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Not only is the first-ever hybrid variant of the Ford F-150 the most powerful incarnation of the bestselling pickup truck’s 2021 edition, but it boasts impressive EPA fuel economy ratings — 24 mpg across the board for city, highway and combined estimates on four-wheel-drive models like the one Cars.com bought for its long-term test-car fleet after honoring it with the Best of 2021 award. To paraphrase Ira Gershwin’s lyrics, “Nice mileage if you can get it.” Unfortunately, despite some 12,000 miles of driving under varied conditions since the January purchase, Cars.com editors and reviewers have thus far been unsuccessful in achieving that 24 mpg benchmark on a single tank fill-up … not a once.
Related: 10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: 2022 Honda Civic Can’t Compete With Best Used Cars
In the No. 1 news story on Cars.com’s countdown of most popular articles of the week, we provide a full update on all our F-150 fuel economy figures logged in those first 12,000 miles. In that span, the total average mileage calculates to 16.6 mpg, which is a whopping 31% off the EPA pace. Now, granted, roughly a quarter of the total mileage was recorded while towing various trailers, the most mpg-mitigating of which was an Airstream camper — but that doesn’t negate the fact that the best single tank fill-up our editors have recorded yet in real-world driving has been 22.4 mpg.
For the full download on Cars.com’s mileage results with the 2021 Ford F-150 hybrid, follow the link below to our most read news story of the week.
Running a distant second on this week’s countdown is Cars.com reviewer Jennifer Geiger’s recommendations to Jeep for how it could make its all-new-for-2021 Grand Cherokee L three-row SUV even more accommodating to families. After putting the Grand Cherokee L’s top-tier Summit trim through its parents-and-pipsqueaks paces, Geiger concluded that the big SUV could better endear itself to kids by offering the fantastic Uconnect Theater touchscreen-based entertainment system found in its Stellantis sister brand’s Chrysler Pacifica; to parents by adding lower Latch anchors to the third row for the purpose of installing child-safety seats in the wayback for greater family flexibility; and similarly by making head restraints removable or adjustable to prevent interference with car-seat installation.
Follow the link below to this week’s No. 2 article of the week for Geiger’s full family-focused critique of the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L.
Rounding out the week’s top five are a report on how continued pandemic-precipitated inventory shortages have narrowed the price gap between the average new and, for example, 1-year-old used vehicle to just over 5%, at No. 3; Cars.com reviewer Mike Hanley’s comprehensive critique of the updated-for-2021 Honda Ridgeline pickup truck, at No. 4; and a report on the stop-sale issued by Volkswagen for some all-wheel-drive 2022 Taos SUVs, on which owners have reported the engines shutting off upon stopping, at No. 5.
Beyond that, we’ve got headlines on the Hyundai Santa Fe, Volkswagen Taos, Kia Carnival, Nissan Leaf and Volkswagen Tiguan, so don’t stop reading till the digits double. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:
1. What Is Our 2021 Ford F-150 Hybrid’s Average MPG Over 12,000 Miles?
2. 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L: 3 Ways the New 3-Row Could Up Its Family Game
3. Amid Inventory Shortage, Used Prices Approach New
4. 2021 Honda Ridgeline Review: Looking the Part Without Losing the Innovation
5. Report: Volkswagen Issues Stop-Sale for Some 2022 Taos SUVs
6. 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Gets More Aggressive Looking With New XRT Appearance Package
7. 2022 Volkswagen Taos Round 2: Our Second Take on VW’s Cheapest SUV
8. What’s the Best Minivan for 2021?
9. 2022 Nissan Leaf Prices Fall, More Features Added
10. 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan Rolls in With Facelift and Tech Upgrade, Priced From $27,190
Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.
