From the factory, the Ford F-150 Raptor and Jeep Gladiator couldn’t be more different in terms of segment, weight, tire dimensions, and capability off the beaten path. Be that as it may, The Fast Lane Truck decided to compare their own 2020 model year Raptor to a Rubicon.
It's not just any comparison, mind you. The question is, which of these two pickups gets the worst fuel economy in real-life driving conditions? Both trucks started off in Boulder, Colorado, filled to the brim, then headed out on a mountain road into Lyons before transitioning to a country road down to Longmont. The final stint consisted of a highway dash back to Boulder.
After taking many gallons of 91-octane premium gasoline, the Raptor showed a range of 468 miles (753 km) to empty while the Gladiator couldn’t do better than 344 miles (553 km). The Ford comes with a 26-gallon (98-liter) tank while the Jeep makes do with 22 gallons (83 liters) of dinosaur juice, but the differences don’t end here. As it happens, the FCA truck features a lift kit, 35- instead of the stock 33-inch tires, and the free-breathing Pentastar V6 compared to the twin-turbo EcoBoost V6.
40.1 miles (64.5 km) from start to finish, the Raptor ended the test with an average of 15.3 miles to the gallon (15.3 liters per 100 km) while the Gladiator managed 19 miles per gallon (12.4 liters per 100 km). For some reason or another, the trip meter in the modified Jeep showed 14.8 mpg (15.9 liters per 100 km), while the Ford pickup was closer to the real-world figure at 16.4 mpg (14.34 liters per 100 km).
You also have to consider that gas mileage is heavily influenced by the driver. The Fast Lane’s Andre has also floored the throttle in the Raptor when merging, which takes its toll on a dual-injected engine that develops 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet (691 Nm) of torque. Lest we forget, the Ford tips the scales at approximately 5,700 pounds (2,585 kilograms) as opposed to 5,050 pounds (2,291 kilograms) for the Gladiator in stock configuration.
Even though it’s out of production, the Raptor is still listed on the Blue Oval’s website at $53,455, excluding the destination charge. As for the Gladiator, Jeep offers it from $33,565, and the Rubicon is $44,140 at the time of writing.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News