Focus Fanatics Forum banner

2012 owners Post your MPG's

236K views 1K replies 485 participants last post by  aaron.b 
#1 ·
All,
I test drove a 2012 Focus SE this weekend. I liked it alot, but, am still comparing (Cruze Eco is nice too). If anyone owns one, please post Real world gas mileage. I like the thought of the stick shift at 26/36 on the SE, but, the SEL has alot more options. This may force me to go with Auto at 27/37 (US Model). I'm hoping real world does get in the mid 30's. I know they just hit the lots, but, hoping some users have some miles on them!
 
#42 ·
in town the mpg doesn't look great (low 20s) ... but I was never able to check the taurus wagon like this. most likely half that.

this morning a mid range drive was getting 35 ... and that was with some stop and go.

am getting into this resetting the mpg for each trip. this is fun ... now can decide how much it costs to do walmart run for box of dish washer soap vs. stop and shop a block away.

if you are having some issues with the computerized controls .... try to figure out the interior ambient lights, changing colors, and everything in slow motion. They need to write a way bigger manual for us normal people... "Focus computers for Dummies"
 
#43 ·
Try this to get working MPG. My best guess 3 days into this car.

trip 1. short trips
at the start reset Average MPG + reset trip Odometer
trip 2. overall mpg for longer period of time.

if you don't reset the trip odometer it seems to take in prior milage into average, which you don't want to do to see a decent MPG on a specific trip.

This being said ... I don't know which milage the Miles to E is based on --- the current trip or a longer average. or for that matter if E is really E or 20 miles before you will run out of gas.
 
#48 ·
I've had our 5-door SE for a week now, and it has just over 400 miles on the odometer. We bought it with 108 miles, as it was a dealer-located car for us. Was averaging 25.6mpg on the first tank, which was mostly city. I filled up last night (9.7 gallons!) after the low fuel light came on. I reset the average at the gas station and today I am getting 29.8 mpg's.

The Focus replaced our 2005 Explorer XLT 4x4, which was averaging only 14 mpg's around town. I'm really loving the Focus now... [cool]
 
#49 ·
instant MPG readout?

For those w/ MFT, what kind of instant MPG display does it have? How useful do you find it?

2010 Fusion had 6 bars w/ increasing height - more bars = good.

Edge w/ MFT has a bar display along a scale, bar grows horizontally w/ increasing milage, also has a red line for average MPG superimposed on graph.
 
#56 ·
For those w/ MFT, what kind of instant MPG display does it have? How useful do you find it?

2010 Fusion had 6 bars w/ increasing height - more bars = good.

Edge w/ MFT has a bar display along a scale, bar grows horizontally w/ increasing milage, also has a red line for average MPG superimposed on graph.
that's one of my few disappointments about the car, it doesn't have a instant readout in either bars, like my old fusion, or in numbers. that was a good coach to see where you were at, and showed you could tell if you were in a headwind or not.
 
#50 ·
Did my first commute to work today and averaged 33MPG with a mix of city/highway driving. Not bad for a car thats not even broken in. And thats without using cruise control and with what seemed to be heavier traffic than normal. My 96 Taurus GL would average 22 MPG on the same route.
 
#51 ·
I've had my SEL for a week now, drive 19 miles, 75/25 highway/city driving.
I've got a heavy foot and driving this car "spiritedly" I am still getting between 26 and 30mpg with only 350 miles on the car. It's better than the 17mpg I was getting out of my Chev Colorado and is heaps better drive and look at.

I've got a 1300 mile trip coming up next week which will be 98% highway driving. Should be a good test for the little hot hatch.
 
#52 ·
27 mpg

I am getting 27 on my 5-speed S. That's mostly short 4-6 mile trips up and down the main highway (with signals) near my house. Not really in-town, but not long enough to count as highway miles.

That's on 100% 87 octane gasoline, as I don't do ethanol.
 
#53 ·
I love this discussion but it still pisses me off that we don't get to buy the Euro Focus tdi that gets 59 MPG and its not a hybrid!!! Even though these are great numbers just know that we as consumers are getting screwed not by ford but by our government not letting ford sell us the higher MPG cars
 
#74 ·
Had my SEL hatch since tuesday, I officially loathe this Ecomode BS. Just give me usable information like a sliding bar with superimposed ave MPGs so I know if I'm doing better or worse than current average.

Ecoturd is insulting, they calculate the data and pat you on the head - feels like a trophy for participation. This is the only thing on the car I dislike, everything else I'm loving. Not posting MPGs yet as i'm having too much fun playing with the Sport mode manual shifting.
 
#58 ·
Only just took possession of my Focus on Saturday, however I did do some testing.

Took a trip that was about 100km each way (62miles). On the way back, I reset everything with trip 2, then kept the speed around the speed limit of 100kmh (62mph). At first, the Fuel indicator came up at 8.5litres/100km, or about 27.5 US MPG. However every 3 seconds, it would drop by .1. So 8.4, then 8.3 etc.. It did this until it went down to 4.9, or about 47 US MPG. I was able to hold it there for about 5 minutes, but then after some large hills, it went up to 5.1, or about 46mpg.

I could not calculate by hand (still on the first tank), and the computer is probably a little optimistic, but considering the engine is very far from being broken in (only 300km on it right now), that is still not half bad.

Just for reference, Titanium Hatch w/ 18' summer tires and sport handling, regular 87 octane gas.

Have a long trip coming up which is about 550km each way. So will see what I can get.
 
#61 ·
It would have added more to the sticker price. Already, even on a focus enthusiast forum, people are complaining about the price and how they cannot fathom that a focus could cost $28k (after years of complaining that we don't have the euro focus). It would only had fuel to the fire to add another few thousand on top for the diesel engine.

Like Mysticbluebmw said, baby steps. Once people become comfortable with the new focus and price, then maybe they can start introducing new engines that cost a little more.

Btw, for reference, the 2012 focus, using Imperial Miles on the Canadian test cycle (which is closer to the older US test cycle, and also closer to the UK test cycle), gets 58MPG (again, Imperial), on the highway. That should give you a frame of reference, since that same car is rated 40MPG on the US cycle in US Gallons.
 
#65 ·
The problem is that the name Ford Focus in the USA does not have a reputation as a GREAT car. As a result, many people here don't think of the Focus as a car that SHOULD cost even $22,000.

Now, if you don't load a car up with every available option, the $23,000 price tag on the Titanium gives you quite a few features for the price, and many can accept that. They just start to complain when there is an overlap in the price of a compact car and the price of a larger vehicle.

That's the real key, you can get a Fiesta for $19,000 that has a ton of features, or you can get a Focus SE for less that doesn't have as many features but has a more powerful engine and is larger. You have to decide for yourself what you want.

The real cutoff for most people on the 2012 Focus hits at around $25,000 because you can find larger cars at that price range that also have a more powerful engine. The ST will have a 248 horsepower engine, so if THAT comes in at $27,000 or $28,000, people will bit a bit more accepting due to the engine upgrade, but they don't think that with park assist, navigation, moon roof(which many people want and don't use or care about once they have it), etc that the price should go up all that much.

People also clearly don't think, because you would not believe the number of Focus SEs that are out there with a price upwards of $22,000 with automatic, and even without the sport package. Dealers ordered the SE with a ton of extra features when a SEL would make more sense. How about a Focus SEL that has the MyFord Touch package added? On the sticker, the 301A package adds $995 to the price. With Red Candy color(for a direct comparison), a 5-door SEL with 301A comes to $23,180. The Titanium is $23,885. So, SEL with JUST the MyFord Touch & Sony package is only $705 less, but you don't get all the features of the Titanium, and for $705, the Titanium makes a lot more sense.

I can see a SE with MANUAL transmission with a bunch of options, since you can't get a SEL with manual transmission over here, or a SEL with Premium package but without the MyFord Touch for those who are being selective about what they get for their money, but for those who go for a FULLY loaded car, why shouldn't it cost more for ALL of those extra features? Navigation, Winter Package, Park Assist, Premium Package, Moon Roof, plus the little things like cargo nets and extra protection features, why wouldn't all of those add up to $5000?
 
#62 ·
I just filled up. Mileage figured out to 35.9 mpg. I have a hatch with manual trans, grille shutters and about 700 miles on the clock. My driving is about 70% highway and I don't normally hit it too hard. The trip computer showed 36.0 mpg since the previous fillup so it seems to be pretty accurate. I don't think I'll have any trouble getting 40 mpg on a long trip once the engine gets a few miles on it.
 
#66 ·
Voipguy, the gas gauge was getting near 'E' when I filled up. It took 10.3 gallons. I had driven 370 miles on that tank. The trip computer said I still had 65miles till empty, but I didn't quite trust its accuracy yet. It should be no problem to get over 400 miles on a fill up. The trip computer seems to be surprisingly accurate in my car.
Everything about this car seems to be flawless. I've pretty much gone over it with a fine tooth comb and can't find any problems. Michigan Assembly and everyone else who contributed should be commended.
Vinnie
 
#67 ·
Posted on Ford Focus Facebook page........

Popular Mechanics, ran a real-world comparo with 5 cars, including new Focus. Results are interesting, with Focus sedan (38.6 mpg) second only to a diesel Jetta (40.4 mpg) but ahead of Chevy Cruze (36.7), Fiat 500 (34.6) and well ahead of the Hyundai Elentra (32.3)!! Love that! -- Mark Schirmer, Ford Communications
 
#76 ·
Well, it appears that bias is making its way into these figures. Wonder how much Ford paid them to get those results. I'd rather go with Consumer Reports, one of the few unbiased sources out there. The Elantra got 3mpg better than both versions of the Cruze they tested. New Focus hasn't been tested yet, so the verdict is still out on that one.

Even C&D, which I do consider a biased source, had the Elantra doing better than the Cruze. The Focus got only 1 mpg better than the Elantra, which is hardly worth bragging about. The Cruze (tied with the Mazda3 s Sport) got the worst mpg of all five cars in their May comparo.

I'd consider the Focus and Elantra equals as far as mpg, and technically for me, the Focus would be worse as I'd get the stick shift. People don't realize how little difference a few mpg makes (especially those who fork out $1000 more for an SFE package to get 1 mpg more). But I seriously doubt the numbers you quoted. No one else is seeing the Cruze beat the Elantra, so that calls into question all the other figures.

My 3-day Elantra rental gave me 44mpg on a trip that combined mostly highway with some city, and 30 in the city. I got 39mpg in gusty rain going 70-80 mph. I couldn't believe a small car could handle those conditions so well and also get that kind of mpg.

I'm hoping to find a Focus to rent sometime before we're ready to buy, but as of right now, I'm going with the Elantra.
 
#71 ·
I have a 2012 SE hatch w/ just over 1100 miles. I commute about 90 miles a day, maybe 15 of that is getting to and from the interstate and then once I'm on it I do 70. Temps have been 80-90. Lots of ups and downs but nothing major. I'm getting 34.6 but I've really been babying it. It's slowly inching up but if I get on it a bit it doesn't take long to drop. 700 of those miles were on it when I got it, I'm guessing those were mostly test drives so it'll take a little while to average out.
 
#73 ·
Hey guys,

According to the product information manual that a dealership gave me about a month ago, it states that the fuel capacity on both the sedan and hatchback is 12.4 gallons. It doesn't mention anything about a reserve tank though. The other interesting tidbit is that the heaviest version of the 2012 is actually the Titanium 4-door @3025 lbs. (base curb weight, approx.), whereas the Titanium 5-door comes in 29 lbs. lighter @2986 lbs. Obviously, these weights vary based on packages/options. Also, the 5-door is about 6" shorter than the sedan.

-B
 
#75 ·
I am getting about 37MPG so far with about 350 miles on the clock, cruise set between 55-65, 80 mile commute with 85% highway driving. I am very happy, compared with my Fusion Sport AWD that got around 24MPG.

I filled it up when it was at 0 miles to empty (yes, I was far from the next gas station, I won't do it again, promise) and it took 11.5 gallons of gas. I am thinking it must have about 1 galllon reserve when showing empty (which is good).

I also dislike the EcoMode, it's cool when you first buy the car but useless to me at this point. It's always maxed out, flowers all green and I am always an Eco Champion. Like Jazzdog said above, I would rather have an instant MPG in a bar graph like the new Edge or F-150.
 
#81 ·
I took a Sunday drive today and the best MPG's I got was 37.3. That was with the cruise set at 60 on a two lane hilly, windy road. On the freeway I was getting 34 to 36 depending on my speed. I was varying my speed and once took it up to 100, the car felt good going that fast, but not something I will do too often. Pretty good considering I only have 250 miles on it. I have trip 2 set for city MPG's and it's currently reading 24.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18305761@N00/5723610553/lightbox/
 
#82 ·
I'm curious, but not curious enough to waddle through 7 pages of somewhat bickering ... maybe a poll should be added so others don't have to read.
I know I've seen a few threads on the sloppy trans and low mileage, maybe because they didn't see this thread or read any of it, just like I didn't.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top