Re: Gas mileage
Prolly the best thing you can do for gas mileage is to pick up a Scangauge or Ultragauge. On top of having "Instantaneous MPG" they are also fantastic for monitoring fuel trims, watching the o2 sensor, seeing output from MAF sensors, etc.
As for the question, this is really going to be wildly variable. For example, an extended cab will do worse in town due to extra weight, and the "heavier" city traffic is, the bigger the difference between it and a regular cab will be. Then add in factors like elevation (heavily affects power which is the biggest killer of MPG in these trucks), whether the terrain is flat, common addons like stereo systems (subs are heavy- sound deadening is even worse) and things are almost impossible to reliably track by just saying "I get 19mpg." You also must consider temperature- cooler climates will have more dense air (given the same barometric pressure), and thus the truck has to work harder to push through that air. And then there is the fact most of us have no choice but to run E10 gasoline (which is only like 96.7% as efficient as 100% gasoline).
I have a 2002 duratec 2.3l 5 speed extended cab. I live just north of Austin TX, so I am in hill country. Hills are the bane of gas mileage- I have actually read tips on ecomodder to try and lessen the gas I waste (though I dont do stuff like coast with the engine off, etc). Running E10 here in the summer I get about 21-23mpg in the city. Where my truck seems to be awesome is the highway. Flat and level at about 55mph, my truck will turn in 30-31mpg all day- again add a hill and the value drops markedly. My average combined total is 23-26mpg depending on how much city I do (Austin is one of the 10 worst traffic areas in the country). I have no doubt when winter comes, the more dense air and winter blend fuels might push my averages down to 19-20mpg city as well.
I think you guys are doing good depending on your location. I think the specifics of location are much more important than most realize when it comes to these 4 cylinder trucks.
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