Explorer Gas Mileage - including Ecoboost

[1995E]

I really do suggest not accelerating above 2K - 2.5K RPM. Even if you do accelerate hard like up to 3.5 RPMs. You should at least stay at speed and don't keep your foot on the gas. I let off the gas a lot and I press the throttle ever so slightly and watch my instant MPG thing. I now manage a 18 - 19 MPG on average with lots of stops and acceleration to do as I live close to DC. To maximize my fuel economy, I actually do drive at like 60 MPH or 65 MPH. Especially on I-95 where it gets congested during the times I travel.

Coming from a 95 where I was having to fill 11 gallons for 150 miles of driving is a huge improvement for me. Really though, my fuel economy sucked up until like 10 thousand miles.

 

[principalpony]

So you are taking a real life test, with all it's variables, then applying the results of a controlled lab experiment to come to your conclusion. Not trying to be insulting, but that's ridiculous.

You really don't have a very good grasp of all the variables that effect fuel mileage based on this statement " These are tests anyone can duplicate, even dealers."

Somehow I don't think either of you (DTR too) are getting my point. I am suggesting that a test be done with the dealer that is like the CR test - 65 mph done in both directions to be performed on both a V6 FWD & Ecoboost 4, one right after the other with the same driver & test equipment. Then compare the results. Being that EPA test results are suggested to be used for comparison purposes as actual mileage will vary, that is also what i suggest. When Ford advertises it's "Best in Class Fuel Economy" that is exactly what they are doing.

On a highway test at 65 mph cruising speed on a level road, the turbo will not be providing any boost pressure. Anyone who has ever driven a turbo engine vehicle with a boost pressure gauge can tell you that. BTW - I have owned and driven a few prior to this Explorer.

When I am driving our Ex on the highway, I am usually driving it for the best fuel economy possible while driving at a reasonable speed - usually 70 mph. I watch the bar graph on the Instant MPG setting and try to keep it as full as possible. I rarely turn off the cruise control, but when I have to I usually use the accelerator to get close to my cruising speed to avoid a downshift &/or faster acceleration (to avoid going into boost pressure) before hitting the resume. I keep the a/c turned off unless it is really needed for comfort. Doing all that we will get ~24 mpg in warm weather and be lucky to get 22 in cold. Now if that is in the neighborhood of being 4 mpg better than an Ex V6 Fwd, I guess I should be satisfied. From what I've seen and heard, the V6 does as well or better under the same conditions. If a Ford dealer, or Ford Rep is willing to perform such a test with me in the car, and the results prove my Ex does ~4 mpg better than a V6 Ex. I will be satisfied with that. If the results are the same or worse, then I expect Ford to do something about it.

 

[dtr]

Somehow I don't think either of you (DTR too) are getting my point. I am suggesting that a test be done with the dealer that is like the CR test - 65 mph done in both directions to be performed on both a V6 FWD & Ecoboost 4, one right after the other with the same driver & test equipment. Then compare the results. Being that EPA test results are suggested to be used for comparison purposes as actual mileage will vary, that is also what i suggest. When Ford advertises it's "Best in Class Fuel Economy" that is exactly what they are doing.

On a highway test at 65 mph cruising speed on a level road, the turbo will not be providing any boost pressure. Anyone who has ever driven a turbo engine vehicle with a boost pressure gauge can tell you that. BTW - I have owned and driven a few prior to this Explorer.

When I am driving our Ex on the highway, I am usually driving it for the best fuel economy possible while driving at a reasonable speed - usually 70 mph. I watch the bar graph on the Instant MPG setting and try to keep it as full as possible. I rarely turn off the cruise control, but when I have to I usually use the accelerator to get close to my cruising speed to avoid a downshift &/or faster acceleration (to avoid going into boost pressure) before hitting the resume. I keep the a/c turned off unless it is really needed for comfort. Doing all that we will get ~24 mpg in warm weather and be lucky to get 22 in cold. Now if that is in the neighborhood of being 4 mpg better than an Ex V6 Fwd, I guess I should be satisfied. From what I've seen and heard, the V6 does as well or better under the same conditions. If a Ford dealer, or Ford Rep is willing to perform such a test with me in the car, and the results prove my Ex does ~4 mpg better than a V6 Ex. I will be satisfied with that. If the results are the same or worse, then I expect Ford to do something about it.

You do not understand the concept of "vary"

It does not mean all vary in the same direction up or down. One can vary up while another will vary down.

they both operate at different rpms, you assume no error or misprint from consumer reports, and you do not understand that for a given test condition your 4 cylinder can vary down while a different vehicle (V6) will vary up.

Again very simplistic analysis that is not accounting for all the varriables

 

[principalpony]

You do not understand the concept of "vary"

It does not mean all vary in the same direction up or down. One can vary up while another will vary down.

they both operate at different rpms, you assume no error or misprint from consumer reports, and you do not understand that for a given test condition your 4 cylinder can vary down while a different vehicle (V6) will vary up.

Again very simplistic analysis that is not accounting for all the varriables

I think we'll just have to agree that we disagree on this. I do understand the word vary. That's why I used the "~" before my expectation of better 4 mpg on the Ecoboost. I would allow for ~1 mpg +/-.

Have a nice day.

 

[dtr]

[/B]

Like I've said before, Consumer Reports does their own testing for fuel economy, but they do it in real life conditions. These are tests anyone can duplicate, even dealers. Their highway test is done on a fairly level road and they drive at 65 mph for 5 miles, then do it again in the other direction to minimize the effects of wind, etc. and average the results. When CR tested an Explorer XLT V6 AWD, their highway result was 26 mpg - 3mpg better than the EPA testing. Being that the Ecoboost 4 has an EPA rating of 28 (5mpg better than the V6 AWD) I would expect it to get about 31 mpg on the same CR test. To be fair, I'd suggest the dealer do the CR test equivalent on both models of Explorer with the expectation that the differences in mpg be close to those reported in the EPA testing.

So you quoted consumer report +3 mpg better for the V6 and accepted it with no questions, But now are only willing to accept 1 mpg less for your 4 cylinder:scratch:

You expect physics to vary to your desires it can be 3 in some cases but variation that you will accept can only be 1 when you do not like it.

you are basing these decisions on what your emotional desires as opposed to engineering?

Where the heck did +/- 1 mpg get promised from a simple statement that it could vary?:scratch:

 

[peterk9]

Could we please stop this back and forth commentary. It doesn't even follow what the thread topic is about. The thread is for members to report the poor mileage they believe they are getting. It has nothing to do with EPA testing methods or analysis/benefits of regular vs premium gas. There is another thread for that.

Peter

 

[wayne40404]

Thanks Peter. Completely agree.

Also like what Principally said about teSting the v6 versus the ecoboost.

When my dealer tells me they were able to road test my vehicle at 67 mph and obtain 26mpg for one mile, I should ask them to do the same test with the v6. It would probably result in very clOse mpg at that speed. See what their response is when that happens.

 

[Black Bengal]

Just finished our first road trip in the new Explorer:
Vehicle - 2014 Explorer FWD V6
Distance - 487.8 miles
MPG - 22.6
Location - Round trip between E. TX & W. LA on I-10 corridor
Avg. highway speed - 70-75 mph
Ratio - 10% city/90% hwy
Load - Avg. 550 lbs (including people & luggage)

What I noticed on the hwy that I consistently got about 24 mpg at 65 mph, but it dropped to the 22-23 range at higher speeds. Pretty much right on the mark with the window sticker numbers from what I can tell.

 

[zannism3]

Gas mileage on the 2014 sport

Hi guys ! I was wondering what is your average gas mileage with 93 octane fuel . I average around 11.8 combined . My sport has 250 miles on it ...Is that good ? The window sticker says 18 combined. Does anyone run regular unleaded gas on their 2014 sport ? Thanks

 

[Fish4five]

Premium fuel only in ours. Lifetime for ours is high 18's and this is a few hundred miles of pulling a horse trailer. Now we are about 70/30 or 65/35 hwy vs town though. This is my wifes vehicle so I don't drive it much or it would be lower. Heck I reset it once to see what she got towing her horse trailer and with just over 200 miles on the trip there and back it got 14 and change.

 

[peterk9]

Hi guys ! I was wondering what is your average gas mileage with 93 octane fuel . I average around 11.8 combined . My sport has 250 miles on it ...Is that good ? The window sticker says 18 combined. Does anyone run regular unleaded gas on their 2014 sport ? Thanks

As indicated in my PM, I have moved your thread to this one which is all about fuel mileage and more. I think most Sport owners use regular octane gasoline.

Peter

 

[zannism3]

As indicated in my PM, I have moved your thread to this one which is all about fuel mileage and more. I think most Sport owners use regular octane gasoline.

Peter

Thanks Peter for your help !!!!

 

[Kpwweb]

As indicated in my PM, I have moved your thread to this one which is all about fuel mileage and more. I think most Sport owners use regular octane gasoline.

Peter

I've been using 89 in winter, premium -91 oct here, in summer. The lower the octane, the more power per unit the gasoline has.. But with cold dense air and more warmup and lower fuel economy, higher octane isn't needed.. As temps warm up, I'll likely switch to premium in our sport again...

 

[Kpwweb]

Hi guys ! I was wondering what is your average gas mileage with 93 octane fuel . I average around 11.8 combined . My sport has 250 miles on it ...Is that good ? The window sticker says 18 combined. Does anyone run regular unleaded gas on their 2014 sport ? Thanks

Btw, we get about 16-17 mpg mainly city in the summer, 15-16 in winter... Sometimes less, sometimes more...

 

[Ajar]

I average around 11.8 combined .

Actually that is pretty low... Are you driving it like you stole it? Lol...

Seriously though I'm finding you can get what you want out of the Sport. Looking for MPGs? Drive it like a 90 yr old lost tourist on Miami Beach. Want some torque? Step into it, but you pay for it in MPGs...

Most of us have found a place somewhere in the middle. I've found my driving style puts me at 16-17 MPG average, mostly city driving, still having plenty of fun at lights when I have a chance... Interestingly We used to have a Limited AWD and driving it the same way it was averaging 15.5 MPG.... Minus the fun at the lights of course!

The Sport is a super fun vehicle for anyone like likes torque and needs some space. Find the balance that works for you and enjoy!

 

[zannism3]

Yes I checked the manual and it said after 2000- 3000 miles (break in) you going to see the real gas mileage on the sport . We can also use 87 octane fuel but not below 87..For max performance and towing we can use premium...!!!!

 

[mesquitethorn]

We have 9,400 miles on our 2013 ExSport. We burn 87 octane regular and get 14 to 18 in town (depending on whether ac is running or not). Most of our highway driving has been between Dallas and Richmond, TX on IH45 / SHTW / US 59. Speed limit varies between 60 and 75. Getting 23-24 at 65 and lower. 75 mph pushes mileage down to 20 - 21. Also wind direction can cause a 1 to 2 mpg difference at freeway speed. Overall we are pleased with both performance and gas mileage on our sport. Hard to do the hypermile routine with a responsive and fun to drive SUV. Compared to other real world SUV gas mileage, I think what we get from our ExSport is reasonable.

 

[JEM]

Explorer Fuel Consumption

I have a new 2014 Explorer XLT. I have noticed the fuel consumption is ~15MPG and 2500rpm at 65mph...Does this seem normal to you?

 

[peterk9]

I have a new 2014 Explorer XLT. I have noticed the fuel consumption is ~15MPG and 2500rpm at 65mph...Does this seem normal to you?

Welcome to the Forum JEM.:wavey:
As indicated in my PM, I have merged your thread with this existing one. Read through the posts and you may find the info you are looking for. Fuel mileage is affected by many things such as driving habits, idling and the top mpg enemy, speed.
Enjoy your new XLT.

Peter

 

[virtual]

This is hardly scientific, but here's what I've observed in my '14 Ex. I tend to get about 18.6 MPG in my typical driving: Mainly highway to work, and various stop and start errands around home area.

I just finished a 300 mile trip from DC to the outer banks and I averaged about 22.4 MPG for the main part of the trip, going about 65-75MPH all highway. When I neared the outer banks the road was pretty flat for extended periods, so I decided to play some games with my cruise control. Chugging along at 64MPH I get about 22.8 MPG, but when I slowed it down to 55MPH for about 15 miles (speed limits ya know..) I was getting almost 25MPG. I then hit a hilly spot and noticed that it went down again, back to the high 22's, still going 55MPH.

Not that this means anything other than that's what I observed, what I noticed was:

1). Going 55MPH gets a lot more MPG's than going 65MPH
2). Going on a non flat route really reduces your MPG over a flat route.

BTW.. This is for my 2014 Ex XLT, with the standard engine.