A Surprising And Enlightening Experience From First Maverick Road Trip

[jsus]

Yes, I'm sure I would, but driving below posted speed limits (70) often leads to bad behavior from others on the roads.

Driving at or above the posted limit hardly stops or reduces that. They will do those things whether you're there or not.

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[MLA62563]

Yes, I'm sure I would, but driving below posted speed limits (70) often leads to bad behavior from others on the roads. As another poster noted, driving with the AC off will help also but I value comfort over sweating. I'm not a hypermiler by any stretch and never intend to be.

Are you kidding? Even driving AT the posted speed limits leads to bad behavior from some drivers.
Jokes aside, I do always stick to the speed limits. It's just that there a very few highways I encounter around here with limits over 65.
And I'm with you. I won't place saving a few dollars above my personal comfort....even if my wife would let me.

 

[huunvubu]

Very nice write up. I am glad you and your wife are enjoying your Maverick.

Here is a link to our summer vacation where we went 2804 miles over 12 days through 7 states in our XLT Hybrid Maverick: MPG stats from 12 days 2804 mile vacation trip in my Maverick Hybrid XLT

 

[vabchusa]

Comfort is too important to me (and more importantly, to my wife...) to sacrifice for the sake of efficiency, but I do stick to the speed limits. It makes a BIG difference.

I have had a C-max for 7 years. I drive about 60% hwy as a courier. I have found the cars "sweet spot" for mpg at 65 mph. I use cruise control and the ECO mode. The car idles about 4 hours a day with the ac on and I have a 41.7 mpg average since the car was new 173,000 miles ago.

 

[Kingfish]

Yes, I'm sure I would, but driving below posted speed limits (70) often leads to bad behavior from others on the roads. As another poster noted, driving with the AC off will help also but I value comfort over sweating. I'm not a hypermiler by any stretch and never intend to be.

Totally with you. There are plenty of studies showing that driving below the speed limit can be just as dangerous as excessive speeding. I set the cruise at 6 to 8 mph over and let other people stress if that's not fast enough for them.

 

[MLA62563]

Very nice write up. I am glad you and your wife are enjoying your Maverick.

Here is a link to our summer vacation where we went 2804 miles over 12 days through 7 states in our XLT Hybrid Maverick: MPG stats from 12 days 2804 mile vacation trip in my Maverick Hybrid XLT

Now THAT is a road trip!

 

[brnpttmn]

Yep, I'll bet the EPA was probably testing at 80 mph. And no doubt at perfectly steady speeds too. From what I've seen, even a little stop and go traffic along the way makes a big difference.

EPA runs 5 test cycles for MPG ratings. City. Highway. High Speed. Cold. Air conditioning. All of them are variable speed. The high speed test touches 80mph for a bit.
Here's the overview: Detailed Test Information (fueleconomy.gov)

 

[Ford Motor Company]

My wife and I just took our first road trip in our Hybrid XLT this last Friday. Yeah, from what I've been reading I know most of you probably consider 300 miles a jog around the park, but as I haven't really even left town in nine months of ownership, trust that it counts as a road trip for me.
Anyway, we drove from Charlotte, NC to the Blue Ridge Parkway and back to check out the leaves at their peak...and of course I was checking out the truck's performance and fuel efficiency as well.

As I said, I've driven almost entirely in the city since I've owned the Maverick and have been totally blown away by its amazing gas mileage. I routinely get 43-45 MPG here in town, but as the EPA has it rated at only 33 MPG on the "highway", I was fully expecting a big reduction on our trip. But as you can see from the readout, there was essentially NO difference at all, even after powering up all those steep grades. (The dash calculation is always 2-3 MPG high..) Wow! I honestly don't know what to think, and it makes me wonder exactly what the EPA considers to be "highway" travel. On our drive, there were long straight stretches of 65 MPH open highways before we even got to the mountains. Nearly a hundred miles or so each way. So considering that this is pretty much what all of my road trips will look like, I doubt I will ever see anything approaching that 33 MPG number. All good, and super impressive!

The truck's performance and handling were equally impressive. I found it to be extremely stable and sure footed in the curves, far better than any truck I've ever owned. And the power impressed as well. The truck easily tackled the steep grades without breaking a sweat, with none of the annoying gear "hunting" I've come to simply take as a given after a lifetime of experience with automatic transmissions. Acceleration was there smoothly and easily without having to "punch" it to get it to downshift. (As I've also taken as a given.) I am really sold on this hybrid configuration. It's an absolute blast to drive in the mountains. One advantage I expected to observe however, didn't pan out. I figured the regen braking would provide really strong resistance on the downgrades, greatly reducing friction braking effort. And it did....but for only a very short time. The high voltage battery reaches full charge so quickly that you don't really see much of a benefit. The engine braking does kick in to help, but as with all four cylinder engines, it doesn't really hold you back much. So I had to use the brakes on the downgrades pretty much to the same degree as other cars and trucks I've owned. Yes, I did try "low", but the engine braking reached such a fever pitch that I decided I'd rather just do the braking myself. Hey, that's what brake pads are for after all, and I'm cool with it.

Comfort was excellent. The seats were firm and supportive, and we didn't experience any fatigue at all, making the Maverick one of the best overall road trip vehicles I've ever owned.

Finally, I was pleasantly surprised to encounter more Mavericks on our trip than I have seen in town in all the nine months I've owned mine. We saw no less than five! And not one of them the same color. A Cactus Gray XLT passed us with a wave in Lincolnton, we got a smile and wave from a guy in a Cyber Orange XLT in Lenoir, and we passed a Carbonized Gray Lariat, and an Area 51 XLT on the parkway. Didn't get any photos of those as they were gone too quick, but I did park near a beautiful Oxford White Hybrid XLT at an overlook. Didn't see the owner before we left, but I took a picture. Gee, I hope he doesn't mind.

The whole trip from start to finish was quite a surprising and satisfying experience. We need to do this more often!

So glad to hear you're enjoying your experience with the Maverick, Mike. That yellow looks stunning in the autumn colors.

 

[StillWaiting]

It’s actually really enjoyable to try to play the “can I get it in electric mode” and “how long can I stay in electric mode”

Very pleased, my trip read 53 mpg on a stop and go short commute and regularly achieves 41-49 even when I do 80 for short bursts

 

[MLA62563]

It’s actually really enjoyable to try to play the “can I get it in electric mode” and “how long can I stay in electric mode”

Very pleased, my trip read 53 mpg on a stop and go short commute and regularly achieves 41-49 even when I do 80 for short bursts

Agreed.

And by the way, I believe it may be past time to change your moniker. Unless of course you're now waiting on a '23.

 

[StillWaiting]

Agreed.

And by the way, I believe it may be past time to change your moniker. Unless of course you're now waiting on a '23.

I just got it Monday after 406 days. I ordered a 23 but absolutely love this truck (besides the little things)

 

[MLA62563]

EPA runs 5 test cycles for MPG ratings. City. Highway. High Speed. Cold. Air conditioning. All of them are variable speed. The high speed test touches 80mph for a bit.
Here's the overview: Detailed Test Information (fueleconomy.gov)

Interesting...but now I'm even more puzzled by my own observations. The first stretch up to the Parkway was at a nearly steady 65....and the lowest real-time reading at the top was 41.5 MPG. Even accounting for the highly optimistic on board computer that's way higher than I expected. Oh well....I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

 

[projectvortex]

Driving at or above the posted limit hardly stops or reduces that. They will do those things whether you're there or not.

Yes I realize this. I’m just trying to mind my manners and be as PC as possible here. I too usually go 6-8 over the limit and still have someone on my ass regardless.

 

[brnpttmn]

Interesting...but now I'm even more puzzled by my own observations. The first stretch up to the Parkway was at a nearly steady 65....and the lowest real-time reading at the top was 41.5 MPG. Even accounting for the highly optimistic on board computer that's way higher than I expected. Oh well....I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Yeah. Lots of variables for any given drive. I wouldn't worry too much about trying to figure it out. The EPA tests aren't gospel. They're simply a standardized rigorous test that makes for useful comparison across vehicles. That said, I do wish they would publish metrics for each of the 5 the raw tests to compare more granular conditions.

 

[Allen King Jr]

Yes I realize this. I’m just trying to mind my manners and be as PC as possible here. I too usually go 6-8 over the limit and still have someone on my ass regardless.

I recently put "Student Driver" reflective magnets on the back of both of my vehicles, people don't follow me as close as they used to!!!

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