In "Emissions Check" in the March/April 2009 issue, a letter entitled "MPG Myths" suggested that trucks today can't achieve good mileage in the real world. I object to this. As the owner of two full-size trucks (a 1992 Chevrolet K1500 regular cab 4WD and a 2006 GMC Sierra 1500 crew cab Z71), I can easily beat the EPA ratings of my trucks, and I live in eastern Kentucky where straight, flat roads are nowhere to be found. My Chevy with the TBI 5.7-liter V-8 and four speed automatic and just over 197,000 miles, consistently gets upper 18 to lower 19 mpg when I drive to work. My commute is less than 30 miles round trip, and I make it without seeing a four-lane highway.
My GMC, with the flex-fuel 5.3-liter and four speed, serves as commuter truck, grocery getter, race-car tow vehicle (where it returns middle 14s), weekend cruiser, and all-around family vehicle. I've made several trips to the racetrack pulling my 1966 Chevy II drag car, towed a friend's John Deere 700 loader with backhoe attachment a couple times, towed two pallets of concrete blocks a couple times, and have hauled several bags of mortar mix, furniture, and just about anything else needed for moving into a new house. My truck does it all and gets 17.5 mpg overall, even as high as 21 mpg. Fuel economy is all in how you drive, especially in heavy, full-size trucks. And my two prove it.
Matthew Anderson
Via the Internet
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Dear Reader,
We agree -- it is possible to get decent fuel economy out of your truck, and it isn't impossible with a full-size. One of the biggest factors in improving fuel economy is how someone drives. Many of us here have the same problem "a lead foot" and we do see the negative result at the pump. (But it's just so much fun!)
--Truck Trend
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