Last weekend I completed 1100 miles in just about 60 hours in the new '25. I thought I would share my experience.
Vehicle:
2025 Lariat Crew FX4 3.5 with 18" KO3's in stock size, plus a KO3 full size spare and Ranch Hand Grill Guard. Drove from East of San Francisco down/back the I5, the Grapevine, LA traffic, to Irvine and Oceanside. Only my son and I, bed was empty but it does have a soft roll up cover over it. We drove it in Eco mode the entire time.
Drive down, ambient temps were low 90's and I drove the truck ~75 most of the way, including up the Grapevine. Took us 6.5 hours to reach Costa Mesa
MPG: just over 18.
Trans temp: 205 (flat lands) and 195 (Grapevine)
Engine Temp: 210 (flat lands) and 200 (Grapevine)
Drive back, ambient temps started in the mid 80's and arrived home around 65. Traffic sucked ... 2 accidents in LA, 1 on the Grapevine, I5 closed for a section so the farm roads is how we got around. I cruised at 80, with a couple of passes of slow moving traffic pushing closer to 90 (faster pick up then I thought). took us 8 hours to get home from Costa Mesa.
MPG: 16.5
Trans Temp: 200
Engine temp: 200
Pros:
This thing is so smooooooooth on the freeway. My son said it was like sitting on a couch the entire trip. Even the acceleration to pass people was smooth.
It climbed the Grapevine like it was going downhill - power to spare.
The 36 gallon tanks is pretty awesome on a long road trip. Our bladders were why we stopped.
Cons:
I expected better gas mileage. Not complaining, but I did not realize how much the KO3 would offset that mileage. My old KO2's on the '15 cost me about 1.5-2 mpg. These KO3's I think are costing me more ... When we got it back in March, a short 200 mile trip on the original 20's and whatever tire that was got us just under 20 mpg at 75.
Observations:
I was suprised that on the flat lands the engine and transmission temps were higher then when climbing the Grapevine.
Vehicle:
2025 Lariat Crew FX4 3.5 with 18" KO3's in stock size, plus a KO3 full size spare and Ranch Hand Grill Guard. Drove from East of San Francisco down/back the I5, the Grapevine, LA traffic, to Irvine and Oceanside. Only my son and I, bed was empty but it does have a soft roll up cover over it. We drove it in Eco mode the entire time.
Drive down, ambient temps were low 90's and I drove the truck ~75 most of the way, including up the Grapevine. Took us 6.5 hours to reach Costa Mesa
MPG: just over 18.
Trans temp: 205 (flat lands) and 195 (Grapevine)
Engine Temp: 210 (flat lands) and 200 (Grapevine)
Drive back, ambient temps started in the mid 80's and arrived home around 65. Traffic sucked ... 2 accidents in LA, 1 on the Grapevine, I5 closed for a section so the farm roads is how we got around. I cruised at 80, with a couple of passes of slow moving traffic pushing closer to 90 (faster pick up then I thought). took us 8 hours to get home from Costa Mesa.
MPG: 16.5
Trans Temp: 200
Engine temp: 200
Pros:
This thing is so smooooooooth on the freeway. My son said it was like sitting on a couch the entire trip. Even the acceleration to pass people was smooth.
It climbed the Grapevine like it was going downhill - power to spare.
The 36 gallon tanks is pretty awesome on a long road trip. Our bladders were why we stopped.
Cons:
I expected better gas mileage. Not complaining, but I did not realize how much the KO3 would offset that mileage. My old KO2's on the '15 cost me about 1.5-2 mpg. These KO3's I think are costing me more ... When we got it back in March, a short 200 mile trip on the original 20's and whatever tire that was got us just under 20 mpg at 75.
Observations:
I was suprised that on the flat lands the engine and transmission temps were higher then when climbing the Grapevine.
