TESTED 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 5.3L V8 Fuel Economy
Between the Big 3 truck manufacturers, each of them has a different approach to providing decent fuel economy while not sacrificing performance. Ram uses their EcoDiesel option. Ford has their turbo-powered EcoBoost. Chevrolet, on the other hand, has a 5.3L V8. They are completely different philosophies for getting good fuel economy, but how do they play out in the real world?
We have a 2015 Silverado with four-wheel drive, double cab, 3.42 rear axle ratio, and the 5.3L V8 in for review, so I took it along my usual test route to see what kind of fuel economy I could get.
The route is a 57.2 mile loop that has some city and some highway driving. I drove the entire route with the air conditioning off and the windows up, employing some basic hypermiling techniques. I accelerated down hills and coasted up the next hill. I attempted to keep the RPMs under 1,500 as much as possible.
While nobody actually drives like this, it’s an opportunity to see how fuel efficient each manufacturer is. So far, I’ve tested the 2015 Ford F-150 with the 2.7L EcoBoost (24.0 mpg), and the 2015 Ford F-150 with the 3.5L EcoBoost (23.2 mpg).
Each of these tests happen under similar weather and road conditions, though the Silverado’s test had some extra stop and go in it due to construction.
Nevertheless, the 5.3L ECOTEC3 V8 in the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado bested the fuel economy in either Ford EcoBoost by returning an average 24.7 miles per gallon. For the record, the EPA rating for the truck is 16 mpg city, 22 mpg highway, or 18 mpg combined.
General Motors has had decades to maximize the efficiency of the small block V8, and the numbers seem to back up that claim.
Stay tuned for the full review of the truck, but until then let us know what you think in the forum!
