New F-150 squeezes out a few more mpg

DETROIT -- It used to be all about the brawn in the pickup market: Which one could tow more, which could carry more heavy stuff, which one could leap the taller buildings.

But now automakers are embarking on a new battle: Who can offer a sufficiently brawny truck that also gets at least 20 miles per gallon on the highway?

Ford delayed for two months its new F-150, which now will roll into dealerships sometime next month, and has developed another version for it: The SFE, which stands for Superior Fuel Efficiency. Ford promises the truck will get 20 to 21 miles per gallon on the highway, a 6% to 8% increase over the standard models.

Meanwhile, Chrysler's new Dodge Ram, hitting showrooms now, also has updates to fuel economy. The two-wheel-drive Ram 1500 with a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 engine will get 20 miles per gallon highway, as will V-6 Rams.

The pickup market has taken a battering this year. Pickups made up about 13% of the overall car market at the end of February but fell to just 8% of the overall market in the summer.

As soon as the market began falling, Ford started looking for ways to make the new F-150 use less gas. It meant going over every aspect of the new F-150, which already had been designed to use less gas.

Getting better fuel economy takes "a lot of little actions, hundreds of little changes," says Matt O'Leary, chief engineer of the F-150. "It takes a lot of attention to detail, and a lot of analyzing everything that drains energy from the vehicle."

Two key designs in the body of the F-150 help make it more aerodynamic. The back of the cab is indented, and the tailgate has a slight fin, which helps move air more easily.

The SFE package, which will be offered at no extra charge to buyers of the F-150 XLT with the 4.6-liter V-8 and for $1,000 more for buyers of the base XL, also includes low-resistance tires and technology that shuts off fuel when the truck is decelerating.

Ford says customers won't have to trade power and load or towing capacity for fuel economy.

"Typically, you've got the best fuel economy or you've got the best capability, but not both," O'Leary says. "But here we've got the fuel economy and the capability. We didn't want customers to have to choose."

Gas costs are a big concern for pickup drivers, many of whom are small-business owners, says Dan Bodene, spokesman for Chrysler, which owns Dodge.

"It's part and parcel of the whole economic climate right now," Bodene says. "Gas prices are higher, food prices are higher, utility prices are higher. People, in general, are finding their budgets are being squeezed from a lot of different angles. To help mitigate that means a lot to consumers."

Jesse Toprak, executive director of industry analysis for Edmunds.com, says that while 20 and 21 miles per gallon may not seem like impressive figures, those kinds of incremental increases can make a big difference to small-business owners.

And it even could help bring back customers who like driving a pickup but don't really need one.

Pickup sales began to recover at the end of August, when rebates on trucks averaged over $5,000 and gas prices fell under $4 a gallon. So even without the fuel-efficiency gains, Toprak says, he expects truck sales will begin to rebound.

"There is a lot of pent-up demand now," he says. "Consumers are overreacting to gas prices, and a lot of consumers are on the fence. If you give them a reason to buy a truck now, they will."