Fuel Economy

[Applejunkie66]

Hello everyone. I've had my 2014 Fusion SE since last July and I have some questions. Do you think that driving in the fully automatic mode is more fuel efficient than the S mode (I'm referring to the mode that has S and I change the gears manually by the up/down switch on my shifter). Thanks for any advice!

[cjh]

If you're talking about letting the car shift, yes the normal drive mode will be more economical as the sport mode will hold the gears longer under acceleration. If you're using the paddles or the switch on the shifter, it could go either way depending on what time in the RPM band you're shifting.

[inkblot]

It's all comes down to your driving style. The "S" mode shifts a bit higher (RPM) than the normal "D" gear, giving you more kick.

 

In stop-and-go driving, that's going to cost you as you burn more gas to get to those higher RPMs before shifting. It's tiny little amounts, but they add up fast.

 

In highway driving, I like to use my adaptive cruise control a lot. So there, it's more about what speed you average. In normal drive, you're 'sweet spot' seems to be around 55-60. On level ground, you can maintain that speed at the lowest RPM between gears. Because sport mode shifts higher, the 'sweet spot' seems to be more around 60-65.

 

On longer highway commutes where I want a bit more speed, sport mode saves me some fuel cruising at just over 60. But when traffic is heavier, or I have to slow under that, I move back to normal.

 

So, for fuel economy, don't use sport in stop-and-go traffic. When cruising on the highway, hit cruise control and watch your tachometer for a bit - switch between normal and sport and see which cruises at lower RPM. That's the mode you want for your highway speed.