mileage

[Ted Spread]

We have a 2008 AWD Edge Limited. It is a fantastic vehicle BUT the mileage is brutal. The computer says that we are using 16.0 litres/100km. The dealer checked it and said we were using 14.7 Litres/100km which is better but still sux. My wife drives the car to work and back, mostly city but this is still not great. She is not a lead foot. Am I alone or is this fuel consumption usual?

 

Ted

[bbf2530]

We have a 2008 AWD Edge Limited. It is a fantastic vehicle BUT the mileage is brutal. The computer says that we are using 16.0 litres/100km. The dealer checked it and said we were using 14.7 Litres/100km which is better but still sux. My wife drives the car to work and back, mostly city but this is still not great. She is not a lead foot. Am I alone or is this fuel consumption usual?

 

Ted

 

Hi Ted. :D First, welcome to the forums!

 

Next, if my quick calculations are correct, that means you are achieving approximately 16 mpg in mostly city driving (according to the Dealers calculations). The EPA rates the AWD Edge at 15 mpg city, and 22 mpg highway. So you are achieving better than the EPA ratings. If your Edge is truly driven in heavy, constant stop and go city driving, your fuel mileage is pretty much spot on to what it should be.

 

You mention that you have the AWD model. When it comes down to it, unfortunately the Edge is a large, heavy (and even worse in this case, AWD) vehicle. The laws of physics are against getting optimal fuel mileage. All other variables being equal, the more weight being propelled, the lower the fuel mileage will be. And again, the AWD only makes it that much worse than the FWD model.

 

However, there are things that you can do to help. They have been mentioned on these forums many times, so I have taken the liberty of copying and pasting one of my previous posts concerning the subject (the bold and highlighted text below):

 

In the list below, keep in mind that you can personally help yourself by adjusting how you do things, as explained in #'s 4,5,6,7,8,9 and 10:

 

1 - Your mileage may improve up to and over a 5,000 miles break-in period (you may be at that point already, but you do mention your odometer reading).

2 - Most areas of the country have now switched over to "winter fuel formulations" (oxygenated), which give lower MPG's.

3 - If you are in an area where the ambient temperatures are cold, that will adversely affect your MPG. Longer idle times to warm up. Richer fuel mixtures, etc.

4 - If you have the ATC (Automatic Temperature Control) HVAC system, do you normally drive with your HVAC controls set to "AUTO"? If you do, it is the equivalent of driving with your Air Conditioning on all of the time. It uses more gas and lowers your MPG's. Turn off the "AUTO" setting when not needed, and just use the heat/vent settings with the fan.

5 - The same goes for the front windshield defroster. If you drive around with it always on, the A/C compressor is always on and you use more gas. Turn it off unless needed.

6- Have you checked your tire pressure lately? If you have not, you should. For every 10F degree drop in ambient air temperature, your tires will lose 1-2 pounds of air pressure. For example: If your tires were last checked in September, and the temperature was 80F, and the temperature where you are now is 30F, your tires will have lost 5-10 PSI. And that 5-10 PSI loss does not even include the regular losses you can expect over time. Low tire pressure will decrease fuel mileage (and can be dangerous). If you do not already have one, purchase a good tire pressure gauge and inflate your tires to the cold pressure recommendation for your vehicle (about 34-35 PSI I believe) if not a pound or two higher. The Ford recommended pressure is on a sticker on the drivers side door jamb.

7 - Do not rely on the TPMS system (Tire Pressure Monitor System) to keep an eye on your tire pressures for you. It is not much more than a glorified "idiot light". By the time the TPMS warning light illuminates, your tire pressure is already dangerously low. In fact, the system does not even illuminate the warning light until you pressure is 25% below the recommended tire pressure (from the door jamb sticker). That is already dangerously low. So again, regularly check your tire pressure, manually, with a good quality tire pressure gauge.

8 - Alter your driving style to maximize MPG. Minimize idle time. Avoid jackrabbit starts and stops. Coast to stop signs and lights. Don't use the gas pedal/brake pedal as on-off buttons (I am not implying that you do, just making recommendations).

9 - Minimize the number of times you use a Remote Starter.

10 - If you do use a remote starter, try to minimize the amount of time you leave the car idling before you get in and drive away. Don't wait the full 10 minutes. There are not many more inefficient things than having your car sit still with no one in it, while it's idling and burning gas. To explain it in simplified terms, you are getting 0 MPG for 10 minutes. You will now need to get 20 mpg for the next 10 minutes of driving just to raise your MPG average up to 10 mpg for that amount of idling and driving time. Again, this is a simplified explanation, and the math is not exact in all situations, but it is close enough to make the point clear.

 

These are just a few of the many things we can all do to try and help our MPG's. Looked at one at a time, they do not seem like much. But when added together, they make a significant impact on our gas mileage.

 

Of course, you may already be doing some or all of these things. But if you are not, give them a try.

 

Also, keep in mind that comparing fuel mileage over the Internet is a very inaccurate way of getting information. We have seen people claim they are getting 24-25 mpg with their AWD Edge in the city! Well, they may be getting 24-25 mpg, but it is not in true city driving. It is in what they consider to be city driving. And real city driving is very hard on fuel mileage and the EPA ratings attempt to take that into consideration.

 

In the same way, we have seen people claim that they get well over 30 mpg from their Edge in highway driving. Well, maybe in an instant reading while coasting on downhill stretches of highway with a tailwind (I am exaggerating for effect ). But that is not how you accurately calculate fuel mileage ratings. They need to be calculated over long periods of time (and tankfuls) to be accurate. Of course, I am excluding "Hypermiling" and other extreme types of fuel saving/driving techniques from my examples.

 

Anyway, I hope some of this information helps, and that your fuel mileage improves with time.

 

Good luck Ted. :beerchug:

Edited December 4, 2008 by bbf2530

[blockisle9]

Well, I get 13mpg all City driving. Its the same that my old 2002 V6 4X4 Explorer and my 2005 Escape V6 4X4.

Hi Ted. :D First, welcome to the forums!

 

Next, if my quick calculations are correct, that means you are achieving approximately 16 mpg in mostly city driving (according to the Dealers calculations). The EPA rates the AWD Edge at 15 mpg city, and 22 mpg highway. So you are achieving better than the EPA ratings. If your Edge is truly driven in heavy, constant stop and go city driving, your fuel mileage is pretty much spot on to what it should be.

 

You mention that you have the AWD model. When it comes down to it, unfortunately the Edge is a large, heavy (and even worse in this case, AWD) vehicle. The laws of physics are against getting optimal fuel mileage. All other variables being equal, the more weight being propelled, the lower the fuel mileage will be. And again, the AWD only makes it that much worse than the FWD model.

 

However, there are things that you can do to help. They have been mentioned on these forums many times, so I have taken the liberty of copying and pasting one of my previous posts concerning the subject (the bold and highlighted text below):

 

In the list below, keep in mind that you can personally help yourself by adjusting how you do things, as explained in #'s 4,5,6,7,8,9 and 10:

 

1 - Your mileage may improve up to and over a 5,000 miles break-in period (you may be at that point already, but you do mention your odometer reading).

2 - Most areas of the country have now switched over to "winter fuel formulations" (oxygenated), which give lower MPG's.

3 - If you are in an area where the ambient temperatures are cold, that will adversely affect your MPG. Longer idle times to warm up. Richer fuel mixtures, etc.

4 - If you have the ATC (Automatic Temperature Control) HVAC system, do you normally drive with your HVAC controls set to "AUTO"? If you do, it is the equivalent of driving with your Air Conditioning on all of the time. It uses more gas and lowers your MPG's. Turn off the "AUTO" setting when not needed, and just use the heat/vent settings with the fan.

5 - The same goes for the front windshield defroster. If you drive around with it always on, the A/C compressor is always on and you use more gas. Turn it off unless needed.

6- Have you checked your tire pressure lately? If you have not, you should. For every 10F degree drop in ambient air temperature, your tires will lose 1-2 pounds of air pressure. For example: If your tires were last checked in September, and the temperature was 80F, and the temperature where you are now is 30F, your tires will have lost 5-10 PSI. And that 5-10 PSI loss does not even include the regular losses you can expect over time. Low tire pressure will decrease fuel mileage (and can be dangerous). If you do not already have one, purchase a good tire pressure gauge and inflate your tires to the cold pressure recommendation for your vehicle (about 34-35 PSI I believe) if not a pound or two higher. The Ford recommended pressure is on a sticker on the drivers side door jamb.

7 - Do not rely on the TPMS system (Tire Pressure Monitor System) to keep an eye on your tire pressures for you. It is not much more than a glorified "idiot light". By the time the TPMS warning light illuminates, your tire pressure is already dangerously low. In fact, the system does not even illuminate the warning light until you pressure is 25% below the recommended tire pressure (from the door jamb sticker). That is already dangerously low. So again, regularly check your tire pressure, manually, with a good quality tire pressure gauge.

8 - Alter your driving style to maximize MPG. Minimize idle time. Avoid jackrabbit starts and stops. Coast to stop signs and lights. Don't use the gas pedal/brake pedal as on-off buttons (I am not implying that you do, just making recommendations).

9 - Minimize the number of times you use a Remote Starter.

10 - If you do use a remote starter, try to minimize the amount of time you leave the car idling before you get in and drive away. Don't wait the full 10 minutes. There are not many more inefficient things than having your car sit still with no one in it, while it's idling and burning gas. To explain it in simplified terms, you are getting 0 MPG for 10 minutes. You will now need to get 20 mpg for the next 10 minutes of driving just to raise your MPG average up to 10 mpg for that amount of idling and driving time. Again, this is a simplified explanation, and the math is not exact in all situations, but it is close enough to make the point clear.

 

These are just a few of the many things we can all do to try and help our MPG's. Looked at one at a time, they do not seem like much. But when added together, they make a significant impact on our gas mileage.

 

Of course, you may already be doing some or all of these things. But if you are not, give them a try.

 

Also, keep in mind that comparing fuel mileage over the Internet is a very inaccurate way of getting information. We have seen people claim they are getting 24-25 mpg with their AWD Edge in the city! Well, they may be getting 24-25 mpg, but it is not in true city driving. It is in what they consider to be city driving. And real city driving is very hard on fuel mileage and the EPA ratings attempt to take that into consideration.

 

In the same way, we have seen people claim that they get well over 30 mpg from their Edge in highway driving. Well, maybe in an instant reading while coasting on downhill stretches of highway with a tailwind (I am exaggerating for effect ). But that is not how you accurately calculate fuel mileage ratings. They need to be calculated over long periods of time (and tankfuls) to be accurate. Of course, I am excluding "Hypermiling" and other extreme types of fuel saving/driving techniques from my examples.

 

Anyway, I hope some of this information helps, and that your fuel mileage improves with time.

 

Good luck Ted. :beerchug: