When budgeting for your truck’s fuel costs, it’s important to know how many gallons of gas your vehicle can hold. You can always find this information in your owner’s manual, but if you’ve misplaced it, no worries!

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How big is the gas tank on a 2016 Ford Explorer?

The Explorer is

Ford’s

long-running midsize crossover SUV. The same gas tank with the same fuel capacity of 18.6 gallons is present, regardless of which engine is powering your specific truck.

The 2016 model year featured three powerful engine options: the base-level 3.5-liter V6, a 2.3-liter turbocharged I-4, and a 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 for the top-level Platinum model.

How to check your 2016 Ford Explorer’s gas tank size

If you really want to make sure, you can double-check your 2016 Ford Explorer’s gas tank size in a few different ways.

Measure the gas tank

You can always use a little math! Use a measuring tape to measure the width, length, and height of the fuel tank.

Then, use the following formula to calculate the volume in cubic inches by multiplying the measurements, like so:

W x L x H = V

There are 231cubic inches in a gallon, so divide V by 231 to get the volume in gallons!

Check your owner’s manual

Your owner’s manual is a wellspring of information, including the size of your gas tank. Of course, this method does involve a bit of old-fashioned navigation of the manual’s table of contents, followed by a bit of dry reading.

Drive till empty, then fill it up

If you’re game to explore a riskier way to figure out your Explorer’s gas tank size, drive your SUV till your fuel gauge is on “E,” then fill up at the nearest gas station. When the fuel pump stops, signifying that the tank is full, just look at how much gas you pumped for a rough idea of your Explorer’s fuel capacity!

However, be careful about driving too long on empty. You might end up stranded—or worse, damage your vehicle.

MORE:

How far can you drive on an empty tank of gas?

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How to save on fuel costs in a Ford Explorer

Depending on which 2016 Ford Explorer you have, fuel economy will vary between 16 and 25 mpg.

The most fuel-efficient engine available is the 2.3-liter turbo I-4 EcoBoost. It’s paired with an AWD drivetrain and gets an EPA city/highway rating of 18/26 mpg, or 21 mpg combined.

While we love the extra fuel economy on the highway, these numbers still don’t impress in the new world of fuel-sipping SUVs. Try out these tips to help save on gas:

Keep up with maintenance. A healthy car is a happy car! Fuel consumption is worse if your car needs an oil change, has worn tires, or requires other maintenance or repairs you’re neglecting.

Drive carefully. It’s not a race! Harsh acceleration will always consume more fuel, so a steady pedal foot is a vital part of a winning fuel-saving strategy.

Avoid idling. If you let your SUV’s engine idle, it’ll just waste gas, which is the opposite of what we’re trying to do here.

How to optimize your Ford Explorer’s insurance coverage

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