coiled40gary

In my Volvo S80 I got noticeable increase in both throttle response and mileage when I use premium over regular. I ran premium for three continuous weeks in my 2013 Titanium AWD, and say no change in either throttle response or mileage. A couple people here just mentioned the need for premium in the 2.0 EB to see improved mileage, have you tested this? gary

I have a 2013 AWD, a 120 mile a day commute, part in the mountains, up and down two ridges, with switch backs you have to look out the side windows to see the road ahead, then into the Columbia River Gorge on the Washington side (Washington side is one lane in each direction, hills and roll-over curves, Oregon side is 2+ lanes in each direction, flat and straight, Washington follows the terrain, Oregon bull dozed the terrain). Then cross the city of Portland (Oregon) from north end to the south end, on the bypass (that is a relative term) freeway. I'm getting 24.7 average according to dash gage. Reading these other posts has made me feel much better, though slightly disappointed following the hype of how economical the 13s are. I got 33 out of my 07 Focus, front wheel drive, manual trany. I get 26 out of my 04 Volvo S80 AWD, 2.5L turbo. I'm surprised my Volvo S80 gets slightly better mileage than the Fusion, with the Fusion being smaller and benefiting from all the new state of the art. They are both equally responsive to the gas pedal. However, the Volvo gets that mileage with premium gas, with regular gas, it gets about 24 and is noticably less responsive to the gas pedal. The Fusion is running regular gas, so there are points for that. Though, to me, that would imply that the Volvo is using knock detection and dynamically adjusting timing (or something like that) to benefit from the higher octane when present. I'm surprised the Fusion, leveraging from all the new state of the art, does not do something similar to improve mileage and performance if I put higher octane fuel in it. I tried, I ran premium in it for three straight weeks as a test, and saw no change in mileage or performance. gary

Five months ago I bought a 2013 Fusion AWD, I assume that the Titanium package with 2.0L eco boost is the only way the AWD comes. I love the car and would not want to void any warranty, though another 30 or so horse power would really make it a fun car to drive and justify it's looks. The 07 Focus I exchanged for it gave me 6 years and 110K miles, costing me 3 sets of 70K tires (plus the factory tires), a power steering pump, one battery and full synthetic oil every 5K miles. I was pleased with that car and hope for more of the same from this one. The interesting thing is that I read a review on the 13 Fusion w/ eco boost, and it said the engine is state of the art using all the latest technology on getting power and mileage together. I also own an 04 Volvo S80 with the 2.5L w/ low pressure turbo, also AWD. Comparing the two cars, they feel equally "powerful", the Fusion being slightly snappier which I attribute to it being smaller and weighing quite a bit less. The interesting thing is, that the Volvo, for me, gets 26, and I've seen as high as almost 29 miles per gallon. The Fusion, for me, gets almost 25 miles per gallon. I know, hard to really compare something like m/g, but I have a 120 mile a day commute that starts winding out of the mountains until I get into the Columbia River Gorge (which is why I need AWD), then it is State Route through the gorge and town, until I get to the freeway, where I skirt around Portland (Oregon) to it's southern most suburb where work is. So mileage wise it is about 1/3 windy mountain roads, turns sharp enough to use your side windows to see ahead of you, and 2/3 freeway. Both cars see the same driver and the same route. Another interesting thing is that when I run regular or premium fuel in the Volvo, I see a noticeable improvement in power and fuel mileage with premium. The mileage increase is enough to offset the price increase of the fuel. I am assuming that the Volvo utilizes a knock sensor and dynamically adjusts timing to take advantage of the higher octane fuel. I tried running premium in the Fusion for three weeks, and saw no difference in mileage or performance. So, I would think that the Fusion could benefit from some improved timing controls. Though, I don't know that a programmer would provide what is needed. gary