poor gas mileage

[junokoda09]

I have around 4000 miles on my Cmax and my average is 36 mpg. :(

How are the rest of you getting into the 40's?  I'm not a fast driver and careful with stops and starts, but I'm not about to drive 60 mph either.

 

[BigRed]

but I'm not about to drive 60 mph either.

 

Thats likely your problem then.

[rtshinn]

I have around 4000 miles on my Cmax and my average is 36 mpg. :(

How are the rest of you getting into the 40's?  I'm not a fast driver and careful with stops and starts, but I'm not about to drive 60 mph either.

 

Yeah the thing doesn't like to go fast economically. Kinda disappointing.

[LizM]

Most of my driving is suburbia streets with stop lights and stop signs.  If the temp is above 40 degrees F on my 16 mile drive one way to and from work I can easily get in the 40 + mpg range and sometimes even 50+.  So far lifetime is around 37+.  I have just over 3000 miles on my C-Max.  On a cold morning drive, it's usually less because of the temperature outside, has been in the 25+ range up to 30+.  

 

I'm in Southern Ohio, so I'm sure in Michigan you haven't reached those milder temps yet.

[locot]

I'm in Dallas and my commutes are 25miles each way.  approximately 75% highway with moderate congestion.    and the rest in inside streets.

 

I have 1900 miles and my lifetime average is 48 mpg.    I drive it gently, but not obsessively so.  In fact i'm starting to drive it more like a normal car lately. 

 

The MPG definitely increases when its warmer.  I think you'll see better numbers once it starts warming up. 

[plus 3 golfer]

So, how do you fit the quoted profile below on what Ford says affects FE significantly?  Sounds like ambient temperature and not yet past break-in mileage has affected your FE and maybe speed.

 

Raj Nair - Ford VP

 

One of the issues with the Ford results, Nair suggested, is that the performance of the vehicles as designed lends themselves to more spirited driving. Combining a “lead foot” with environmental factors can lead to the wide swings in fuel economy results, he said.

There have been some questions raised about fuel economy, so it is important to note that we have designed our hybrids to drive exactly the same as all our other vehicles, with the global Ford DNA. A key part of that DNA is “fun-to-drive”. We could have detuned the vehicles to maximize fuel economy like some of our competitors have done, but it would have been at the expense of a fun driving experience. And this would have meant that you would not be to take advantage of the 54 more horsepower that the C-MAX provides over the Prius.

 

Ford next-generation hybrids offer increased performance and extended electric modes up from from 47 to 62 mph. Tremendous advantage in fuel economy, but it also makes them more sensitive to spirited driving as well as to environmental conditions. Quite a few factors can affect hybrid fuel economy, more so than regular gas engines.

 

Among the differences Nair spotlighted were:

• Speed: the difference between 75 mph and 65 mph can produce a 7 mpg difference in fuel economy.

• Outside temperature: a temperature difference 40 °F and 70 °F can result in a 5 mpg difference.

• Vehicle break-in: the difference from 0 miles to 6,000 miles can be a 5 mpg difference.

 

 

[rtshinn]

Well, two out of three ain't bad. I can't drive 55, 65. At least on a long trip on the open road.

 

Hey, I just realized that's TWO song titles

[valkraider]

I have found that people who say they aren't something often times are.

 

Especially if its followed with a "but".

[JohnnOhio]

I only have a little over 500 miles on mine. I drive 75% freeway driving 65mph. Temps in the 20's and 30's. My average is 36.9 and slowly going up. I just had a 10 mile trip on a 2 lane highway 55 mph. Got 47.1 mpg for the trip at 51 degrees. Expect to get big boost in mpg's as temps go up.

[RachelnLa]

Are you looking at your lifetime average? Don't! You need to look at you tank or your trips. I find the lifetime average disappoints me. What? 39.3?? Really? Then I look at each trip or the tank. Trips are high 30s and high 40s. That makes me happy.

 

What's your tank average?

[littlebitfarm]

What kills my mileage is short trips. Work is only 4 miles away, as are most of my regular stops.

[zhackwyatt]

Are you looking at your lifetime average? Don't! You need to look at you tank or your trips. I find the lifetime average disappoints me. What? 39.3?? Really? Then I look at each trip or the tank. Trips are high 30s and high 40s. That makes me happy.

 

What's your tank average?

This is important, because it takes so much time for this creep up from the low numbers it starts out with from the factory, etc.

[RachelnLa]

Exactly. Tick. Tick. I was getting discouraged until I started using trip 1 and 2. I just got 59 mpg. I only went 3 miles tho hahahaha

[mtb9153]

Rachel, I have started using the coaching screen as the right side of my myview layout.  The Accel, Braking, Cruising levels are very important to getting higher mpg numbers I found out yesterday after being coached by Jus-A-CMax.  The trick is to maintain the blue efficiency line as close as you can to 100% in all three categories.  Once I did this I logged my first 50+ mpg reading in the trip summary when I got home and shut the car off. I've still got allot of improving to do with the braking portion as my score was only at 84%.  Jus-A-CMax gave me an "F" grade for that and told me to try again.  

[JohnnOhio]

Just filled up. On my second tank now so not much to report besides lifetime average. Driving into work today lifetime average creeped up to 37.1. The trip at 30 degrees got 42.1 mpg at 65mph for 85% of the trip.(35 miles one way) Not doing too bad so far. I bet it gets better on the drive home with temp of 45 degrees. Wish spring would come to Ohio so I could see the big numbers.

[RachelnLa]

Mtb,

 

You are funny. Jus gave you an F? Hahahaha. It takes practice. You will get it. Take a drive on the back roads and practice coasting and braking and taking off. You can pay less attention to the road and more on the dash.

[DaveofDurham]

Rachel, I have started using the coaching screen as the right side of my myview layout.  The Accel, Braking, Cruising levels are very important to getting higher mpg numbers I found out yesterday after being coached by Jus-A-CMax.  The trick is to maintain the blue efficiency line as close as you can to 100% in all three categories.  Once I did this I logged my first 50+ mpg reading in the trip summary when I got home and shut the car off. I've still got allot of improving to do with the braking portion as my score was only at 84%.  Jus-A-CMax gave me an "F" grade for that and told me to try again.  

 

I'm not sure what the cruise tells you except that you are going "too fast".  I have noticed that it downgrades me if I drive 70mph on a 70mph highway.

[nsteblay]

Just posted a thread called Warm Weather Makes All the Difference. My observations on getting better mileage.  Big turn around this past week with warmer weather and new driving technique.

[z32k12]

My CMAX now has 2000 miles on it and I'm averaging 42.  I live in Sacramento and have a mix of city/highway driving...highway speeds of 70 and above.  I also spend a fair amount of times in the mountains so overall I'm very happy with the mileage. 

[Jus-A-CMax]

Rachel, I have started using the coaching screen as the right side of my myview layout.  The Accel, Braking, Cruising levels are very important to getting higher mpg numbers I found out yesterday after being coached by Jus-A-CMax.  The trick is to maintain the blue efficiency line as close as you can to 100% in all three categories.  Once I did this I logged my first 50+ mpg reading in the trip summary when I got home and shut the car off. I've still got allot of improving to do with the braking portion as my score was only at 84%.  Jus-A-CMax gave me an "F" grade for that and told me to try again.  

mtb....I did not give u an "F"....I am not that cold...as much as I enjoy Mammoth... :drool: ....jus said u could improve, even today I got a few 65% brakes (damn lights at the bottom of a hill - gotta kill pill into my regen fun).

 

You're doing well and that fact that you explained your driving conditions in the other thread made sense to me why your braking scores were too low. IMO, I don't use the brake coach at all...can't figure it out, I am a simple person but its way too simple and just buried in the menu so I just use EMPOWER to drive. Its KISS for me for sure... ;) 

 

What I will say is that you will get an "A" for effort for coming to the forum and asking for help to improve your MPG and you keep trying...you'll get there  :rockon: 

[shaners]

Our lifetime is around 33 MPG.  I know that sounds horrible but we drive the worst possible scenerios.  Very cold weather (winter won't go away), and tons of short trips of 1/2 mile or so and then shut down for a few hours so the car never warms up or charges completely.  On the bright side...  that is well over double what we were getting from our 2010 Chevy Equinox that we traded in!

[JohnnOhio]

Shaners  I know the feeling. Winter just doesn't want to go away. :sad:  My lifetime average is only 37.2 mpg. sounds terrible but it has a lot to do with the cold and waiting for the ICE to warm up. My trips of 35 miles one way to work are mostly freeway at 70. I get 38.5 mpg going to work temps in upper 20's and get 42.1 on the drive home with temps in the 40's, so hang in there it can only get better from here.( I have less than 600 miles on my car Just filled up the second tank)

[mtb9153]

Shaners  I know the feeling. Winter just doesn't want to go away. :sad:  My lifetime average is only 37.2 mpg. sounds terrible but it has a lot to do with the cold and waiting for the ICE to warm up. My trips of 35 miles one way to work are mostly freeway at 70. I get 38.5 mpg going to work temps in upper 20's and get 42.1 on the drive home with temps in the 40's, so hang in there it can only get better from here.( I have less than 600 miles on my car Just filled up the second tank)

I used to see low mpg numbers just above 40mpg.  With these cars it is vitally important to brake gradually and slowly, no stomping on the brake pedal.  If you do this will greatly affect your overall effectivity numbers.  Setup your myview screen to show the threshold gauge on the left side of the instrumentation cluster.  Also on the right side of the left display bring up the screen which gives you the Accel, Braking, Cruising categories.  The idea is to always have a full blue line showing in all three groups.  Meaning 100% effective range.  Even the slightest amount of brake, gas pedal pressure at the wrong time will adversely affect your ratings.  As far as freeway driving unless you don't care to have higher mpg numbers, never exceed 62mph because then you are running the gas engine 100% of the time.  With all this work I was able to drive 10 miles today through city streets and only use .2 gallons of gas.  I can live with that.  Go to the pump every 9 days lately.  Enjoy the ride...

Edited March 29, 2013 by mtb9153

[Wingrider01]

95 percent highway driving with light traffic @ 60-64 MPH on cruise, I go to work at 3:30 and leave to go hone at around 10:30 AM

 

6,211.9 miles to date, 181.729 galleons used to date, Avg MPG 34.182

[wab]

I used to see low mpg numbers just above 40mpg.  With these cars it is vitally important to brake gradually and slowly, no stomping on the brake pedal.  If you do this will greatly affect your overall effectivity numbers.  Setup your myview screen to show the threshold gauge on the left side of the instrumentation cluster.  Also on the right side of the left display bring up the screen which gives you the Accel, Braking, Cruising categories.  The idea is to always have a full blue line showing in all three groups.  Meaning 100% effective range.  Even the slightest amount of brake, gas pedal pressure at the wrong time will adversely affect your ratings.  As far as freeway driving unless you don't care to have higher mpg numbers, never exceed 62mph because then you are running the gas engine 100% of the time.  With all this work I was able to drive 10 miles today through city streets and only use .2 gallons of gas.  I can live with that.  Go to the pump every 9 days lately.  Enjoy the ride...

 

Sorry :salute:  I choose NONE of the above, except for braking.

BUT then I've always braked that way, always see mid to high 90's (usually 98) some 100's.

 

It really upsets me when people wave at me with "that" finger.

 

I reset life time mpg at 1500, now at 1700+, mpg shows 40.2 :) .