 12 MPG no matter how you drove it.
 

Lonestar777

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My dad's 1983 Gen 3 Bronco with the 351W got about 9 miles to the gallon, so from that perspective they halved the displacement and doubled the mileage while improving hp, torque, and emissions.
 
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Nateandapril

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My dad's 1983 Gen 3 Bronco with the 351W got about 9 miles to the gallon, so from that perspective they halved the displacement and doubled the mileage while improving hp, torque, and emissions.
I agree that the 1980s V8s were thirsty. My 95 Bronco on 33s averaged around 15-17 combined highway and city which was pretty decent. Compare that size of rig to the 4 door bronco though in size and weight comparisons and you don’t really see a lot of improvement. Now, Hp and torque improved exponentially so I cannot even argue that. But just discussing fuel economy? How can my Ram 5.7L Hemi that weighs 1000 pounds more than the bronco get 2-3 mpg better fuel mileage?
 

prospectfour

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2. In 30 years fuel economy hasn’t gotten better.
Even granting your point at face value, we have to acknowledge todays engines are burning much cleaner than those of 3+ decades ago. So even for the "same" mpg we are producing less smog. The 2025 NOx standard is a 98% improvement from 1975.

From Ford's perspective, they'd rather dump $$ into EV R&D than ICE vehicles. Maybe the performance lines stay ICE (Raptor R, Mustang GT) but most everything else will be a BEV in 1-2 generations.
 

texasmark04

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I can’t even get close to that on my OBX 2.7 in stock form or now with the badlands wheels/tires (not even an inch taller). I can’t get above 16.5 combined. If I did all highway I might get 19
I have a 2.7 OBX, but with the Sasquatch package, so bigger tires and suspension. The best gas mileage I have seen is 15.9, that is it. It usually averages around 15.0, and has dipped into the 14MPG. I do run in Sport mode sometimes, but mainly regular mode. Went I take it back into dealer for 1st maintenance, I'm going to have them look at this because everyone else I talked to has been able to get around a little over 20+ MPG. I think their may be something wrong. Was thinking of putting in a fuel injection cleaner next time I fill her up too.
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