150 miles @ 75 mph, 29 mpg. No bueno.

[Hotrodbob42]

Your gas mileage also depends on which way the wind is blowing, if you're driving into a 20-25 mph winds you'll obviously get worse gas mileage then if the winds were behind you or on a calm day

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[Berfs1]

Did you verify this number at the pump? Or is it what the mpg meter is showing?

 

[rmay635703]

So as far as the northeast Maines highways are between 65 and 75 with 70 being the majority. I have the ecoboost awd fx4 4k. I get between around 30-31mpg with my truck religiously and that is with about a 70/30 split between highway and city. I have seen up to 34 once. I have around 14k on my truck and IN MY OPINION the low balled the EPA on the gas motor. I have never seen below 27 and I spent a week in greater Portland which is where I got 27. If the auto start stop had shut off everytime it should have it might have been higher.

Sort of like the Cobalt XFE,

which is why I would love a long box bench seat naturally aspired 6 speed stick Maverick

 

[TXRaider]

75 is not the normal or average highway speed. In almost all of the North East the speed limits are 55 MPH.. The diff. in fuel economy between 55 and 75 is huge. I get 40 MPG at 55 MPH you get 29 In fact on the highway I regularly beat the EPA estimate by a wide margin. And at 80 MPH the situation will get exponentially more dramatic. The resistance of the air becomes a larger and larger fraction of the total system fuel expenditure. I think 29 mpg is about right at 75.

I'm not sure why you think 75 isn't normal or average. Just because something happens in the congested and overpopulated part of the US doesn't mean it translates to the other 90% of land mass in this country. "Normal" for my region is driving 80-85 mph on any highway.

 

[pxpaulx]

I'm not sure why you think 75 isn't normal or average. Just because something happens in the congested and overpopulated part of the US doesn't mean it translates to the other 90% of land mass in this country. "Normal" for my region is driving 80-85 mph on any highway.

That is certainly true, but 80-85 with speed limits above 70 in Texas is an outlier, just as 55 would likely be an outlier on the low side (assuming the other poster was talking about 4+ lane freeways). Here in MN 65 is most common for 4 lane highways, 55-60 for 2 lane and 70 on interstates.

The EPA's estimates do not account for high side outliers - they only recently added a 'high speed' variable test to their prior testing - their current testing incorporates 4-5 different tests, but I think it is still weighted towards the original city/highway testing.

Those tests are very specific defined parameters (including # of stops/starts, max speeds, acceleration time, etc). The acceleration is something like 0-60 over 12 or 15 seconds, not many people drive that way.

My point is, going 80-85mph might be normal for your region, but you can't expect EPA numbers doing so. Just like flooring it from a stop every time will eat into your MPG, every mph above 60-65, your mpg will get worse.

 

[Mikknj]

That is certainly true, but 80-85 with speed limits above 70 in Texas is an outlier, just as 55 would likely be an outlier on the low side (assuming the other poster was talking about 4+ lane freeways). Here in MN 65 is most common for 4 lane highways, 55-60 for 2 lane and 70 on interstates.

The EPA's estimates do not account for high side outliers - they only recently added a 'high speed' variable test to their prior testing - their current testing incorporates 4-5 different tests, but I think it is still weighted towards the original city/highway testing.

Those tests are very specific defined parameters (including # of stops/starts, max speeds, acceleration time, etc). The acceleration is something like 0-60 over 12 or 15 seconds, not many people drive that way.

My point is, going 80-85mph might be normal for your region, but you can't expect EPA numbers doing so. Just like flooring it from a stop every time will eat into your MPG, every mph above 60-65, your mpg will get worse.

Yes - well said. There are a lot of stretches of the country where 85 is the legal limit but that's on the high side for just about everywhere else. So the EPA will test a much lower thus the higher Gas Mileage rating.

 

[Barracuda340]

Theres 2 variables to the mileage thing and that is how the user drives, and altitude above sea level.

The higher in altitude you go, the better your fuel mileage will be. The reason is simply that the air is less dense. The engines computer knows this and provides the engine with less fuel to maintain the optimum fuel ratio it needs.

This is why the poster in post #71 got decent mileage. I'm not sure the A/C even matters either. I think its electric A/C and doesnt run off the accessory belt, but could be wrong about that.

Point is driving at sea level atmospheric vs 5200 feet above sea level will make a difference in fuel mileage with all the rest being the same.

 

[r100gs91]

Overall very satisfied with the MPG. And for those saying drive 60 instead of 65, we have 80 MPH speed limits in some areas here. If you drive 60 you’re going to get run over.

I have driven in areas with speed limits above 70mph, never have I been "Run Over". On 4 lane hi-ways I run around 68 mph. The reactions aren't what they used to be. Anymore I just find no benefit in driving like a A$$. I usually meet those folks at the next stop light, or fuel stop.

Please remember that speed is 28 mph above the minimum speed of 40mph on US Interstates. Yes, if someone hits me in the butt doing 40 MPH it will be their fault. If driving into strong headwinds I will slow down to 63-64 mph if traffic conditions exist. Those few MPH will help maintain your MPG more than you think.

What I try to do is find a Semi running at a speed I like, then pace him at 6-8 truck lengths. It seems to be a non turbulence distance most of the time.

More than anything, remember "Driving is a Privilege, Not a Right"

 

[dpop]

After getting 45 and 41 mpg in city driving, a recent trip to corpus cristi at 75 mph yielded 29 mpg.

I expected at least 35. Anyone else see something similar?

I drove from SC to NC and back using adaptive cruise the whole way and was kinda disappointed. I still got better than you did though. And I was going 80ish the whole way. I averaged 32.9 highway.

 

[AngeloInSC]

After getting 45 and 41 mpg in city driving, a recent trip to corpus cristi at 75 mph yielded 29 mpg.

I expected at least 35. Anyone else see something similar?

I have gotten better than that with my EcoBoost Turbo. At 75 MPH I can get over 30 MPG if I run in Eco mode without a load in it.

 

[AndrewinMD]

I can provide some perspective, having driven my Fusion hybrid for 6 years now with many highway miles. You're always going to lessen your MPG with the following:
-High speed
-AC (or windows open) or heater
-Extra weight
-Cruise control
-Mountains

I've referred to driving a hybrid as "active driving" if I want to maximize my fuel efficiency. Meaning, you actively manage the transition between electric and ICE, taking advantage of each, and using the terrain to your advantage, including, for example, turning on Eco mode when going down a steep hill to restrict speed while recharging the battery. Sometimes I just throw on the cruise control when I'm being lazy, and the difference is noticeable.

I'm really curious to see how much of my experience translates to the Maverick, and if the display enables me to use the information to assist. The Fusion has a great display setting that shows me how much power I'm applying so that I can either push out of or drop into electric mode. When I'm really trying to maximize efficiency, it's invaluable. I can manage it somewhat through "feel", but it's much more difficult. Hopefully Ford incorporated the same capability into the Maverick -- I haven't been able to tell based on the videos I've watched.

 

[rmay635703]

I'm not sure why you think 75 isn't normal or average. Just because something happens in the congested and overpopulated part of the US doesn't mean it translates to the other 90% of land mass in this country. "Normal" for my region is driving 80-85 mph on any highway.

What does normal or average have to do with the EPA rating?

Crash tests and fuel economy tests all average out around 45mph at 75F

In my area it’s difficult to hit the EPA rating because your MPGs drop in half during cold weather and short trips.

It’s usually below 60F most of the year most evenings in this area, hybrid fuel economy isn’t good even at 50F on a short trip, let alone the month or two of -20F

 

[Brett]

I got in the low 30’s on a 280 mile trip going 65-80 mph. On the return trip I kept the speed at or below 65 and got 40 mph. Looks like the efficiency drops off fast at anything over 65.

 

[Markii56]

After getting 45 and 41 mpg in city driving, a recent trip to corpus cristi at 75 mph yielded 29 mpg.

I expected at least 35. Anyone else see something similar?

Not saying this is you, just an observation from working in the car business for many years:
Had a real estate agent as a service customer, always complaining about her lousy mileage. Never found anything wrong with her vehicle, asked if she practiced any bad habits (jackrabbit starts and stops, long idling periods, high-speed driving, etc...). Always vehemently denied all of these, claimed she was a good driver and SOMETHING had to be wrong with her Taurus. Soooo, I pull into the local grocery store one very cold afternoon, and these she was, right up front: talking on her phone, engine running to keep her warm and the windows clear, no doubt. I come out of the store, and guess what? She's still there, still talking, engine still running. I look at my watch: I was in the store about 45 minutes....

 

[Jemers22]

When I go to clear lake or Galveston from Dallas area my mpg usually is lower... I travel with a couple people and a load of clothes etc... Then there are the multiple coolers cause I always load up on shrimp and oysters and fish ;-)

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