I have an old ranger that get around 23 mpg with 5 speed.
Why do es the v6 other people have only get 15 or so ?
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Because the V6 is a bigger engine. To grossly oversimplify, the amount of fuel/air it uses every time it goes through 4-cycles (the “displacement”) is probably about a third higher, and consequently it uses about a third more fuel. The fact that under some situations, the V6 doesn’t have to work as hard as the 4-cylinder can mitigate this somewhat, but generally bigger engine= worse mileage.
Also, the V6 usually has the automatic transmission, which loses some efficiency due to slippage. Also, the other people’s driving habits may be contributing to their lesser mileage.