For the 2020 model year Super Duty trucks, Ford released a brand new gas engine (7.3L or approximately 445 cubic inches) and a new 10 speed automatic transmission. When I was researching the new engine and transmission there was almost zero feedback from owners on towing miles per gallon. Now that we’ve had ours for a while, here is some information on our 7.3L MPG.

If you buy the optional 7.3L engine, it also comes with the optional 10 speed transmission.

I just got back from a 500+ mile towing trip and thought it might help someone who is searching for towing mileage feedback. I was happy with the outbound trip MPG, but not so happy with the return trip. On the return trip, I did something that probably hurt the mileage. Before I get into the specifics, I want to share how our 2012 Ford Expedition did towing our 2014 Eclipse Milan 26RLS, the same trailer we will be towing with the F-250.

Ford Expedition & Milan Towing Combo

Our trailer always weighs around 8,500 lb. with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 9,000 lb. Because the trailer is “tongue heavy” I always tow with the fresh water tanks full (100 gallons), which keeps the tongue weight within specifications. I wrote about this in several posts:

How Much Trailer Can You Tow (Part 1)

How Much Trailer Can You Tow (Part 2)

How Much Trailer Can You Tow (Part 3)

Does a Weight Distribution Hitch Increase Tongue Weight?

Facts About Our 2012 Ford Expedition

I keep meticulous records.

• 5.7L engine
• 6 speed automatic transmission
• 2WD
• I always towed using the “Tow/Haul” feature
• I almost always towed using cruise control
• Our average trip was under 200 miles round trip.
• All our trips included a mixture of hills
• I drove 46,255 non-towing miles with a combined city/highway fuel average of 16.55 miles per gallon
• I towed 17,118 miles with an average of 9.05 miles per gallon
• The speed limit for vehicles towing in California is 55 mph and I always set the cruise control to 55

Baseline Trip for Comparison

Once or twice a year we do a camping trip that is just over 500 miles round trip. There is a variety of driving conditions including stop and go traffic in several small towns, lots of hills, lightly traveled two-lane highways, and about 30 miles of freeway. Below is a table for our last two trips towing the Ford Expedition. Because there are more hills to go up on the outbound trips, the mileage suffers but it improves on the return trip home.

Baseline Trip for the F-250

Just as I did with the Expedition, I drove in Tow/Haul mode with the cruise control set to 55 mph, except when we drove through the four really small towns along the route.

I was excited when the trip computer on the dash showed we averaged 9.2 mpg on the outbound trip. Filling the tank with gas and then manually calculating the actual miles per gallon, it came out to be 9.31 mpg, about 6/10ths of a gallon better than the Expedition. I was happy with that and since the Expedition always got better than 10 mpg on the return trip, I was hoping for great things. Alas, I was disappointed.

Tow/Haul Mode

I never gave Tow/Haul mode much thought when driving the Expedition. Since it has a max tow rating of 9,200 lb., and the trailer weighs 8,500 lb., the Expedition always had excellent power, even when going up fairly steep hills. I was happy with that.

Towing the F-250 in Tow/Haul mode on the outbound leg, I noticed the transmission never got higher that 8th gear (there is an indicator on the dash) and it usually kept the engine at 1,800 RPM, unless downshifting to go up hills. I decided to drive in normal mode on the return trip, figuring the lower RPMs (usually around 1,300 RPMs) would increase mileage.

Before leaving the campground, I drained the waste tanks as I always do. The fresh water meter was close to zero gallons, so I decided not to fill the water tanks because the F-250 can easily handle the extra tongue weight. On fairly level roads, the transmission was in 10th gear and the RPMs held steady around 1,300.

Below is a picture of the dash on the trip back home: 1,300 RPM, 10th gear, cruise set to 55 mph, and driving in normal mode (not Tow/Haul). I was disappointed when the trip computer showed 8.8 mpg when I got home. Filling the tank and manually calculating the exact mileage, it was only 8.72 mpg.

I think that the more aggressive acceleration needed, when downshifting for hills and long slightly inclined elevation gains, really hurt the gas mileage, especially since I always got better gas mileage when returning home on this route with the Expedition. Below is a comparison of the Expedition and the F-250:

Of course just one trip isn’t a good measure of fuel economy, but having an accurate baseline towing the same trailer with another vehicle is a good start. Next trip I’ll fill the water tank and drive in Tow/Haul mode, which is better for the transmission anyway (it keeps it cooler).

On another note, we are averaging 13.51 mpg combined city/highway driving when not towing. However, we’ve only driven 1,788 non-towing miles. Plus, there isn’t intended stop and go driving here in Palm Springs, unlike most larger cities. I’m happy with that. We only drive around town if I need to pick up larger items at a store, or once in awhile to keep the truck battery fully charged.

Next trip? I’m not sure. This last trip we camped in the desert with highs around 116F, because we knew the campground would basically be empty. It seems that campgrounds all around the state are mostly at full capacity this summer, and given our ages, we can’t afford COVID-19 exposure. We’ll see how things look after Labor Day. Hopefully the crowds will go away and we can get out a lot.