Update 1: March-17 2011 08:44 am PT
Corrected the MSRPs for the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 XFE and GMC Sierra 1500 XFE.
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The Environmental Protection Agency has published its list of the most and least fuel-efficient pickup trucks. Here's a look at the rankings, plus we've dug a bit deeper.
Among small pickups, the Toyota Tacoma is ranked as having both the best and worst fuel economy ratings for models equipped with automatic transmissions. The two-wheel drive, 2.7-liter four-cylinder Tacoma achieves 19/25 mpg city/highway (21 mpg combined) at the high end, while the four-wheel-drive six-cylinder hits only 14/18 mpg (15 mpg combined) at the low end of the segment.
The Ford Ranger compact pickup with a five-speed manual transmission is rated a best-in-class 22/27 mpg (24 mpg combined).
Among full-size pickups, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid and GMC Sierra 1500 Hybrid 6.0-liter V-8 half-ton twins have best-in-class mileage ratings at 20/23 mpg (21 mpg combined) for both two- and four-wheel-drive models. However, higher fuel-economy ratings don't necessarily make up for higher upfront purchase prices, which are approximately $3,000 more than comparable conventionally equipped 6.0-liter V-8 Silverado and Sierra pickups – or around 845 gallons of regular gasoline at $3.55 a gallon.
Since virtually all full-size pickups have conventional powertrains, we also took a look at those mileage figures.
The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 XFE and GMC Sierra 1500 XFE light-duty pickups that share the same 5.3-liter V-8 are rated at 15/22 mpg (18 mpg combined), while Ford has top honors for its all-new 3.7-liter V-6. The Ford F-150 with the 3.7 is rated at 17/23 mpg (19 mpg combined).
The Ford F-150 SVT Raptor occupies the bottom slot in the segment, with a thirsty 6.2-liter V-8 that's rated at 11/14 mpg (12 mpg combined).
