New 2022 Ram 1500 with Underperforming MPG

[AMK53]

I just picked up my Ram 1500 Laramie 4WD offroad edition with 3.92 rear axle. The EPA rating on the window sticker says 17 MPG city, 21 MPG highway, 19 MPG combined, but I'm getting about 12 MPG in the city and averaging about 15 MPG on highway. I am REALLY taking it easy on the driving and it shows it to be in ECO mode most of the time. I have zero additional mods on the vehicle. I didn't buy the truck for MPG, but I was expecting to perform relatively close to the ratings. This truck is performing almost 30% lower. My questions are:

1. Is the EPA rating on the window sticker based on the truck configuration or based on some base trim with none of my options? If it's based on some arbitrary configuration, then it is really misleading.

2. Do the HEMIs have a large break-in period before efficiency climbs back to normal range? My current mileage is only around 100 miles or so.

3. Does the higher octane fuel (89) that's required by the manual make a noticeable difference? I'm still driving on the full tank that the dealer provided and I'm not sure what they put in there. I am guessing that they used regular gas, but in my experience higher compression engines perform the same on lower octane fuel as long as there is no heavy knocking and I haven't heard anything while driving around.

 

[Wire4money]

I just picked up my Ram 1500 Laramie 4WD offroad edition with 3.92 rear axle. The EPA rating on the window sticker says 17 MPG city, 21 MPG highway, 19 MPG combined, but I'm getting about 12 MPG in the city and averaging about 15 MPG on highway. I am REALLY taking it easy on the driving and it shows it to be in ECO mode most of the time. I have zero additional mods on the vehicle. I didn't buy the truck for MPG, but I was expecting to perform relatively close to the ratings. This truck is performing almost 30% lower. My questions are:

1. Is the EPA rating on the window sticker based on the truck configuration or based on some base trim with none of my options? If it's based on some arbitrary configuration, then it is really misleading.

2. Do the HEMIs have a large break-in period before efficiency climbs back to normal range? My current mileage is only around 100 miles or so.

3. Does the higher octane fuel (89) that's required by the manual make a noticeable difference? I'm still driving on the full tank that the dealer provided and I'm not sure what they put in there. I am guessing that they used regular gas, but in my experience higher compression engines perform the same on lower octane fuel as long as there is no heavy knocking and I haven't heard anything while driving around.

I’m getting 16 with mostly city driving on 87 octane non etorque. 22 with 1500 miles currently.

 

[monza2t]

First off, how fast are you driving on the highway? That makes a huge difference. I average 20.4 MPG over the last 2500 miles (to add to that my commute to work is typically 65-70, and I drive ~40% city / 60% hwy, 3.21 w. eTorque, standard 18" rims with GY Wranglers, pretty flat driving in Kansas, 800' ASL elevation.)

1. Is the EPA rating on the window sticker based on the truck configuration or based on some base trim with none of my options? If it's based on some arbitrary configuration, then it is really misleading.

Your configuration's primary difference is the 3.92. The baseline would be the 3.21

2. Do the HEMIs have a large break-in period before efficiency climbs back to normal range? My current mileage is only around 100 miles or so.

I noticed a couple MPG increase after I got ~1000 miles on it. Yours is probably still pretty tight all around.

3. Does the higher octane fuel (89) that's required by the manual make a noticeable difference?

I haven't noticed a difference. Some people claim this makes a difference.

 

[monza2t]

I forgot to add to my last post that one thing that causes a lot of heartburn with buyers of nearly all vehicles is that the EPA standard test that every manufacturer must use is really not realistic. The speed used is something on the order of 60mph with an average of 48mph for HIGHWAY driving. For our trucks, with the aerodynamics of a refrigerator, speed makes a huge difference in fuel consumption.

 

[wegasque]

Aerodynamics plays a big part also. I noticed a slight increase in gas mileage after installing a tonneau cover.

 

[StuartV]

1) Yes, it is very misleading.

2) I had a '19 Laramie 4WD with eTorque and 3.92 gearing for 73K miles. I didn't notice any significant change in mileage after initial break-in. My average mileage over the life of the truck was 14 - as calculated by Fuelly, where I logged every single fill-up I ever did.

Side note: The dash display for mileage is very unreliable. I'm on my 3rd RAM 1500 now and they have all been consistently high by anywhere from 0.5 to 3 MPG. E.g. it will say 18 MPG when I really only got 16.5.

3) I tried 89 octane for a while and could tell no difference in mileage or how the truck ran, so I went back to 87 for the rest of the time I had the truck.

If this works, it will show you a chart of every fill-up I ever did in that truck. The 2 big dips around May '21 are when I moved from VA to SC and did a couple of trips hauling a trailer. The rest are basically not towing, ever. The first roughly 1 year, the truck was all stock. After that, I had changed to 33" tires on aftermarket 20" rims. I did not recalibrate my odometer, but spot checking with a GPS showed the difference to be pretty much negligible. Breaking the data down to before and after, the slightly bigger tires cost me something like 1 to 1.5 MPG.

https://www.fuelly.com/car/ram/1500/2019/stuartv/933758/fuelchart

 

[JF19Longhorn]

Check sites like Fuelly: pretty sure our combo is getting in the 15-16 mpg range on that site.

Last I checked, my trucks lifetime (almost 3 yrs & 42k miles of mostly hwy driving) is somewhere just south of 16mpg... my window sticker says the same as yours. Though I will say, this past spring/summer, she's been in the high 17mpg range, with half dozen tanks in the high 18 to low 19mpg range. Same commute, fuel brand, driver, etc..

Truck Specs & Fuel link in Sig.

 

[Switch22]

I just picked up my Ram 1500 Laramie 4WD offroad edition with 3.92 rear axle. The EPA rating on the window sticker says 17 MPG city, 21 MPG highway, 19 MPG combined, but I'm getting about 12 MPG in the city and averaging about 15 MPG on highway. I am REALLY taking it easy on the driving and it shows it to be in ECO mode most of the time. I have zero additional mods on the vehicle. I didn't buy the truck for MPG, but I was expecting to perform relatively close to the ratings. This truck is performing almost 30% lower. My questions are:

1. Is the EPA rating on the window sticker based on the truck configuration or based on some base trim with none of my options? If it's based on some arbitrary configuration, then it is really misleading.

2. Do the HEMIs have a large break-in period before efficiency climbs back to normal range? My current mileage is only around 100 miles or so.

3. Does the higher octane fuel (89) that's required by the manual make a noticeable difference? I'm still driving on the full tank that the dealer provided and I'm not sure what they put in there. I am guessing that they used regular gas, but in my experience higher compression engines perform the same on lower octane fuel as long as there is no heavy knocking and I haven't heard anything while driving around.

I'm fortunate to be able to work from home, thus my wife uses the truck mostly for running errands. It gets in the high 12's with her heavy foot, to low 15's if one is light on the pedal running around town (I tend to be more chill). I did manage to get a bit over 20mpg on a drive down to North Carolina, and that was averaging 75-80. Not too bad. I knew in town mileage wouldn't be too good with the 3.92 gears. No complaints overall, other than the buggy uConnect5 issues. That's for a different thread.

 

[mikeru82]

I just picked up my Ram 1500 Laramie 4WD offroad edition with 3.92 rear axle. The EPA rating on the window sticker says 17 MPG city, 21 MPG highway, 19 MPG combined, but I'm getting about 12 MPG in the city and averaging about 15 MPG on highway. I am REALLY taking it easy on the driving and it shows it to be in ECO mode most of the time. I have zero additional mods on the vehicle. I didn't buy the truck for MPG, but I was expecting to perform relatively close to the ratings. This truck is performing almost 30% lower. My questions are:

1. Is the EPA rating on the window sticker based on the truck configuration or based on some base trim with none of my options? If it's based on some arbitrary configuration, then it is really misleading.

2. Do the HEMIs have a large break-in period before efficiency climbs back to normal range? My current mileage is only around 100 miles or so.

3. Does the higher octane fuel (89) that's required by the manual make a noticeable difference? I'm still driving on the full tank that the dealer provided and I'm not sure what they put in there. I am guessing that they used regular gas, but in my experience higher compression engines perform the same on lower octane fuel as long as there is no heavy knocking and I haven't heard anything while driving around.

EPA ratings are not based on individual trucks, but the entire line-up. I suspect those ratings are for a 2wd Tradesman Quad Cab with no options.

There does seem to be a break-in period as far as fuel economy goes. Every Ram 1500 with the Hemi I've owned seems to see improved fuel economy around 4k miles.

I doubt you'd see noticeable improvement going with 89 octane, but it really depends on what you use your truck for. Owner's manual recommends (not requires) 89 octane for optimal performance and fuel economy.

The fuel economy you're seeing is right on par with what I saw with my trucks when they were new. It should improve with mileage, but I wouldn't expect to see the EPA numbers unless you're a hyper-miler.

 

[djevox]

I averaged 17 on my ‘21 hemi stock and 15 on 33” tires while driving like Ms. Daisy. If you put your foot into it at all, what you’re describing doesn’t sound abnormal.

 

[may79]

I have a 2022 Quad Cab, 5.7 Hemi, with 3.92 gears it currently has right around 5,100 miles. My fuel economy around town is horrific, like 10 MPG. There is a disclaimer, most of my driving is 2-4 miles per trip, still horrific fuel economy. The very few highway trips I’ve made I haven’t been able to get over 16, these are 30-40 miles at 55-60 mph. Needless to say I’m less than impressed. My last full size truck was a 2018 Silverado Crew, 5.3, 3.42 gears and I easily got 18 mpg around town and could get 21-22 highway.

 

[Malodave]

I'm getting around 26 MPG average on my work commute of 30 miles 1/2 @ 55mph and 1/2 @ 30-40mph.
I have an Ecodiesel with 3.21 gears. Best I got was 28.5 mpg pulling into Mt. Vernon Ill from Detroit a few
weeks ago.

Malodave

 

[Jako]

I have a 2022 Quad Cab, 5.7 Hemi, with 3.92 gears it currently has right around 5,100 miles. My fuel economy around town is horrific, like 10 MPG. There is a disclaimer, most of my driving is 2-4 miles per trip, still horrific fuel economy. The very few highway trips I’ve made I haven’t been able to get over 16, these are 30-40 miles at 55-60 mph. Needless to say I’m less than impressed. My last full size truck was a 2018 Silverado Crew, 5.3, 3.42 gears and I easily got 18 mpg around town and could get 21-22 highway.

Short trips (2-4) is a horror, particularly in cold weather, along with start and stop traffic for me. But highway at 20+ (speed limit) is not a problem.

 

[Dewey]

Worst I ever got was 12 mpg and that was towing my boat. Highest I ever got was 21 mpg on a longer easy trip staying under 60 mph. Most of my driving is at 80 mph on the freeway and I average 17 mpg doing that. Overall I can ‘t complain especially since I drive pretty hard. No hypermiling for this guy. The Hemi’s not built to be babied.

 

[HemiDude]

I have a 2022 Quad Cab, 5.7 Hemi, with 3.92 gears it currently has right around 5,100 miles. My fuel economy around town is horrific, like 10 MPG. There is a disclaimer, most of my driving is 2-4 miles per trip, still horrific fuel economy. The very few highway trips I’ve made I haven’t been able to get over 16, these are 30-40 miles at 55-60 mph. Needless to say I’m less than impressed. My last full size truck was a 2018 Silverado Crew, 5.3, 3.42 gears and I easily got 18 mpg around town and could get 21-22 highway.

16 mpg over 40 miles at 60 mph is pretty bad. Over that distance at that speed, I would expect to see that closer to 20. Is that hand calc'd?

 

[jl13]

I have no knowledge of how they come up with the EPA ratings but city is never accurate - maybe they hack the street lights to get all green and no traffic
highway I would say spot on.

I second @mikeru82 on these trucks having long break-in periods in regards to fuel economy - of course its not gonna jump to the 17 rating for city
for city initially I was doing around 12 mpg - now 14mpg - @35 - 40 miles depending on traffic flow
Highway I have no complains - I can get into the 22 mpg at best - if I remember correctly the sweep spot is @65-70 miles I think
Your 15 mpg on highway seems out of the ordinary to me - worst I ever got was 17-18 even early on and driving aggressively

I don't believe I noticed any difference between different octane

Last I am running heavier tires LT's - so it would probably be better on stock but I still don't think I would get to 17 city

fyi - my stickers says 17city, 22 highway and 19 combine

 

[may79]

16 mpg over 40 miles at 60 mph is pretty bad. Over that distance at that speed, I would expect to see that closer to 20. Is that hand calc'd?

Yes, that is hand calculated.

 

[HemiDude]

Similar to what others have said, I have seen the average mpg on both of my DTs increase after 5k or so miles. I won't say that I know why that happened, just that it was my experience. I saw a vast improvement on my '20 Big Horn, just a slight improvement on my '22 GT, and I figure part of that difference is that my GT weighs a fair amount more than my Big Horn did.

 

[Idahoktm]

I just picked up my Ram 1500 Laramie 4WD offroad edition with 3.92 rear axle. The EPA rating on the window sticker says 17 MPG city, 21 MPG highway, 19 MPG combined, but I'm getting about 12 MPG in the city and averaging about 15 MPG on highway. I am REALLY taking it easy on the driving and it shows it to be in ECO mode most of the time. I have zero additional mods on the vehicle. I didn't buy the truck for MPG, but I was expecting to perform relatively close to the ratings. This truck is performing almost 30% lower. My questions are:

1. Is the EPA rating on the window sticker based on the truck configuration or based on some base trim with none of my options? If it's based on some arbitrary configuration, then it is really misleading.

2. Do the HEMIs have a large break-in period before efficiency climbs back to normal range? My current mileage is only around 100 miles or so.

3. Does the higher octane fuel (89) that's required by the manual make a noticeable difference? I'm still driving on the full tank that the dealer provided and I'm not sure what they put in there. I am guessing that they used regular gas, but in my experience higher compression engines perform the same on lower octane fuel as long as there is no heavy knocking and I haven't heard anything while driving around.

Without more information, we will not be able to determine whether your mileage is good or bad. Add a signature with the details about your truck. We also don't know where you live and drive. If you're driving in New York City or some other big metropolis, your mileage is pretty good.

1. It is not specific to your truck. It's most likely a stripped down 2WD model.

2. Some do, some don't. My truck gets 16-16.5 in the city and 17-17.5 if I drive a 20/80 highway/city mix and that has not changed since I bought my truck 6200 miles ago. I haven't done a pure highway trip yet, but I'm getting at or better than sticker with city and combined mileage, so I assume I would get ~21 mpg highway.

3. 89 is not required, it's recommended. I've run an equal amount of 87 and 89 octane gas and my mileage is the same with either one.

 

[Bigbags85]

The stock Falkens that come with the Offroad Group aren't the best for gas mileage either. After getting a 2nd set of rims and putting road tires on them for daily use I avg about 21mpg now. I drive about 40miles to work each way.