[TooOld]

My first long trip at Thanksgiving. From fuel log app, over 1519 miles (up to my last fill up), I got 31.8 mpg.

Not sure what to think of it. However, some notes:
1. Probably had 100 - 125 lbs of luggage (yes, wife and I take everything including the cast iron kitchen sink).
2. Passenger at let's say 150 lbs.

So besides driver, the vehicle had an extra call it 250 lbs. On trip to destination, we had approximately 45-55 degree weather, with some periods of intense rain and I believe a pretty good head wind.

Then probably about 300 miles of mainly city driving.

On return trip, we had ridiculous for November 66-70 degree temperatures and the whole time a very brisk head wind.

1st half of trip was with 91 octane fuel, last half (experimenting) was with 87 octane.

Vehicle's fuel trip computer shows total of 1633 miles @ 33.4 mpg. I'm thinking 33.4 isn't bad considering the extra weight and "luck" of hitting some reasonably bad fuel economy weather.

And to be fair we weren't always light on the throttle.

 

[CorvZ061]

back when my wife had a 2012 se hatch we drove it from here is Ga to Baton Rouge, LA and averaged 38 for the trip. the drive back the car was loaded down with the back seats folded flat.

 

[Slicknick]

That's pretty solid mpg. I didn't make that long of a trip but I did drive all highway 106 miles. I set the cruise at 73-74mph and got 33.4. I was expecting more but the road is not flat and the winter gas so I can't complain.

I do have a slight shimmy at anything above 70. It makes highway driving uneasy at times. I may need to have my tires balanced again, they are brand new.

 

[SPIinDisguise]

Add up the weight, wind, and winter gas, there you go...

I still should think you would get better than that though. Auto or manual?

My 02 just got 31 driving all around last week. city and highway going 70ish

 

[TooOld]

Add up the weight, wind, and winter gas, there you go...

I still should think you would get better than that though. Auto or manual?

My 02 just got 31 driving all around last week. city and highway going 70ish

I have the DCT. Perhaps it still isn't "broken in" yet. I started the trip with 3000 miles on the odometer.

I'm thinking mine is very sensitive to the speed. Now maybe it was the confluence of events as you noted (weather, wind, weight, elevation deltas, the once every 100 miles WOT from 65 to 105 to "see what it does") that added up to the poorer fuel usage than others on this forum have noted.

For example, and these are rough estimates, I'd say a drop off in mpg as the speed increases from 65 mph. I'm estimating about 1 mpg for every 2 mph from 65.

So if 65 is giving me 35 mpg, 67 yields 34, 69 yields 33, 71 yields 32, etc. Although I must say from 70 mph it seems to drop off more than 1 mpg / 2 mph -- maybe 1 mpg / 1 mph.

 

[CorvZ061]

A little more info on my trip, from here to LA there isn't a lot of elevation changes cruise control set at 68 most of the way. Was over thanksgiving weekend not sure if it was winter blend fuel or not but I'm thinking not quite yet as the temps were fairly warm still.

The car was a bone stock 12 SE hatchback with auto trans. I don't know if your car is a hatch or sedan but that makes a difference with the sedan getting better mileage I believe.

I mis quoted the mileage. Was looking back through my records and that trip averaged 35. We did however average 38 going to myrtle beach SC from here outside Atlanta but we didn't have much luggage with us as were there for a long weekend.

Regardless it's better than my F150 that averaged 22 over 3500 miles on a trip from Ga to Amarillo. And the 28.5 my ST averaged on a 300 mile day trip. Lol

 

[bama_focus]

taking my focus to the keys over the christmas break, hope to see over 35 MPG

 

[thenorm]

temperature also has an effect
rule of thumb is 1 mpg change per 30 deg F at 70mph due to air density effects.

but i bet it was the headwinds that did you in.

a 30mph head wind at 70mph is like driving 100mph (as far as aerodymaics are concerned). Also cross winds are worse, they really disrupt how the air smoothly flows over the car

 

[Slicknick]

Also, my car has the 17's. I was told that would bump me down 1mpg.

 

[Jplumbob]

My first long drive was from Ohio to Albany Ny. Was over 450 miles. Had about 1500 since new. Got 41 hours using smart phone app which was within 2 or 3 Mpg average that car was indicating. I drive about 85 miles one way for work and average has been about 35. Just coming up to 20,000 so far issue free miles. Got her beginning April.

 

[williambs55]

Our Thanksgiving Trip Mileage

With about 3300 miles on the Focus and DCT we got about 43 mpg on the way out on our trip and about 39 mpg(into the wind). Very pleased with the mileage. Kept it at 65 on the way back and 70/65 on the way there.
Very pleased with the mileage.
Wondering why some have got lower mpg than we had. Of course, it was just the wife and I and our Shitzu with light luggage(75lbs).

 

[StevenK]

I just (literally) drove a automatic rental back from Miami to south east Michigan over the past 19hrs. 1,313 miles.

We/I, averaged 36.8 mpg over the trip. Outside of the automatic (needed new cluches), I was pretty impressed. NOT with the horrid in traffic shifting all of you auto guys/gals compain about. But comfort was good, all tho it not fun to sleep in as a average sized male. But pep and ride was one of the best rentals I've drove any distance.

 

[Slicknick]

I can get 36 but I need to go 55 mph!

 

[bama_focus]

38 mpg over our 960 mile trip down to the keys from Birmingham. 16 hours straight driving the only advice I can give is bring a butt pillow.

 

[sfhess]

I averaged 33.4 on a trip from home to Salt Lake City and back. 75-80 MPH most of the way some wind, some rain/sleet/snow on part of the trip. I am happy with my car's efficiency, comfort and performance. It is a great travel companion.

 

[CorvZ061]

I have noticed with my ST that at 65 I can get 32 out of it, but 75-80 is 28. Lol

 

[SCaliber]

I did 3000 miles this past summer from VA to Texas and down south back to VA and in 80-90~ degree weather I got:

1 person: 41 mpg for 800 miles
2 people: 39 mpg for 300 miles
3 people: 38 mpg for 800 miles
4 people: 35 mpg for 800 miles
5 people: 29 mpg for 400 miles (also was going 85mph in Texas)

I was on my way to a wedding and picked up people along the way. So this also includes luggage up to the roof. I was really impressed with my Focus. It loves the highway and 87 octane gas.

 

[boombots]

Just did 400 miles from Charlotte to Pittsburgh and got 32.2 according to the car. That was from a fill up in Wythville, VA to PA through the mountains with the cruise set at 72-75 and 2 people/luggage.

The first part of the tank leading to Wythville has city driving so that tank was only around 30mpg. On winter blend my daily commute 50/50 driving style and a lead foot nets me around 28.5mpg. Most I have gotten was 36 and that was loaded down with gear in the summer on vacation.

Winter blend gas sucks for MPG. My truck is getting under 10...

 

[kjburns]

I went from a Fiesta ST to a 2014 Focus Titanium due to RV towing issues with the ST. This past Saturday I bought the Focus. On Sunday, we took the Focus from Tucson to Show Low, via the Salt River Canyon, and back to Tucson. It finished the day with 34.4 mpg on the computer. This includes any driving the dealer may have done, I didn't reset the computer. Color me impressed. 34.4 mpg on a green engine through the mountains is excellent. The computer showed about 25 mpg when I bought it.

The handling is not shabby at all. The DCT isn't bad, despite some complaints I'd heard. In sport mode, it ran uphill with plenty of spunk. I tried to find a Titanium with nav and the five speed manual, but the nearest one was in Florida. I wanted to find most of the ST in a Focus (non-ST) which meant manual transmission, nav, keyless, etc.

The Fiesta ST could be pretty brutal over broken pavement making the Focus feels like a Rolls in comparison. I loved the handling of the ST, but the stiff suspension on rural roads was not kind on my back. The Focus Titanium rides very nicely without giving up much in the handling department. I consider this the sweet spot. I'm not going to race it, but I like a car that's fun to drive at nine 10ths.

In all, I probably drove the new car for ten hours today and I was fine...no numb butt. I drove it about 500 miles and it's better than expected. Now I need to look at getting rid of the dolly and setting up the Focus to flat tow behind our motorhome

 

[PacketHauler]

38 mpg over our 960 mile trip down to the keys from Birmingham. 16 hours straight driving the only advice I can give is bring a butt pillow.

The nice thing about Florida is you should always get pretty good mileage. Not too much wind and the roads are flat. []