2020 Explorer Limited 4WD Road Trip Fuel Economy

[Madd_Dogg_Explorer]

I've seen a few threads asking about fuel economy of the 2.3L engine in the Explorer, so I thought I would share our results after a trip.

We just got back from a 2000+ mile, week and a half trip from Northern California through Utah, down to Las Vegas, then Santa Cruz then home. We did some light off-roading, and quite a few hills throughout Utah. Highway speed was generally set at 72 MPH, however there were some highway stretches where the speed limit went to 80 MPH, so I set the cruise control to 80 during those stretches. I believe the car is rated at 27 MPG highway, and over the whole trip we averaged 25.6 MPG. We were caravanning with a Toyota RAV4 that got only slightly better at around 27 MPG. Overall, considering the size of the vehicle, I was quite impressed with the overall economy. We ran 87 Octane where available, but in Utah they had 85 Octane or 88 Octane, so we went with 88 Octane.

Here is the obligatory photo of the Explorer exploring in the Capitol Reef National Park in Utah, and the final trip results now that we are home.

 

[jsgoofn]

That's pretty cool. I drove my 2.3L from Virginia to Colorado several months ago and surprisingly averaged 28.5. Only switched to 85 octane when I arrived in CO. I drove around 75 mph until KS and hovered around 80. Even around town, I've been getting close to 24. I'm very impressed. I drove the same route with my 2015 Ex Sport (3.2 L 6) and got close to 22 and in town was closer to 19. The 2.3 feels so much more peppy than my 3.2 ever did.

 

[MNgopher]

We've hit as high as 29 MPG in our 2021 XLT with the 2.3 and 4WD. OVerall averaging 22.8 MPG in the same usage as the 2007 ExplorerV8 it replaced, which averaged 14.5 MPG in the same use. It was a gas hog, and the 2.3 feels way peppier. The only thing we miss is the V8 growl...

Will also note, since the 2.3 is turbocharged, running 85 octane in Colorado is not advised. In the past when I lived in CO, I would use 85 octane in Naturally Aspirated gas engines, but never in a turbo.

 

[JAMADOR]

I'm averaging 22.4 in my RWD Limited. That's almost entirely commuting mileage.
Have seen >30 if I fill up & am right on the highway.
Dash seems about 10% high, compared to hand calcs. I use fuelly, so that's all manual calculation & more accurate.