Half-ton pickups are very popular, especially among newbie customers who only need a truck to haul plywood and mulch home from The Home Depot. Manufacturers have responded with larger, more luxurious cabs that reduce the traditional tradeoffs. Many of these customers don't need to haul heavy loads or tow large trailers--they just want to handle light suburban chores and tow the occasional small trailer. In addition to making today's half-ton pickups more comfortable and luxurious to appeal to car owners, manufacturers have also been making them stronger and tougher, and, as a consequence, heavier. That means they're also thirstier, and, in today's era of $2/gallon of gasoline, some of those capabilities may not be worth the cost to the casual customer.
Solution? A six-cylinder engine. Entry-level sixes used to be relegated to the plain-vanilla, vinyl-seat, roll-up-window work trucks. But today's six-cylinder engines have grown in horsepower alongside the eight-cylinders, so they're similar to V-8s we drove in the 1990s. They make this power while returning gas mileage that's a couple mpg better. That might not sound like much, but it means a lot compared with the mid-teens mileage of V-8 models.
Vortec 4300 V-6
Estimating a $50-a-week fuel bill for the V-8, V-6 trucks could save $500 a year in gas. And unlike the costly diesels or hybrids that might also improve fuel economy, the six-cylinder engines cost less up front, so consumers save money at the dealer and at the gas pump. Manufacturers say that sixes account for about 10 percent of pickup sales.
"For people who want a truck for everyday use, the V-6 is a perfect engine with real value," says Mark Grueber, Ford's F-150 marketing manager. "We're talking about 200 horsepower--that was a high performer 10 years back." Of course, people with heavy trailers will need more power, but that's a relatively small portion of truck owners. "At the top of the line, we go up to a 9900-pound towing capacity, but a lot of people don't need that much," Grueber continues. "The V-6 will give them what they need for jet skis or small cargo trailers."