Pathetic Gas Mileage

[nobracket]

When I had a V8 and a lead foot, I followed the advise of installing a vacuum gauge (like the big trucks have/had)

 

It was a great learning experience, all to do with acceleration. .......Zoom Zoom Eh

[ScapeTom]

I remember the vacuum gauge - had one on a car about 30 years ago! It was a good indication of "instantaneous" gas consumption.

Edited February 11, 2013 by ScapeTom

[rscalzo]

There is one on the last generation Escapes. But it's not analog yet functions in the same manner.

[Escapism]

My neighbor owns an SEL 1.6. Talked to him yesterday. He is very unhappy with the dealership. After they performed the recall service they tried to charge him for the rental. All I said was WOW! Little did they know he is an ex Ford employee. He had to call it in to his contacts at Ford. What a shame. And to top it off, his mileage has dropped to 19 avg from 25 avg. He's got 8000 on the vehicle. We had a long talk about this. He is much older than I am and really doesn't frequent the forums so I had a lot of catching up to do for him.

[ScapeTom]

Another fillup today - 22.8 mpg calculated. I had 25.2 on the last fillup which implies that I may not have gotten as complete a fillup last time. Then again, this tankful had a lot more city driving than the last one and I know that's a factor.

 

We'll see how it all averages out over time.

 

Taking a trip Wednesday so I'll get some experience on 100% highway driving. Still pretty early in the Escape's life so I doubt I'll be hitting 30. Maybe 26 or so, but we'll see. Overall, while I don't think I'll be getting the highway mileage that Ford claims, I think that it'll still do better than my 2003 V6 did. At least a couple of mpg anyway.

 

I sunk my foot into the throttle pretty good today. Just eased it down to the floor, and I'm still impressed by the performance of the 2.0 ecoboost. Brings a smile to my face. I just have to make sure that I don't get too "throttle happy" with it.

[ScapeTom]

25.8 mpg, first leg of my trip, almost all highway. The mileage is significantly better at 55-65 than it is at 70-75. I'm far from refilling for the second tankful of the trip, but I'll report my mileage when I do.

[transitman]

I just drove from Phoenix to Minneapolis and got what I believe were pretty good mpg's overall. I reset the trip 2 average mpg's when I filled up in Sun City and when I pulled into my garage in Minneapolis it read 25.6 average for the entire trip. I drove 1776 miles and all the speeds were 72 or 75 mph. Driving from the Valley to Flagstaff I was getting in the high 23 to mid 24 mpg's depending on uphill or downhill. It's a significant climb and elevation change, so I consider that good. In Northern AZ and once I got into New Mexico and the road was relatively flat, with the aid of a 5 mph tail wind it began to climb. At first I was holding around 27-28+ mpg, which I thought was OK considering my speed and I thought if I can keep it there I'd be happy. I crossed the Continental Divide and my mpg's began to increase. Traveling across New Mexico and West Texas, temps in the upper 50's, I was able to hold the mpg's for 15 to 25 mile stretches as high as 30 to 31 mpg's and the best I got for any significant stretch was 31.6. (I took photos to prove it). The road is moderately hilly in NM and pretty flat in TX. The next morning with temps in the mid 30's I started off only getting 23-25 and as it warmed it increased to around 26 mpg. Once I turned north, everything changed. I was fighting an 18-20 mph head wind and the best I got was in the high 23's. I filled up this morning, temps in the single digits, reset the average mpg's, drove around 15 miles, (mostly city streets and a couple short highway stretches) running errands and my avg. reads 24+. Decent mpg's are achievable, on the interstate and in the city.

 

Edit: After downloading the photos I was reminded the best I got for any significant distance was 30.6, but went over 31 on downhill slides.

Edited February 16, 2013 by transitman

[ScapeTom]

Second fillup on the trip, 25.7 mpg with about 70% highway, 30% city driving and a couple of heavy gooses on the throttle. I think that I'll be seeing 27-29 overall for the next tank which will be about 95% highway. I'll keep y'all posted.

[ScapeTom]

As promised, and I am not trying to show off or defeat the purpose of the thread (since it's obvious that some aren't enjoying the same mileage that I am so far) -

 

I'm back home from my trip to Jacksonville. Total mileage, 1018 miles, overall mpg 26.2, with better numbers on the return trip than on the trip heading down. I now have about 2500 miles on my Escape, and I think that the mileage is starting to improve a bit as the motor really breaks in.

 

This trip was about 90% highway, with half or so at 75-77 mph, and the rest mixed between 60 and 72 depending on the speed limit. The city driving was mostly around Jacksonville, just typical city driving but no traffic jams.

 

I hope to see a bit better mileage on the highway as it gets more broken in, but I'm pretty happy with this so far. It's 1-2 mpg better than my 2003 V6 got on the highway.

 

I did wind the turbo out 3 or 4 times on the trip - WoW, that's fun!

Edited February 18, 2013 by ScapeTom

[Stringfellow]

My Escape has about 1300 miles on it and I am getting between 25 and 26 depending on my driving. My daily trip is 1/3 back roads (40 MPH, no traffic), 1/3 highway (55 MPH but with stop and go traffic) and the final third mostly 65 - 70 MPH with minimal traffic. I am hoping that after the engine gets broken in more and the temps warm up I will gain a additional MPG or two.

 

I know the summer blend of gasoline is coming soon and I wonder what that will do to MPG???

 

On a side note.....why have a summer blend? Why have 3 grades of gas at the pump - only really need 2? Why do so many states have their own gas requirements? Make it all the same, 2 grades of gas and we would all save a ton at the pump! Off my soap box now....

[akirby]

My Escape has about 1300 miles on it and I am getting between 25 and 26 depending on my driving. My daily trip is 1/3 back roads (40 MPH, no traffic), 1/3 highway (55 MPH but with stop and go traffic) and the final third mostly 65 - 70 MPH with minimal traffic. I am hoping that after the engine gets broken in more and the temps warm up I will gain a additional MPG or two.

 

I know the summer blend of gasoline is coming soon and I wonder what that will do to MPG???

 

On a side note.....why have a summer blend? Why have 3 grades of gas at the pump - only really need 2? Why do so many states have their own gas requirements? Make it all the same, 2 grades of gas and we would all save a ton at the pump! Off my soap box now....

 

Summer blend is necessary to avoid excess fuel vapor at the pumps in hot temps. Prevents air pollution. The side effect is better fuel economy.

[ScapeTom]

On a side note.....why have a summer blend? Why have 3 grades of gas at the pump - only really need 2? Why do so many states have their own gas requirements? Make it all the same, 2 grades of gas and we would all save a ton at the pump! Off my soap box now....

 

Summer and winter blend - probably some EPA regulatory mojo at work there. Actually, akirby probably has it right. I think some brands have additives to help prevent fuel line freezup in their winter blend also.

 

3 grades - well, most cars require regular (87 octane), my Dodge Hemi requires 89, and My Honda Civic Si required 91. Different engines, different state of tune, I guess.

 

Even our 2.0 has a few more ponies under the hood with 91 octane than it does with 87. I'm not sure if that affects mileage or not, but you'd need a pretty significant increase in mileage to make up for the extra cost of the gas.

[ruggerbj]

New user here but this is my 3rd Ford with an ecoboost engine (2010 F150 & 2012 Escape). I know what the engine is capable of and the milage I'm getting is nowhere near what Ford claims. Averaging 16.5, most highway driving with cruise control on. I've heard the normal "the engine needs to break in" line from the dealer, but I'm at 3,500 miles now, how much longer? One repair guy at my dealership told me to wait till 7,000. A large part of the reason I bought this model was the MPG and I'm very disappointed. A good deal of the other blogs I read say similar things, so is this a lemon law issue or specific vehicle issue? If vehicle, than I think we need replacements and/or a class action lawsuit for money spent on gas in excess of the claimed milage. Thanks for letting me vent as I'm getting nowhere with the dealer.

[Escapism]

Mine didn't get better until 7000 miles or so.

[howie411]

Well I know Ford is currently being investigated regarding the C-MAX and the New Hybrid, but not sure who initiates that. When I emailed Fuel Economy.gov I received the following email:

Thank you for contacting us. We are sorry to hear about your lower than expected
fuel economy. There are a couple of things you may want to consider doing. On
our website, we allow people to report the mileage that they are getting with a
particular vehicle. You can browse through these shared user estimates at:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=browseList

If there are other shared estimates for your particular model year and
configuration, this may give you an idea if others are experiencing similar fuel
economy or if you are below the norm. Unfortunately, with many 2013 models there
hasn't been enough time to collect user estimates. It looks like we have a few
for the 2.0L and 1.6L AWD versions of the 2013 Escape:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=browseList2&make=Ford&model=Escape%20AWD


If you have not done so already, you may want to consider adding your estimates
to our database at:
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do

This can help to establish your fuel economy in a way that is accessible to all
concerned and it may be helpful to others who may be considering this vehicle.
In the past the EPA has reviewed these shared user estimates when fuel economy
for a particular model comes under scrutiny.

Any resolution would likely have to come from Ford so that would be the first
place to start. We recommend thoroughly documenting your experiences and driving
conditions so when you contact them, all the relevant information will be
available as they consider your case. If you are not satisfied with the outcome
from the dealership, you can take your case to the Ford Service Representative.
The contact information should be listed in the owner's manual.

The Federal Citizen Information Center's Consumer Action Web site provides
information on warranties, recalls, and lemon laws at:
www.consumeraction.gov/caw_automobiles_warranties_lemon.shtml and lists contact
information for car manufacturers at: www.consumeraction.gov/carman.shtml. In
addition, the Better Business Bureau's Web site provides information on State
lemon laws, which vary by state, at: www.bbb.org/us/auto-line/state-lemon-laws/.

The EPA does not typically get involved in individual cases involving variable
fuel economy. Unless there is reason to believe that errors were made in
testing/labeling so the most they would likely be able to do is refer your email
to their factory contacts at Ford. The EPA's Office of Transportation and Air
Quality is responsible for the testing and labeling of all vehicles. Their test
facility is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and can be found on the web at:
http://www.epa.gov/nvfel/

The contact page for the EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/oms-cmt.htm
You can also try sending an email to complianceinfo@epa.gov . Again, you will
need to provide detailed information about your vehicle and your observations.

The Fuel Economy Website is produced at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory with
data provided to us by the EPA so our role is limited to providing information.
I hope that some of these contacts may be useful to you as you pursue a
resolution to your low fuel economy.

Sincerely,

www.fueleconomy.gov

[ScapeTom]

I've been reporting my mileage at fueleconomy.gov. I calculate it every fillup anyway, so the data is readily available.

[jcthorne]

New user here but this is my 3rd Ford with an ecoboost engine (2010 F150 & 2012 Escape). I know what the engine is capable of and the milage I'm getting is nowhere near what Ford claims. Averaging 16.5, most highway driving with cruise control on. I've heard the normal "the engine needs to break in" line from the dealer, but I'm at 3,500 miles now, how much longer? One repair guy at my dealership told me to wait till 7,000. A large part of the reason I bought this model was the MPG and I'm very disappointed. A good deal of the other blogs I read say similar things, so is this a lemon law issue or specific vehicle issue? If vehicle, than I think we need replacements and/or a class action lawsuit for money spent on gas in excess of the claimed milage. Thanks for letting me vent as I'm getting nowhere with the dealer.

 

 

Just an FYI, the 2010 F150 and the 2012 Escape did not have Ecoboost engines offered.

 

I will say our Escape started getting markedly better milage right around the 4500 mile point. We now average 24 around town in our 2.0 AWD with my wife doing most of the driving in that vehicle.

 

If the vehicle is running correctly and there are no leaks, there is likely little the dealer can or will do. A lighter foot is the only real solution. Look at other AWD SUVs with 240 hp....they don't do as well.

[digijay]

I'm at over 22,000kms (or almost 14k miles) and my mileage is still horrible. It has not improved at all since day 1. If anything it has declined.

[sasscuba]

1.6 or 2.0?

[bolt in blue]

I have about 6500mi/10,000km on my 2.0 FWD. My car calculated average over the life of the vehicle is 24.3mpg. Just about every tank for the last 2000 miles or so has been over 25mpg per tank. Most of my driving is stop and go around town. Only one tank has been under 20mpg average and that was the first one. I had one recent tank where it was just 20.0 but that was after the dealer did a MFT fix where they let the car idle for 90 minutes. I reliably hit 30 on the highway and frequently see numbers around 32 on the highway. Of course, I live close to a major city and most highway speed limits around here are 55. I generally drive between 60 and 68 on any highway. Most of my highway driving was in the 60-62mph range.

[jerseygirl89135]

My SEL Escape seems to be getting better gas milage the older it gets. I just passed 3000 miles and I am averaging 28 mpg. I have the 1.6 and my commute is roughly 60% highway with the 40% being on surface streets(as they refer to city driving in Las Vegas). The gas milage is the only thing I like about this car. :p

[ScapeTom]

Mileage dropped a bit this tankful - 22.9. But I did take it up the mountain road a time or two, and it was mostly city driving. Maybe I just managed to top off the tank better this time.

[Elf911]

Wish I could get close to any of this in NYC.... Even with some highway about 50/50 to work I'm doing like 18mpg. That's at about 50-60 mph and cruising a lot. I think it's all the lights that are killing me. But I do only have 1200 miles on it. 2.0 4WD

[Ticmxman]

First road trip in my new Escape, SEL,2.0, 600 miles on the odometer.

3 hours of Highway driving with a few red lights and hills in N. Georgia- 26 mpg by the gauge to our destination. Speed 5 mph over limit of 55-65 mph so 60-70 mph. Topped off today and cruised gingerly at 45-55 mph for 30-40 miles while enjoying the vistas. I watched as mpg rose from 28 to 30. Not trying to say in everyday driving I will obtain this but with a very sedate drive today the Escape surprised me.

Edited March 2, 2013 by Ticmxman

[GaryG]

I found the answer as to why the EcoBoost gets bad mileage. I've stated I compared my '11 V6 Explorer Limited to the '12 2.0L EcoBoost Explorer Limited for MPG. The way I drive my Explorer with the A/C On, I got better MPG out of my V6.

 

Today I read a thread where the great hypermiiler Wayne Gerdes is getting a new Fusion 1.6L EcoBoost to test for Ford. Wayne does write-ups for most Auto Makers after he gets a new vehicle from them to test. In this thread, Rfruth ask the question to Wayne about when the turbo kicks in. Here was Waynes response:

 

"Rfruth, it builds with any throttle input from what I saw on the Edge with the 2.0L, the Escape with the 1.6L and the F-150 with the 3.5L but we'll keep that monster caged at low boost for 99% of the Fusion drive"

 

There's your answer! "Boost builds with any throttle input". Now, Wayne took the F-150 3.5L EcoBoost when it was first released across the US and averaged 32mpg, but he knows how to drive any vehicle.

 

It appears you folks with the EcoBoost need to learn some driving skills if you expect to get EPA and better MPG. Here is the link to Wayne's thread: http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46296