3 Thirsty Trucks That Are Tear Jerkers at the Pump
Refueling a pickup truck can get pretty pricey. Gas prices are sky high and don’t seem to be coming back down to Earth anytime soon. Even seasoned automakers like Ford occasionally produce models that can make eyes water at gas pumps. These trucks guzzle gas at the expense of their owner’s wallets.
The 2021 Chevy Silverado 1500 V6’s MPG could bring tears to your eyes
The 2021 Chevy Silverado 1500 has decent fuel economy. Its base model achieves 23 miles per gallon in the city and 33 miles per gallon on the highway. Not too shabby for a truck of its size. The trouble comes when consumers opt for the V6 engine option.
The Silverado Custom Trail Boss and Work Truck trims are available with a mighty 4.3-liter V6. Those models make an exhilarating 285 horsepower. When it comes to large trucks, with great power comes poor fuel economy in many cases.
The Custom Trail Boss equipped with the V6 gets 15 miles per gallon in the city and 20 miles per gallon on the highway. That’s about 17 miles per gallon combined (yikes). The Work Truck gets 16 miles per gallon in the city and 21 miles per gallon on the highway when equipped with the V6 engine.
The 2021 Chevy Colorado ZR2 isn’t exactly eco-friendly
Today’s automotive industry is both cleaner and greener than it was just a few years ago. Governments have formed legislation to reduce carbon emissions, and automakers that didn’t follow the rules have been penalized. Some pickup truck models are clearly influenced by the effort to reduce carbon emissions. Other models like the Chevy Colorado ZR2 were designed with other priorities in mind.
The Colorado ZR2 is a capable off-road pickup truck. It can take on challenging trails and obstacles. The off-road truck comes with a special suspension and large all-terrain tires designed to battle with the gnarliest terrain. Chevy put a lot of thought and effort into making the off-road truck as capable as possible. That being said, a truck this awesome usually has a caveat.
According to MotorTrend, the Colorado ZR2 only gets 17 miles per gallon combined when equipped with the 3.6-liter V6 engine option. While 17 miles per gallon doesn’t sound horrific, it’s important to remember that the Colorado ZR2 is a midsize truck with full-size fuel economy.
The 2021 Toyota Tundra’s 4WD option guzzles gas
The 2021 Toyota Tundra will go down in history as the last model year before a major redesign. After 13 long years, Toyota finally came to its senses and updated the antiquated pickup for the 2022 model year. The Tundra nameplate has a huge following, but it was hard to ignore the lack of changes to the pickup year after year as its rivals got better with time.
The 2021 Toyota Tundra’s four-wheel drive option is one of the thirstiest Tundras yet. It gets a combined 14 miles per gallon. Owners of the 2021 Toyota Tundra with four-wheel drive can spend over $300 a month on gas. If any vehicle can cause tears to well up at the gas pump, it’s the 2021 Toyota Tundra with four-wheel drive.
Pickup trucks are feeling the greatest impact of rising gas prices
Pickup trucks are often expensive to refuel because of their large, heavy frames. Gas prices have reached record highs, and drivers who own vehicles with poor gas mileage are suffering the most. Some models have decent fuel economy for their vehicle segment, but the truck vehicle class is being impacted the most. If truck automakers want to avoid a steep decline in sales, they may need to address this issue in the near future.
