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SUVs Ford Freestyle Improving Ford Freestyle Gas Mileage
34 messages, Last post on Jul 01, 2008 at 7:49 AM
You are in the Ford Freestyle Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
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We just got a 2007 SEL AWD (12,000mi) and were told to expect 19mpg in town and 24 mpg highway. So far it seems that the I get 16mpg in town and about 20mpg (the 50 mile drive on the highway was very windy..)on the highway, which is almost as bad as our 2000 Windstar... Is there a way to improve the mileage or is there possible anything wrong that causes the lousy fuel efficiency? Also the FS seems to "roar" when I accelerate from standing to 25mp/h, especially when the engine is cold (about 45 degree in the morning), and going up even small hills. Is that normal?? Maybe all this is normal, just new to me. I would appreciate your input!! Thanks!
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Replying to: manyqx (May 15, 2008 6:38 pm) You need to learn how to best use the CVT and find the sweet spot when accelerating. Higher rpm does not always mean better acceleration but always lower mpg. I try to keep the rpm around 2000, max 2500 when accelerating unless i really need to be quick like when merging onto the highway. This is especially important in town with all the stop and go. Also release the gas pedal once you're at speed and coast, the Freestyle is really good in it. Don't know about the roaring but your right foot controls the rpms if nothing's wrong with the car. As i've said, keep the rpms at 2000 and accept that the Freestyle is not a very sporty car. 19-20mpg in town is do-able and you're still not among the slowest ones. Do you have the mpg monitor? If so it is pretty educating to reset it frequently to see the actual mpgs and how they change with the driving style. At 12000mi you may want to replace the air filter as they won't do it during the normal maintenance.
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Replying to: manyqx (May 15, 2008 6:38 pm) I had a 2006 FWD until recently. I was able to achieve 18 MPG in town, and 25.5 on the road  80 MPH. I had a small commuter vehicle for local stuff, so towards the end of my ownership I didn't have so much in-town miles - I generally got 22-23 on a mixed driving tank. You won't achieve full MPG until the engine is broken in, say around 5000 miles. I suggest you read some of the hybrid forums discussing ways to maximize MPG. The hybrid-only techniques aren't useful, but the driving style tips work for any car. Some of the techniques I used were: - Try not to rush to a light or with traffic. I went the speed limit, but did not accelerate to a red light. Remember that it takes a LOT of gas to accelerate those 4200 lbs, not so much to keep the speed up. - I accelerated to around 2200 RPM and then let off the pedal gradually as the speed increased until at around 35 MPH the vehicle was at around 1600 RPM (as I recall). - Very short trips will hurt MPG on any vehicle. - If you slow down to 65 MPH on the highway I wouldn't be surprised if you achieve 29 MPG. I have achieved 30 MPH on my 2006, but only when driving at 55-60 (traffic that day). That particular tank was from the San Fernando Valley, CA, to Disneyland. I got 33 MPG on the way down there (there is an elevation change of around 1000 feet down), and the 30 MPG was the figure I showed when I got back home. |
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Replying to: carstenb (May 16, 2008 9:58 am) If you're gonna keep the rpm's at 2000, please don't get in front of me. 
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I had no idea what the CVT meant in terms of how to drive... Do I get it right that even though I get off the gas pedal the speed stays the same or increases instead of - as I remember with my Windstar - going down? I also don't quite understand the term "coast" as in cartsenb's "Also release the gas pedal once you're at speed and coast". stevedebi and carstenb, thank you for your suggestions and barnstormer, should you end up behind me, I will let you pass 
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Replying to: manyqx (May 17, 2008 5:46 am) with coasting i meant that the CVT is programmed such that there's very little engine brake when driving on the flats. thus you can let the Freestyle drive without any fuel consumption for long. it pays off to look (and think) ahead as you can often release the gas pedal long before you need to come to a stop. the CVT kicks in the engine brake only on real declines where you will see the rpms going up although you don't even touch the gas pedal. i never understood why quick acceleration is so important here in the US. i grew up on the German autobahn without speed limits (back then) and my regular ride are motorcycles since 30 years. so i am well used to high speeds and 0-60mph in 4 seconds. it just doesn't make any sense to me to be 3 seconds earlier at the low max speed here. compared to the time i loose when driving at 70mph on open freeways for hours where i could be twice as fast it just isn't worth the additional fuel i waste.
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Replying to: carstenb (May 17, 2008 6:11 am) You must have really LONG acceleration lanes where you live. The problem around here is that the acceleration lanes are typically short. You're supposed to be at highway speed BEFORE you get to the first point where you could merge into freeway traffic. That way, you can THEN make the decision whether to speed up or slow down to make the safest merge. Too many idiots around here (especially now, trying to conserve gas) end up at only 40mph on the acceleration lane with the freeway speed of 65mph right next to them, and too short of an acceleration lane. So, they have no way to merge safely if there's traffic present. This makes everybody behind them on the acceleration lane have to slow down, too. Plus, people behind them on the freeway also have to slow down to let them merge. NONE of this saves any gasoline (in the aggregate sense of all vehicles involved in the area). |
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Replying to: barnstormer64 (May 17, 2008 9:21 am) But i agree, in most cases there's someone ahead who isn't capable of using the potential of his or her V8 and thus i can still keep the Freestyle at 2000-2500rpm to safely merge in. But compared to the safety hazard from using cell phones while driving that behaviour is nothing...
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Replying to: carstenb (May 17, 2008 8:27 pm) It's not a huge safety hazard if you know WHEN it's safe to do so and when it's not. |
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Replying to: barnstormer64 (May 17, 2008 9:21 am)
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