13 mpg ??

[dco43054]

Those are great points. I have 2200 miles so the break in is a possibility. Sorry for my ignorance whats winter mix fuel. I live in Southern Cali, do they have this here ? Haven't had a Oil change yet. I am checking the pressure first thing tomorrow.

"Winter fuel" contains an oxygenate that is supposed to lower pollution, but also lowers fuel mileage.

But if you are only getting 13 mpg, unless you have your foot to the floor all the time, you have a problem.

I have a V6 XLT and it does not "struggle" on hills. The transmission may downshift, but that is normal.

Now, if you are flooring the thing all the time and driving in mountains, 13 mpg might be a reasonable rate of fuel consumption.

 

[1995E]

"Winter fuel" contains an oxygenate that is supposed to lower pollution, but also lowers fuel mileage.

Actually, you have that reversed. Regulations require gasoline with lower emissions and pollutions in hotter months so gasoline producers need to add different additives. Those additives help MPGs a lot more but are more expensive.

Winter blend of gasoline is much cheaper to produce and contains more butane which evaporates quicker and is more volatile, that's why prices drop when it hits October - November. They do this so they can meet the demand for gasoline and start the production of heating oil in the winter.

I've been getting 12.7 - 13.3 MPG this winter which was the same exact thing I got last year 5 thousand miles ago. When the summer blend hits, I get around 15 - 17 MPG.

I blame the 10% ethanol in the fuel which is a stupid additive that is a result of heavy lobbying and subsidies and reduces your fuel economy and eats away your fuel lines.

Driving in areas where there the roads go up and down in grade doesn't help either.

 

[Bill #5 Explorer]

Didn't see that first post. That's a lot of miles in not a lot of time.

Yes, I drive a lot. And enjoy it! I drive the Explorer (company car) about 36,000 miles per year, my 911 Turbo gets in about 8,000 miles from March/April till Nov/Dec. And the Boxster sees about 7,000 miles from April/May till mid Oct.

Since 2003 I've seen over 290,000 miles in 4 different Ford Explorers!

 

[dco43054]

Actually, you have that reversed. .

Damn. You're right. My brain was in reverse.

 

[peterk9]

Winter blend of gasoline is much cheaper to produce and contains more butane which evaporates quicker and is more volatile, that's why prices drop when it hits October - November. They do this so they can meet the demand for gasoline and start the production of heating oil in the winter.
[/QUOTE]No price drops in this neck of the woods when October rolls around. Fuel prices change almost daily around here but always seem to rise just prior to holiday weekends but companies say there is no relation between the two. Ya, right! Price yesterday (Friday) at the local station was $5.57 a gallon or roughly $4.46 for a U.S. gallon. On Wednesday it was $5.33 or $4.27 a U.S. gallon. Today it is averaging $5.67 a gallon.

Peter

 

[VinceL]

Friend of mine had a 2012 Limited (Sterling Grey, sunroof and some other stuff) for a rental in Florida this week. He was sending us updates on his experience with the car as my wife is in the market for one.

He very much enjoyed driving the vehicle. The V6 was peppy and moved the vehicle well. The seats were extremely comfortable, the ride was super smooth and quiet, except for one noise in particular. He described the noise that he wasn't sure where it was coming from, but it sounded like it might be the all too famous A-pillar buzz. One thing he has been impressed by is the mileage.

Keep in mind, that my friend isn't a lead foot, but he generally drives briskly and with purpose. He is not one to feather the throttle, but neither does he floor it from every stop, lol. The first tank gave 22.6MPG. This was with 65-70 on the freeway and Miami traffic, not sure of the mix of highway/city though.

While driving back from Key West to Miami, going 45-55mph, the trip computer got to 30.1mpg for a while. When he went to fill the tank again (a short fill, only 4.44 gallons added), the trip computer said 29.2mpg, but when he calculated the mileage, it was 30.16mpg!

His final tank, driving 65-70, gave him an average of 24.41mpg. He was very pleased and surprised. He wishes his 2012 Edge Sport did as well.

Total miles traveled= 791.2
Total gallons used = 32.467
Total Average MPG = 24.37

Not bad for such a large vehicle. This was also with 2 persons on board, with their luggage.

So lesson here is, drive 45-55mpg, and you will get excellent mileage

Happy Driving.

 

[VinceL]

Any more mileage updates?

 

[lmello]

Bought my 2012 Ex Limited AWD in November now has 4,200 miles and combined fuel econ since purchase is 19.5 mpg based on the on board cumputer

 

[KlausJ]

I just realize there is a big difference.

I drive my 2011 V6 LTD Explorer here with an average of 16.5 MPG. I drive about the half city and highway. I could get it to 20 but it´s really hard ( 60 miles max).

I think I need to tell that I´m living in Germany and we do not have general speed restrictions here, so on about 30% of german "Autobahn" areas you can go as fast as you want. Also the driving behavior here is a bit different form the States.

Best was 21 ( really slow driving)
worst was 6 MPG with around 220 kph, which is 135 miles (I have my speed limiter disabled) which empties the fuel tank in less than 120 miles.

Because of high gas prices here (around 8,2 $/gallon) I modified the engine to run with propane too.
It works perfect (it needs about 10-15% more of propane than on gas).
But propane is here only 4 $/gallon (propane tank instead of spare tire).


Klaus

 

[spitfisher]

Any more mileage updates?

Just yesterday here in New England, ran around the outside of Boston, rt 128, some highway, some dead stop inching along high way, visited some customers in the surrounding towns, again relatively heavy traffic, lights, some construction etc. a total of 227 miles. But mostly highway, sometimes 45, sometimes 70 mph

According to my 2011 Explorer XLT 4wd ( 10500 miles, non synthetic oil 5/30) on board computer 10.2 gallons for the 227 Miles for 22.25. I don't drive like an old lady, heck you can't around Boston for that matter. I don't step on it when light turns green only to stop several hundred yards later for another one. I try to drive smart.

 

[Essex4x4]

I love this thread. I get 13/18 haha. Love my V8 and intend on keeping her ship shape. Power is good!!! My best as of right now is a awesome 21 !!

 

[bamacommander]

I have a 2013 V6 FWD with 4000 miles and am getting 21 to 22 around town and 26 to 27 on the highway. I live in Florida and the roads are pretty flat. Love this car, gas mileage is better then advertised.

 

[harlenm]

Real hot and humid here the last few days. Upper 90's with heat indexes around 105. Power and performance has been awful, and gas mileage has been pretty bad as well. Need to floor it to get it moving. Weather should be better tomorrow, so it should get better.

 

[cnsheets]

Los Angeles traffic, I am running a combined 18 mpg

 

[Fredridge]

Also LA traffic. 13k miles, 95% city and built mpg monitor list me at just over 18 and I have a somewhat heavy foot.

 

[1995E]

I have to say, I used to be one of those who complained about fuel economy being 13 MPG.

Now I'm getting 15 - 16 in the city which is not too bad where I live.

The main thing I figured out that affected my fuel economy was definitely the fuel quality, I switched gas stations and fuel economy + throttle response was much better. The ethanol in the fuel explains the 1.5 drop in MPGs in the city.

Definitely old driving habits, I'm so used to taking the car to 2,000 - 3,000 RPM for acceleration in an SUV but you don't have to for the same pick up in this Explorer. So I started to really feather my acceleration and so I would hit 16 - 17 MPGs city.

I don't really need to hold the accelerator to keep the speed at 45 - 50 MPH, only when there is engine braking do I need to so I just take my foot off or slightly press the accelerator to keep my speed and it helps the fuel economy so much.

Fuel quality and driving habits are the main blames I would say for bad fuel economy. If only they still made gasoline without ethanol.