[Sheila]

I picked up my new 2012 SFE on July 15. It had 10 miles on it. I am now half way through my second tank of gas. I am only getting about 18 mph city and the best I have had on highway is 24 mph. I have a three year lease, 10,500 miles per year. So, do I have to wait until 3,000 miles to have some kind of good mph? Hope not ...[???]

 

[Joeywhat]

Fuel economy is directly related to driving habits. Also, in many cases it gets better after a few thousand miles are put on.

Driving habits are the biggest MPG killer. Keep it 70 or under on the freeway, keeping a constant speed. On surface streets, try to time lights and traffic so you're not slamming the brakes and flooring it all the time. You want to try and stay at as steady a speed as possible.

Otherwise, it may be an issue with the vehicle. But remember, the EPA mileage numbers ARE estimates, and assume very conservative driving habits are employed.

 

[Dgc333]

City mileage can vary all the way down to zero when you are sitting stopped with the engine running so City mileage is going to vary greatly based on the stopped to moving ratio. But you should get much better on the hiway.

As a comparison my wife has been consistently getting mid 34's for mpg on our SEL for suburban around town trips. The majority of the 2000 miles on the car is my wife's 18 mile round trip commute which has 12 lights for the round trip where she will be averaging about 35 mph between lights.

A couple of times I have had it out onto the hiway and have reset the trip mpg it gets 40ish at 65-70 mph.

Btw, the trip mileage calculation has been consistently .8 mpg lower than actual calculated mileage.

I would say you have a problem with your car.

 

[Sheila]

City mileage can vary all the way down to zero when you are sitting stopped with the engine running so City mileage is going to vary greatly based on the stopped to moving ratio. But you should get much better on the hiway.

As a comparison my wife has been consistently getting mid 34's for mpg on our SEL for suburban around town trips. The majority of the 2000 miles on the car is my wife's 18 mile round trip commute which has 12 lights for the round trip where she will be averaging about 35 mph between lights.

A couple of times I have had it out onto the hiway and have reset the trip mpg it gets 40ish at 65-70 mph.

Btw, the trip mileage calculation has been consistently .8 mpg lower than actual calculated mileage.

I would say you have a problem with your car.

Did it take some time/miles for you to achieve the mph that you have now?

 

[Dgc333]

It started at 29+ but by the third tank it was at the mid 34s range.

 

[Custodian]

Sheila... how many miles do you have on the odo?

BTW... the SFE looks like a great package... I fell for the Sterling Grey... but the Race Red really pops on the lot... shoot us some pics when you get a chance.

 

[Sheila]

Sheila... how many miles do you have on the odo?

BTW... the SFE looks like a great package... I fell for the Sterling Grey... but the Race Red really pops on the lot... shoot us some pics when you get a chance.

Patrick:
I've got 405 miles on it. The Race Red is a head turner, love the color. Actually bought it sight unseen. I had road tested white SEL with winter package, very nice, but wanted to put out less money right now. If the SFE package ends up delivering close to what it promises, I'll be a happy driver. I do like the spoiler; oddly, some people on this site say that the hub caps are not so great, but I happen to like them because they are different from what you usually see on the road. I hope that the tires fare well in the wicked upstate NY winter. Never had problems with Michelin all season on the 1999 Eldorado that I traded for this Focus.
Sheila

 

[Custodian]

You need to relax about the MPG... let the motor finish breaking in... I have 8000 on my 2011 SE now and sometimes see upwards of 40 MPG after filling up and hitting the highway... you will see an increase in highway mileage within a few thousand miles on the odo... give that baby a wash some weekend and a coat of a good quality wax... then give us a pic...despite all the MFT problems... I still think the Focus is a solid choice in todays economy.

Welcome to the forum, Sheila.

 

[Sheila]

Thanks kindly, Patrick. You have put my mind at ease. And, I agree, Focus is a great choice.
Sheila

 

[whynotthinkwhynot]

I'm sorry, I tend to disagree, I think 24 mpg highway and 18 around town is not correct even for a brand new car. I agree that the vehicles need to break in some before mileage will be at it's best, but something is wrong for it to be that low.

We had a guy on here who had issues forever with fuel economy, brand new car, finally he checked the spark plugs himself and found that all 4 had wildly different gaps- none close to the specs.

I would take it in to the dealer and see what happens. You pay enough for a lease car that you don't get to keep- so get it checked out so you don't pay more in fuel costs.

 

[Dgc333]

I agree breaking in may give you 1 or 2 more mpg but you are not going to go from 24 hiway to close to 40.

Have you calculated the mileage or just using the mileage meter in the dash? Have you verified when the odometer says you have gone a mile you actually have. On a slight hill will the car roll when in neutral? I would also go and drive another focus to see if the power in your car seems the same as the one you are testing.

 

[Sheila]

I'm sorry, I tend to disagree, I think 24 mpg highway and 18 around town is not correct even for a brand new car. I agree that the vehicles need to break in some before mileage will be at it's best, but something is wrong for it to be that low.

We had a guy on here who had issues forever with fuel economy, brand new car, finally he checked the spark plugs himself and found that all 4 had wildly different gaps- none close to the specs.

I would take it in to the dealer and see what happens. You pay enough for a lease car that you don't get to keep- so get it checked out so you don't pay more in fuel costs.

I calculated mileage on the first tank of gas. I am half way through second tank, and have only used the mileage meter for that. Have not verifies the odometer; I'll do that today, and test out neutral on a slight hill. Thanks for your input.
Sheila

 

[beerbombs]

I have had my car for 3 months and have 750 miles on mine and am only getting 20mpg. I don't go far in my car driving to work, and around town, but even on the highway I only have ever gotten it up to 28 mpg.

 

[Armen]

I think people are puting too much faith into break in periods. Today's motors require very little break in . You won't even find a section in the owner's manual about it anymore.

Truth be told, EPA estimates are all calculated on a dyno. The dyno offers different resistances to it's rollers to simulate real world conditions.

But everyone's driving habits are different, as are their daily routes. So everyone's real world fuel economy will differ from each other and most certainly from the epa estimates.

Idling, jackrabbit starts from a stop, pedal modulation, excessive braking, terrain, climate and a bunch of other factors play into real world mileage.

For better fuel economy, try to really FOCUS on the way you drive. Overall, this will be the biggest factor to better mileage.

 

[Joeywhat]

I think people are puting too much faith into break in periods. Todays motors require very little break in . You won't even find a section in the owner's manual about it anymore.

Truth be told, EPA estimates are all calculated on a dyno. The dyno offers different resistances to it's rollers to simulate real world conditions.

But everyone's driving habits are different, as are their daily routes. So everyone's real world fuel economy will differ from one and other and most certainly from the epa estimates.

Idling, jackrabbit starts from a stop, pedal modulation, excessive braking, terrain, climate and a bunch of other factors play into real world mileage.

For better fuel economy, try to really FOCUS on the way you drive. Overall, this will be the biggest factor to better mileage.

Exactly. I've driving almost exclusively in city environments for the past two weeks, and the awful traffic and signals combined with me driving like an a-hole pretty much means I get about 20 mpg. It's not the car's fault it's that low, it's mine for burying the pedal so much.

 

[FordService]

Sheila and beerbombs,

Have you checked out the Eco-Driving tips on Owner.Ford.com? It has many ways to conserve fuel, as driving habits do play a large part in fuel economy.

If you continue to have large differences in mpg, I recommend visiting your dealer to verify everything is functioning as it should be. Please let me know if I can help in any way.

~Natasha

 

[Sheila]

Sheila and beerbombs,

Have you checked out the Eco-Driving tips on Owner.Ford.com? It has many ways to conserve fuel, as driving habits do play a large part in fuel economy.

If you continue to have large differences in mpg, I recommend visiting your dealer to verify everything is functioning as it should be. Please let me know if I can help in any way.

~Natasha

So, you must think that something is wrong. Yes, I read those eco-driving tips the very day that I took delivery of my focus SFE. What do you think the issue is?

 

[FordService]

So, you must think that something is wrong. Yes, I read those eco-driving tips the very day that I took delivery of my focus SFE. What do you think the issue is?

Hi Sheila,

It may be adapting to your driving habits, it may be the traffic you drive it causing less efficiency, etc. If you are concerned, I suggest visiting the dealer for your peace of mind. []

~Natasha

 

[Sheila]

Well, your suggestion is the obvious --- As soon as I can afford to take an afternoon off to do that, I certainly will, but not so easily done, being self-employed.

 

[JeffDeWitt]

That seems low to me too, even with an engine that new.

If the display on yours is like my 2010 one of the "gauges" it will show is a bar graph, the more bars showing the lower your current fuel consumption is. You might bring that up, keep an eye on it and try to keep as many bars showing as possible.

I know having my gas mileage staring me in the face all the time has had an effect on my driving habits... it makes a big difference seeing a constant running average rather than doing a rough calculation when filling the tank!