Low MPG on new 2012 Titanium Hatch
 

Hello Everyone,

I have a 2 week old Focus Titanium hatchback that has me worried with a few issues, the big one being MPG ratings.

On first tank of gas I got 23.5 MPG, and half way through 2nd tank the computer says about the same. This basically with just daily commute driving about half city streets and half 55MPH freeway. I drive carefully and usually get numbers better than EPA ratings on everything else I have driven, so this worries me.

I spoke to the dealer and they say it needs to break in to get best results. This makes some sense, but I am expecting at least 10 MPG higher out of this car (33+ on average)and that seems like a big jump for just "breaking it in" to fix.

Anyone have any insight on if this is normal or anything I should check?

I have a SE Sport with 17" wheels and I got 25 MPG the first few tanks. I now have 10,600 miles on it and I get 32 MPG on average and I don't drive very conservatively. I think you will see a difference as the mileage racks up and as the dual clutches bed in. Maybe at 2,000 miles you will see the 30 MPG mark depending on your driving style.

Use Fuelly to track your fuel mileage. It gives you actual numbers than what the cars computer puts out. http://www.fuelly.com

Welcome to the Forum! [welcome]

I agree. At about 1,500 miles I started seeing a steady, noticable increase in MPGs. The onboard computer is sometimes fairly accurate, but fuelly will give you a better grasp on where you're at. I wouldnt worry about it.

One more thing to consider ... the miles on the odo is likely to be off a bit and on a new car it will tend to under report mileage -- mine does to the tune of 1.4%.


Brian

if you are 50% city, odds are you are not going to get 33mpg, but until you are at 1000-1500 miles the engine needs to break in.

My car routinely gives me better readouts than my actual mileage, but I've been averaging over 30mpg with about 60-70% city driving since January, I have 17"s and my car now has over 10k miles on it.

Living in Idaho, I would expect to get 45mpg as you go several miles between stores and towns. :p

I am a pretty aggressive driver. I have a little over 4,000 miles now. I get 27 to 30 mpg on a normal basis. I figure all mine with a calculator at the pump. Most of my driving is country roads. I would really expect better then this. I had a 2011 fiesta last year that I traded for my Focus and the Fiesta got 32 mpg at the least, even in the worst city driving.

Thanks for the input everyone. I suppose we will just wait and see, it seems like this is not totally out of the ordinary.

Why did you expect better, you went to a heavier car with a bigger engine. Fuelly shows the average for the 2011 fiesta at 35mpg and the 2012 focus at 31, sounds like it is doing exactly what it is supposed to.