Gas Mileage 2007 Ford edge

[bbf2530]

hi im a newbie here just bought my edge about a month ago and im only getting like 300 miles per tank which is about 15 mpg. its a 07 awd it has about 11k on it and we do 90% highway with it . we drive about 70-75 on highway any thoughts on why the poor milage

 

Hi miran587. :D Well, as a newbie, we will try to cut you some slack (for not searching and doing some research into the dozen other posts concerning this question).

 

First of all, how are you figuring your gas mileage? Are you dividing the miles driven by the amount of fuel added on each fill up (resetting the miles each time)? Because I can safely say that if you were really only getting 15 mpg, the only way you could go 300 miles would be if you were running on fumes. The Edge has a 19.2 gallon tank. 19.2 X 15 = 288. So as you can see, your calculations must be off, even if you are running it dry every time.

 

Anyway, here are just some of the reasons for your "low" MPG's at this time of year. It is copied and pasted from another of the many "Why do I only get ... MPG?" posts.

 

Please read the following list carefully, as there is at least one factor that you can do something about (#5):

 

Here are just some of the many (simplified) reasons your car will get lower mpg's in very cold weather:

1 - In many regions of the US, the gas formula is switched over by law to an "Oxygenated" mixture in the winter months, to meet EPA Air Pollution standards. This mixture is inherently less fuel efficient. Your car uses more fuel.

2 - An automobile engine has a specific temperature range where it is most fuel and power efficient. Get too far out of that ideal temperature range, either high or low, and fuel efficiency suffers. So essentially, extremely warm or extremely cold temperatures (summer and winter in most regions) adversely effect fuel consumption and engine efficiency. Once you are out of that ideal range, your car use more fuel.

3 - A car will take longer to warm up in cold weather, therefore running richer for longer. Your car uses more fuel.

4 - Cold air is denser than warm air, so an engine needs more fuel to run properly (just to drive normally). Therefore, the Engine Management System must run a richer mixture, to avoid running lean. Your car uses more fuel

5 - If you run your front windshield defroster, or have the Automatic Temperature Control HVAC system set to "Auto", your cars A/C compressor is running to dehumidify the warm air. It is the same as running your A/C in the summer. Your car uses more fuel.

6 - It takes more energy to get a car moving and keep it moving in wet, icy and snowy conditions, than it does in dry conditions. Think of driving in snow as almost the equivalent of driving in sand. Your tires, and therefore your engine, need to overcome more force against them. Your car uses more fuel.

7 - If you read your Owners Manual, or search this site for information, you will see that the 3.5 Liter engine in the Edge will take at least 5,000 miles to be fully broken in. Until that time, you guessed it, your car uses more fuel (yes, I know you already have 11,000 miles)!

8 - Since you purchased your Edge, have you checked the tire pressure with a good quality tire pressure gauge? Do you own a good quality pressure gauge? You certainly should. Low tire pressure will adversely affect fuel mileage. Tires will lose about 1.5psi for every 10*F drop in ambient temperature. Plus it is dangerous to drive with under-inflated tires. Check them, and fill them to the recommended pressure listed on the door sticker of your Edge (or preferably 2-3psi higher).

 

These are just a few quick, simple reasons. I am sure someone else will jump in with more. And not that it makes us feel any better, but our friends and neighbors are not immune. Their cars are getting lower mpg's also. If they say they are not getting lower mpg's, they are either oblivious or telling a little white lie. You can't beat the laws of physics and chemistry.

 

Good luck! :beerchug:

Edited December 27, 2007 by bbf2530

[sengland]

Now that was a good post. It doesn't get any better than that. Thanks bbf2530!!!

[miran587]

nada said it was a 20 gallon tank. last time i topped off i put in 19.2 and divided my milage by that so i came up with exact figures. i actualy did have about 288 for miles but still had little more gas in tank but didnt want to get on highway with that low of fuel

[bbf2530]

nada said it was a 20 gallon tank. last time i topped off i put in 19.2 and divided my milage by that so i came up with exact figures. i actualy did have about 288 for miles but still had little more gas in tank but didnt want to get on highway with that low of fuel

 

Hi miran587. :D Check your Owners Manual. It says 19.2 gallons. I would think Ford has it right. If you put 19.2 gallons in (plus what was left in the tank), you must have had it filled up to the gas cap!

 

If you overfill the tank, of course your calculations will be off, and your MPG's will seem low.

 

In addition, you can not get an accurate MPG rating by calculating one tankful. There are too many variables. What if the tank was not completely filled last time? What if you did most of your driving for that particular tankful against a headwind, what if, what if, etc, etc.

 

You need to drive and calculate for at least 3-4 complete tankfuls, then take into consideration what type of driving you did for those tankfuls (city/highway split), before you decide whether your MPG's are good, bad or average.

 

Plus, all of the other variables already listed, especially in winter driving, need to be taken into consideration.

 

If all of that information is not enough to allay your fears, take it back to the Dealer and have them check it..

 

Good luck! :beerchug:

Edited December 29, 2007 by bbf2530

[bbf2530]

Oooops! Double post. Sorry!

Edited December 29, 2007 by bbf2530

[miran587]

when i fill up and check dash it says 296 till empty. and when i fill it i pump till pump stops. ive been doing this for about 4-5 fill ups all ready. one fill up i was even cautious about my driving didnt real show much gain. im not realy complaining because i know i bought an suv an expected that but my buddy's explorer gets the same gas milage and thought maybe theres something wrong or something i could do too improve it. ive seen other guys saying they get like 22-24 im far off from them and my wife drives 90% highway figured it should do at least 20mpg or better.im going to check tire pressure

[bbf2530]

when i fill up and check dash it says 296 till empty. and when i fill it i pump till pump stops. ive been doing this for about 4-5 fill ups all ready. one fill up i was even cautious about my driving didnt real show much gain. im not realy complaining because i know i bought an suv an expected that but my buddy's explorer gets the same gas milage and thought maybe theres something wrong or something i could do too improve it. ive seen other guys saying they get like 22-24 im far off from them and my wife drives 90% highway figured it should do at least 20mpg or better.im going to check tire pressure

 

Hi miran587. :D Also, did you read the list I posted a few posts back (Post #26) in this thread?

 

Read all of them carefully, but especially #5, concerning what settings you leave your HVAC system on? Do you leave it set to "A/C", "AUTO", or do you leave the "FRONT DEFROSTER" on? Any of those three would be the same as leaving your A/C on all the time.. The A/C Compressor will be on to dehumidify the warm air. Uses a lot of gas.

 

Also, look at driving habits. All of them. For example, does your wife rest her left foot on the brake pedal while driving, thinking it "I'm not pressing it, so it can't hurt anything"? Is she turning off the "Overdrive", thinking she is doing a good thing? Probably not, but the point is you need to look at every possible variable.

 

In addition, take anyone and everyones MPG claims with a grain of salt. Trust me, you will see people making all kinds of extraordinary (and often ridiculous and unsubstantiated) claims. Someone will see 35 MPG on the trip computer, for 1 minute, going downhill with a tailwind, and claim they are getting 35 MPG highway driving, and swear by it too!

 

Check and correct all of the variables you have control over, such as HVAC settings, tire pressure, driving habits etc, etc. Once you have taken care of those, if you truly think your MPG's are too low, express your concerns to the Dealer.

 

Once again, good luck! :beerchug:

Edited December 29, 2007 by bbf2530