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Ford Focus: MPG-Real World Numbers

178 messages,  Last post on Jun 12, 2013 at 6:29 PM

You are in the Ford Focus Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Focus, Ford Focus SVT, Fuel Efficiency (MPG)

Messages Page 15 of 19

#134 of 178 Re: How to contact other members [pf_flyer] by revss

Aug 02, 2012 (6:06 am)

Replying to: pf_flyer (Aug 02, 2012 4:07 am)
Yeah I understand. It would just be nice to have a private message feature that leverages a built in messaging system instead of broadcasting your email out even to registered users.

#135 of 178 End game by johnplisap

Aug 08, 2012 (2:34 am)

Three things happened on Thursday that made me change direction. First I googled "real world gas mileage," The first result was a Consumer Report's " 'real world' gas mileage test results."
The Focus SE finished 12th in it's class. The City mileage? 18 mpg!!!!! To be fair the highway mileage was outstanding at 43. But most of my driving is city. Not only city but the worst driving conditions you can imagine: Lots of traffic, a TON of stoplights insane hills, tunnels inside of mountains that produce long lines of just waiting and terrible merge points that tie up and/or slow down traffic.
As far as the car "breaking in", I am a firm believer that the very most improvement on mileage after the car is broken in is 20%. Not enough to satisfy because the only reason I bought the car was to save on gas.
The second thing was that the car (once again) sputtered and hesitated going up a steep hill. Despite its 160 horses, the car just doesn't have the oomph needed for my driving. It was "funny" to see the avg mpg on the computer go down several miles as I was going up the hill.
I just don't like the transmission.
Third was pulling on to the main street from my neighborhood. There is a sharp bend on the main road right where we need to pull out. So you need to make sure it is clear as best you can and then press on the gas and go. Hesitated again, and a car was coming around the bend very fast. Not a comfortable situation.
So, I said screw it. I drove to the Toyota dealer and traded it in for a Corolla. It had the best combination of price and "real world" city mpg that I could get. I lost some on the Focus but with the finance rate I got, The payment was only a little higher. I did put a thousand down, though. That sucked because I put 1500 down on the Focus. The dealer offered a lifetime powertrain warranty though.
To be fair, I have a 2007 Focus that I beat pretty good and it gets very good mileage and has more than suffecient power. It has 60k miles on it. I use it for work (mostly my head cook uses it,tbh) This 2012 is nowhere near that car. Second, I just don't think this was the right car for me and my driving conditions. If I was on a flat land with less stop and go I am sure I would have done better.
After 5 full days I am happy with the Corolla. I will post my ending mileage on the first full tank when it gets to zero. According to the computer I am on pace for 340 miles on a 13.2 gallon tank. This is the same city driving I did with the Focus (without the straight 80 highway miles.) My guess is going to be about 310-320 when it is said and done. So that means 60- 70 miles more on a .8 gallon bigger tank. It has suffecient power for the little engine it has and I can drive without worrying about having to "baby" it or put in 93 Octane gas.
This is my first Toyota. I hope it lives up to my expectations. So far so good but we will see.

#136 of 178 Re: End game [johnplisap] by kam327

Aug 08, 2012 (7:13 am)

Replying to: johnplisap (Aug 08, 2012 2:34 am)
"Three things happened on Thursday that made me change direction..."
 
I would love it if you could do an unimotional comparison of the Corolla and the Focus over a few tanks of gas and document that you get significantly better gas mileage with the EXACT driving habits and routes. That would be very interesting. Because as I showed you on focusfanatics.com, the Corolla is just as subject to getting low fuel economy as the Focus is in extreme city driving conditions.
 
If you look on fuelly.com, the overall average mileage of current gen Focus owners is slightly more than the overall average mileage of current gen Corolla owners, even given the Focus's significantly higher horsepower and much better driving dynamics.
 
Regarding the consumer reports data you found, the more important number to most folks is the combined overall mileage they got with the Focus. It was right in the middle of the compact class despite the Focus having the most horsepower and quickest acceleration (according to CR testing) of the class. That's pretty impressive.
 
Based on all this it seems clear to me that either you will get low fuel economy with any car you drive because of your particular route and habits, or there was something mechanically wrong with your particular Focus that could have eventually been solved.

#137 of 178 Re: End game [kam327] by johnplisap

Aug 08, 2012 (8:30 am)

Replying to: kam327 (Aug 08, 2012 7:13 am)
To be honest (I really mean it) I agree with just about everything you wrote.
The thing is, if you remember my posts on the other site, the ONLY reason I bought the car was for the mileage. So I figured if I wouldn't get the mileage I didn't want a car that I didn't like.
I 100% agree that I can get a bad car from anybody. I do agree that there may have been something wrong with that Focus. The problem is getting Ford or the dealer to understand and appreciate my concerns was a losing battle. Only the salesman cared at the dealer and at Ford, nobody cared at all.
I didn't want to post on the other forum because the name of it is "focusfanatics," I figure I would get lambasted there. I guess you saw that somebody else posted the same stuff I did about the mileage.
There is no emotion left in me on the subject. I'm cool. It's over. I will post more when I go through a whole tank of gas. The thing is though, even if the mileage ends up being the same I think I will be happier with the Corolla because of the performance.
Reminder--- I really like my 2007 Focus. I don't hate Ford and it pained me to buy a Japanese car. I respect that Ford is American and they didn't take bail out money. Plus the Ford dealer is a mile away from my house. I wanted it to work. Plus the interior is nicer on the Focus and I also like the exterior look of it over the Corolla.
Last thing about dealing with Ford...... they seemed relieved to get rid of me as a customer. No help at all. They ignored my requests to speak to anyone with any kind of power, not even their immediate supervisor.
The dealer was no help at all.
With my hectic life (mom and pop restaurant owner [75 hours a week] with two young children) sometimes it is easier for me to throw money on the problem rather than wait for the solution.

#138 of 178 Re: End game [johnplisap] by kam327

Aug 08, 2012 (8:57 am)

Replying to: johnplisap (Aug 08, 2012 8:30 am)
"With my hectic life (mom and pop restaurant owner [75 hours a week] with two young children) sometimes it is easier for me to throw money on the problem rather than wait for the solution. "
 
Well I sympathize with you on that. It usually is tough to work fighting with a dealer into a busy schedule. Sounds like you got a bad dealer though. Might've been worth it to try another.
 
Not sure how the Corolla's performance can compare given it's got 128 hp and 4 speeds versus the Focus's 160 hp and 6 speeds. Your Focus's dual clutch automatic may have been a little sluggish during break in (e.g. going up the hill you mentioned) but most owners report that it smooths out and performs great over time, and performs much better than any conventional torque converter automatic (e.g. the Corolla's).
 
Even Edmunds says the Corolla has "mediocre acceleration and fuel economy."
 
Anyways, best of luck to you and your family. Don't know if you considered it but the thousands $$$ you say you lost on the trade would have paid for a lot of the gas you think the Focus uses in excess of the Corolla.

#139 of 178 Re: End game [kam327] by xwesx

Aug 08, 2012 (9:34 am)

Replying to: kam327 (Aug 08, 2012 8:57 am)
At the end of the day, it doesn't sound like it came down to the FE by itself. Based on my experience with that automatic transmission, I think John's driving conditions are the worst scenario for it. I spent a few days in Morgantown, WV (lots of steep hills and stop/go traffic), with an automatic Fiesta a few months ago, and that car would have driven me crazy if I owned it and lived there. Were it manual, I'm sure my impression of its hilly city manners would have been far better.
 
It was lovely on the highway though, and returned a combined FE of nearly 42mpg in 25/75 driving (city/highway, respectively).

#140 of 178 Re: End game [xwesx] by johnplisap

Aug 08, 2012 (11:51 am)

Replying to: xwesx (Aug 08, 2012 9:34 am)
"At the end of the day, it doesn't sound like it came down to the FE by itself. Based on my experience with that automatic transmission, I think John's driving conditions are the worst scenario for it. I spent a few days in Morgantown, WV (lots of steep hills and stop/go traffic), with an automatic Fiesta a few months ago, and that car would have driven me crazy if I owned it and lived there. Were it manual, I'm sure my impression of its hilly city manners would have been far better.
  
 It was lovely on the highway though, and returned a combined FE of nearly 42mpg in 25/75 driving (city/highway, respectively)."
 
LOL, I am from Pittsburgh!!!! Mogantown is about 75 miles south from me. Pgh is like Morgantown on steroids and lots of them. Plus we have those tunnels, etc....
It's funny to me the statement you made because i kept on saying that where I live this car NEEDS to be a real manual transmission, not this automatically controlled stick !!!! I never said anything because I thought people wouldn't understand and think I was crazy or stupid!!!!!

#141 of 178 Re: End game [johnplisap] by xwesx

Aug 08, 2012 (12:55 pm)

Replying to: johnplisap (Aug 08, 2012 11:51 am)
Hilarious! Nope; I don't think you're crazy at all. The MT would have been a better fit for the conditions. Even if your Corolla doesn't get better FE, I suspect that its transmission, even though it is viewed as old-fashioned, will perform much better in that environment.
 
I flew into Pittsburgh (my first time there, even though my wife is from Meadville), and drove to Morgantown and back. I specifically requested the Fiesta because I'm considering it to buy and thought this would work out as an extended test drive (though I wouldn't consider buying an automatic, regardless of type).
 
I was surprised at how hilly the area was. Even on the interstate, there were some pretty decent grades. The problem with the transmission is that it operates like a manual, but it cannot anticipate conditions like a driver can - it only reacts. I swear I would have ended up with whiplash had I driven through many more dimly-lit parking garages at 5mph. Also, it certainly didn't seem overly responsive off an initial start, at least from my perspective having driven "slushbox" automatics at various times in the past. Once you started it moving, though, it would get up and go pretty well. I generally let off the brake, let the car engage some forward momentum for a second, then get into it.
 
Aside from the transmission, the car was really fantastic. It was quiet, well-planted, peppy-ish (much more so with the MT), good visibility, and great fuel economy.
 
I'm looking at the Focus now, too, though, since they now offer it throughout the trim levels with a MT. And, it is only rated a couple MPG lower on FE than the Fiesta, but with quite a bit more cargo volume.

#142 of 178 Re: End game [kam327] by al63017

Aug 08, 2012 (3:00 pm)

Replying to: kam327 (Aug 08, 2012 8:57 am)
I read with interest what you said below and I always thought if the dealer you bought from did not help another dealer would even be less help. Do people actually go to other dealers if the bought from does not help? I would like to think you could but just never thought thought it was possible.
 
"Well I sympathize with you on that. It usually is tough to work fighting with a dealer into a busy schedule. Sounds like you got a bad dealer though. Might've been worth it to try another."
 
Thanks

#143 of 178 Re: End game [al63017] by kam327

Aug 08, 2012 (3:17 pm)

Replying to: al63017 (Aug 08, 2012 3:00 pm)
Sure you can. I get my cars serviced at the nearest Ford dealer even though I've never bought a car from them. They still get paid by Ford for warranty work so they're happy to work on your car regardless of where you bought it from.

Messages Page 15 of 19

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