Government rating for gas mileage.

Is this true?

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bestworstEPAtrucks.htm

How can the Tacoma be the 'least' fuel efficient small truck?

I wonder if that would have swayed my opinion two years ago? Wife and I are looking at getting rid of our Jeep Grand Cherokee (happily returning 18.1 mpg) for an Audi TDI A3 (40 mpg) and I came across the above website listing.

 

Ranger Curb weight is 3120 lbs, Tacoma is 4190 lbs for the one quoted for least mpg

 

Something seems amiss on their site... Colorado's and Canyon's, according to friends, are averaging around 15 overall. Another friend who replaced a 2007 Tacoma double-cab auto with a 2009 access cab manual (both V6's) is reporting the manual getting less MPG and the tachometer showing approximately 800 RPM higher at 60 mph cruising.

 

Keep in mind they're talking about a 4x4 with 6-spd manual... taller gears than the auto. They might be an mpg off in each category but I've seen lots of folks reporting 14/15 city and 17/18 highway in that particular setup.

 

Yeah unfortunately the manuals do bad on the two ends of the spectrum. If you deal with a lot of stop & go, you burn a lot of gas. If you drive a lot of Interstate above 65 you burn a lot of gas. Where the manual does well is when most of your driving is mostly open rural (limited stop & go) and especially between 30-60. That seems to be the sweet spot for the 6-speed where people can do 20-22mpg mixed .. and maybe even more if they hypermile.

 

Sounds a tad flaky to me too... IIRC the Tacoma was rated best for MPG Consumer Reports in mid-size pickup group.

 

My friend's 4cyl, 5speed ranger was getting 15. Government ratings are usually screwed up somewhere. I'd look into a ranger site and see what real owners are sayin.

 

Remember that the Ranger is a compact, not a mid-size. I had a '99 B3000 (a Ranger in disguise) manual and my tank of 62L could get me 500 km hwy, or 400 km city.

Frank

 

I average around 16 mpg with 4x4 double cab AT so I don't find it that far off. I do very little freeway driving of course.