Anyone ever dump their EX Sport due to their commute to work?

[pup5581]

I just accepted a new job offer and will be commuting a great deal now. 85 miles each day ( that's only work) in rush hour traffic. And i only get about 295 per tank so safe to say i will be filling up a lot.

I am going to see the first 3-4 months how much i am spending on gas ect. Luckily gas is the cheapest it's been in nearly 10 years IIRC so that's good

 

[Ellocovg]

I just accepted a new job offer and will be commuting a great deal now. 85 miles each day ( that's only work) in rush hour traffic. And i only get about 295 per tank so safe to say i will be filling up a lot.

I am going to see the first 3-4 months how much i am spending on gas ect. Luckily gas is the cheapest it's been in nearly 10 years IIRC so that's good

I drive more than that daily. I had a beater lancer that got over 30mpg but I spend over 3 sometimes up to5 hrs a day in the car not fun to be in a little **** box that long. I'm only getting 17/18 in the explorer but it's a much more comfortable ride and in bad weather it doesn't feel like a death trap like my lancer did.

 

[613GT500]

70l gas tank on a 5000lbs never mad sense to me.

 

[Ellocovg]

It's a mind trick when I fill it up usually around 1/4 tank I'm like this isn't that bad, usually under or around $30 if I go real low but then I realize I'm at the pump every other day.

 

[Odrapnew]

I'm driving about that much in my sport. Im filling up ~3x every 2 weeks. Back when gas was almost $4/gallon here, it was costing me close to $400/month.

I agree that a comfortable vehicle makes it much more bearable.

 

[pup5581]

Yeah it is a very comfortable vehicle and if i am spending a lot of time in it...it will probably be worth it ect

 

[Odrapnew]

I just re-read your original post, 295 miles per tank, yikes.

In the winter, I get about 330/tank. In summer, I’m close to 400.

I should say, my “rush hour” commute in the morning is only going the speed limit on the freeway. Afternoons can be quite slow though.

 

[pup5581]

I just re-read your original post, 295 miles per tank, yikes.

In the winter, I get about 330/tank. In summer, I’m close to 400.

I should say, my “rush hour” commute in the morning is only going the speed limit on the freeway. Afternoons can be quite slow though.

Yeah i really can't get anymore than that. Kinda sucks. I mean mine is tuned and sometimes a led foot. So last tank i took it easy and got about 306. Maybe come summer that 306 goes to 320;

What are your driving habits? if no traffic on highway what is your speed limit you stay at. LOTS of hills ect where i live

 

[Machine090767]

Although I have a 2007, I am getting around 360 miles to a tank. You really should be getting way better than 295.

 

[pup5581]

Although I have a 2007, I am getting around 360 miles to a tank. You really should be getting way better than 295.

320 would be amazing

 

[WayneonLI]

I, too am in the low range. Highest I ever got (1 time) was 321.

Normally I'm between 260-280/5 between fill ups. Why I hate the 18 gal tank.

 

[Bill #5 Explorer]

I mean mine is tuned

This is your first problem. Go back to factory tune. And hopefully you negotiated your longer commute into your new salary, right? If you did, this is a non issue. If not, next time negotiate better.

 

[chicagoslick]

I ditched a better gas mileage car ( 2013 Fusion, getting 31.3mpg) for my Platinum. I feel much safer commuting and much more comfortable...I certainly can understand the gas mileage, though. Go back to the factory tune when commuting and practice gas saving etiquette...

gentle take-off from stop
easy peddle pressing during normal acceleration
slow down 5mpg from your current speed (reevaluate after a few tanks and trips)
coast more while driving
Make sure vehicle is in optimum tune (general maintenance, tires, oil, plugs, air filter, etc)

I am getting ~20.5mpg for my first 1200 miles and steadily increasing with drving time and miles. I drive mixed bag of highway and city ~90 daily for work.

Best of luck,

 

[Odrapnew]

Having a tune does not automatically equate to worse gas mileage. The heavy right foot will kill mileage regardless of tune, but of course with a tune you’re more likely to enjoy the performance of the tune, so your lead foot will come out more often.

As for how I drive, I’m actually quite easy on the throttle unless merging into traffic or onto the freeway. My drive to work consisted of about 7 miles @ 60mph and then the other 28 or so hovering in the 60-70mph range. On the way home, I’m usually in much heavier traffic and probably average about 40mph with a good chunk below 30mph or idling.

As for poor mileage, I got just under 19mpg towing a small trailer with miscellaneous junk while moving last weekend. This was mostly freeway driving and the trailer was being towed for probably 2/3 of that tank’s miles.

 

[cwescapexlt4x4]

in my 3.5 NA i get (if mainly freeway) 340+ min per tank/refuel light.

 

[JE]

My best advice for Pup and anyone else changing their driving patterns is wait and see! I average around 19mpg in my sport long-term (including warm-ups in the winter and a LOT of short trips since I don't have a commute) but I'm often pleasantly surprised to get over 20 on trips, even 22-23 sometimes!

One of the biggest factors I have found is traffic. Without it I can cruise at 80 and rarely get much better than 20mpg. With traffic keeping me in the 60-70 range I see 21+, and if I'm doing a long trip on back roads I routinely see 22-23. So the traffic you're talking about, as long as it's not stop and go, may actually help.

As for the tune, it could go either way. Run for a month with it and if you're not happy, try running a month without. There's nothing like real-world results to tell the story.

Good luck! (And I agree with others that I'd be hard pressed to give up the comfort of the Ex...)

 

[pup5581]

My best advice for Pup and anyone else changing their driving patterns is wait and see! I average around 19mpg in my sport long-term (including warm-ups in the winter and a LOT of short trips since I don't have a commute) but I'm often pleasantly surprised to get over 20 on trips, even 22-23 sometimes!

One of the biggest factors I have found is traffic. Without it I can cruise at 80 and rarely get much better than 20mpg. With traffic keeping me in the 60-70 range I see 21+, and if I'm doing a long trip on back roads I routinely see 22-23. So the traffic you're talking about, as long as it's not stop and go, may actually help.

As for the tune, it could go either way. Run for a month with it and if you're not happy, try running a month without. There's nothing like real-world results to tell the story.

Good luck! (And I agree with others that I'd be hard pressed to give up the comfort of the Ex...)

I will try that..thank you

 

[chicagoslick]

Having a tune does not automatically equate to worse gas mileage. The heavy right foot will kill mileage regardless of tune, but of course with a tune you’re more likely to enjoy the performance of the tune, so your lead foot will come out more often.

As for how I drive, I’m actually quite easy on the throttle unless merging into traffic or onto the freeway. My drive to work consisted of about 7 miles @ 60mph and then the other 28 or so hovering in the 60-70mph range. On the way home, I’m usually in much heavier traffic and probably average about 40mph with a good chunk below 30mph or idling.

As for poor mileage, I got just under 19mpg towing a small trailer with miscellaneous junk while moving last weekend. This was mostly freeway driving and the trailer was being towed for probably 2/3 of that tank’s miles.

Totally agree with you on the tune not necessarily yielding worse gas mileage. However, the performance you gain typically is used and ultimately ends in a loss of mpg. My Fusion had a whole host of performance upgrades plus tune (STEEDA) and yielded ~4-5mpg gain. Problem is when I did use the power, it drank gas quite heavily.

I think ultimately 20-24mpg is probably going to be the best you will see and that will have to be evaluated against the comfort and security of the Exp...

Best of luck,

 

[JCrew7384]

I have a relatively new 16 Ex Platinum with about 600 miles on it. I commute with it once a week, 60 miles each way. Mostly highway driving. I can't seem to crack the 18mpg average. I've had to fill up 3 times so far I think. Is that just a matter of breaking it in? Or just too short a timeframe to know

 

[JE]

I have a relatively new 16 Ex Platinum with about 600 miles on it. I commute with it once a week, 60 miles each way. Mostly highway driving. I can't seem to crack the 18mpg average. I've had to fill up 3 times so far I think. Is that just a matter of breaking it in? Or just too short a timeframe to know

I definitely saw an mpg improvement after the first 1k miles on my sport. Others have reported the same. I wouldn't sweat it yet.

Keep in mind that if the rest of your trips (non-commute) are short that'll always drag it down. The 30 minute graph is educational there.

Good luck!