Disappointing 31.5 mpg on 850 miles trip: LA-Arizona-LA

[Jmav2152]

3. High temps (I live in PHX) will lower your MPG.

This. People vastly underestimate how much temperature effects MPG. So many more systems come into play in the heat.

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[Sardone]

As I took delivery of my Maverick in December last year, the gas mileage was great. With the first tank I almost got 600 miles and moving forward I was averaging always 40mpg+. I had done all the software updates 2 or 3 weeks ago and noticed that the city mpg had gone down significantly but my overall mpg on my last tank of gas seemed to be unchanged. I still got great gas mileage when I drove freeway routes within LA. In the meantime I have 8k miles on the truck.
Now I took my first longer trip and drove with my Dad from LA to Arizona (a small town around 80-90 miles beyond phoenix) and back in one day. Total of 850 miles. The gas mileage was super disappointing. I got around 31.5 mpg average on this trip. I don't know if it was the strong side wind, the fact that I had my dad in the truck (I usually drive alone) or the fact I had to go up and down the hill, but this is not what I am used from this truck on the freeway. Until now, I actually got the higher mpg on the 30-40 mile trips of the freeway. I would get 50 or 60 mpg on some of my freeway rides. Anyone an idea what was happening here?

I would be very happy!

 

[Mach 1]

I am learning/modifying my driving techniques on the highway as well, i have been pulling down some 60+mpg on 20m spurts. I just filled up today at my favorite Sunoco starion for $4.14g, check out those miles to empty on new tank, i had 30m till empty so i could have pulled down 740mpt.

 

[Blue1005]

I too am becoming concerned. I stated off with near 38plus mpg when i got it. At 2500 miles now and last 750 miles have been near 32 mpg, same driving habits. I am concerned that the estimates were a little lofty which sucks cause I bought it for MPG. Hoping I can figure out why the decrease and reverse it. If we ever see 2 dollars a gallon I would not care, but in this inflation I need every penny.

 

[Bodageta]

As I took delivery of my Maverick in December last year, the gas mileage was great. With the first tank I almost got 600 miles and moving forward I was averaging always 40mpg+. I had done all the software updates 2 or 3 weeks ago and noticed that the city mpg had gone down significantly but my overall mpg on my last tank of gas seemed to be unchanged. I still got great gas mileage when I drove freeway routes within LA. In the meantime I have 8k miles on the truck.
Now I took my first longer trip and drove with my Dad from LA to Arizona (a small town around 80-90 miles beyond phoenix) and back in one day. Total of 850 miles. The gas mileage was super disappointing. I got around 31.5 mpg average on this trip. I don't know if it was the strong side wind, the fact that I had my dad in the truck (I usually drive alone) or the fact I had to go up and down the hill, but this is not what I am used from this truck on the freeway. Until now, I actually got the higher mpg on the 30-40 mile trips of the freeway. I would get 50 or 60 mpg on some of my freeway rides. Anyone an idea what was happening here?

Supposedly the gov was going to authorize higher alcohol fuel for this summer to ease the gas situation. If you filled up with that stuff unknowingly it gets less mpg. That could be the issue. Just a thought.

 

[Darnon]

Supposedly the gov was going to authorize higher alcohol fuel for this summer to ease the gas situation. If you filled up with that stuff unknowingly it gets less mpg. That could be the issue. Just a thought.

The difference between 10% and 15% Ethanol content should be less than a 1% reduction in fuel economy.

 

[Mach 1]

Good thought on the fuel quality..that with maybe heat/AC. Could be some bad stale fuel?

Shoot, who knows it could be a combination of factors at play here. No telling in this day/age.

Another thought was with all the battery cable connections and degragating the 12v system its possible the BECM is not getting proper charging, as we have seen before.

 

[stoptothink]

I too am becoming concerned. I stated off with near 38plus mpg when i got it. At 2500 miles now and last 750 miles have been near 32 mpg, same driving habits. I am concerned that the estimates were a little lofty which sucks cause I bought it for MPG. Hoping I can figure out why the decrease and reverse it. If we ever see 2 dollars a gallon I would not care, but in this inflation I need every penny.

There are a heck of a lot of us getting way over EPA estimates. We're at 48.0mpg in mixed driving after 2k miles. I just walked in the door from driving home from my parents'; ~60 miles round trip, almost all freeway and >53mpg both there and back. There are a lot of factors that go into fuel efficiency, your driving behavior being the largest (by a huge margin).

 

[Blue1005]

There are a heck of a lot of us getting way over EPA estimates. We're at 48.0mpg in mixed driving after 2k miles. I just walked in the door from driving home from my parents'; ~60 miles round trip, almost all freeway and >53mpg both there and back. There are a lot of factors that go into fuel efficiency, your driving behavior being the largest (by a huge margin).

i do see what people say they are getting, have yet to pull that high of mpg. Makes me wonder if my engine is one that is just not able to get it that high.

 

[Mach 1]

Why would you think you got something different in Mav, different driver, yes, different environment, yes, different terrain, yes, different fuel, yes, however different Mav?....i dont think so.

 

[2517X]

I have noticed that the MPG the computer shows on the dash is ALWAYS higher than what you get when you divide the miles driven by the gallons bought. It makes you feel better to see the trips that say 75 MPG, but at the end of the tank the miles driven divided by the gallons is almost exactly what the EPA estimate was, 42 if you stay in town of 33 if you're cruising down the interstate at 75 MPH

 

[Eagle11]

I have noticed that the MPG the computer shows on the dash is ALWAYS higher than what you get when you divide the miles driven by the gallons bought. It makes you feel better to see the trips that say 75 MPG, but at the end of the tank the miles driven divided by the gallons is almost exactly what the EPA estimate was, 42 if you stay in town of 33 if you're cruising down the interstate at 75 MPH

Many of us have posted about this, the hybrid onboard computer usually reads 2 MPG higher than when you manually calculate it.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

The sky's falling...

1. Hybrid's wheelhouse is stop-and-go traffic, where you can regen (regenerate elec to recharge the Hybrid battery) on the highway that doesn't happen.
2. The Maverick is a brick so your MPH will be lower on the highway
3. High temps (I live in PHX) will lower your MPG.

Yesterday 6/26/22 I drove 335 miles in texas.temp 99-105. Had strong head wind about 40% of time. 85% was at 75mph with cruise and AC set at 73 at fan speed 3. Had 5.3 electric miles. I was happy with the 33.4 MPG.

 

[Eagle11]

Yesterday 6/26/22 I drove 335 miles in texas.temp 99-105. Had strong head wind about 40% of time. 85% was at 75mph with cruise and AC set at 73 at fan speed 3. Had 5.3 electric miles. I was happy with the 33.4 MPG.

That is excellent....

 

[Falcon first]

My wife just drove round trip this weekend from Columbia, SC to Cincinnati, Ohio area and got 39 mpg. Not hand calculated but still great mileage, she said she averaged about 75. A lot of hilly terrain and Smoky Mountains but its still outstanding, round trip was over 1,100 miles which included 100 local miles. Temperatures were mid 90’s when she left here and mid to upper 80’s in Northern, Ky where she went. We now have 3,200+ miles and average since purchase is 40.2 mpg, mostly city except for that trip.

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