Fusion Ecoboost Fuel Mileage

[Turbotim88]

2015 SE Ecoboost 2.0 FWD 2,000 miles, getting combined city/highway 27-28 mpg.

[Roadrager]

SE 1.5 liter eco boost. 11.5 litres per 100 kilometre or 25 miles per gallon. 500 km on the odometer or 310 miles.

[iamcdn]

9.5 L per 100 Km. 1100 km on odometer. 2.0 L ecoboost, 2016 Titanium. 80% city driving 20% highway

 

Or 24-25 mpg, 680 miles

Edited October 15, 2015 by iamcdn

[morry]

As I have mentioned in a post elsewhere I have just traded in a 2009 SEL V6 for a 2016 SE 1.5 Ecoboost.

Approximately two to three times per month I have to travel the same route from London Ontario to Guelph Ontario using the 401 highway

It is a 250 kilometer trip with 50 kilometers in local traffic the rest on the limited access highway. I always set my cruise to 118 Km for as much of the trip as possible.

Since I have been doing this for seven years I have a pretty good set of statistics for the old car.

For the next few months I will post the equivalent stats for the new car and see how they compare.

I have had snow tires for winter driving on both cars so as time goes by I can even report what difference they make

I will also report the approximate outside temperature for each trip.

To help make things a little easier I will convert to miles per gallon BUT I am going to use the Canadian gallon which is about 20% larger.

I really like doing these kinds of statistics and my curiosity about turbo charged engines has been kicked into gear.

I did my first trip last weekend and I just wanted to enjoy the new car so I did not get into too much detail.

There a relatively flat stretch of about 3 km just after I get on the highway to go to Guelph and I always re-set the trip fuel mileage there and leave it alone for the rest of the trip.

For the first 3 km I saw 45.5 mpg as a constant. After that as things got hillier it slowly dropped to about 39 mpg by the Guelph exit.

Remember this was on a car with 600Km on the odometer, winter tires, winter blend fuel, and an outside temperature of about 40 F.

On the return trip I re-set the trip fuel mileage going in the other direction on the same stretch of the highway and saw exactly the same results.

My first trip observations are...

No matter where I am during the trip my fuel mileage is always better than the 09 but the 09 was more constant with lower highs and higher lows in the numbers

I also found the computer system reporting this stuff to be quite accurate in the 09 and I am expecting the same with my new car.

I hope those of you that have an interest in this kind of stuff will find the next few months to be quite interesting.

Later,

Morry

[Silver14Ti]

My previous car was a 2.0L EcoBoost Titanium.

 

I tuned the car within a week of buying it, so it still had 87 octane fuel in in when I got to Livernois, so I got the device loaded with Livernois' custom 87, 89, 91, and 93 octane tune files.

 

I immediately noticed improved throttle response and the transmission calibration was much improved! Shifts were much more firm and precise and it no longer felt lazy or like the trans is slipping between gears.

 

In stock form, the car would chirp the tires (barely) and go. Even with the 87 octane tune loaded, you have to roll into the throttle or the tires spin through first, chirp on the 1-2 shift, and spin through the rest of second gear. If you roll into it, it still spins a bit and chirps the tires on the 1-2, but it feels much quicker.

 

After filling with 93 octane and loading the 93 octane tune, I took it back to put it on the dyno. The 93 octane tune felt almost like going from stock to the 87 octane tune in terms of seat of the pants gain.

 

This is without a doubt, the best modification for these cars. In addition to the increased power, it gets much better fuel economy. In stock form with 87 octane, I was seeing 22.5 avg mpg (all city). With the Livernois 87 octane tune, even with some spirited driving, I was seeing just over 26 mpg (all city).

 

Here's the dyno sheet. Check out the stock curve (blue) vs tuned (red).

 

 

By far the best mod for these cars!!

[SpyderByte]

We have had our 2103 Fusion SE 1.6 Eco for almost 2 months and have put 1700 miles on it. It is limited to 70% city driving, with no more than 1/2 mile between lights, and the rest has been some highway and suburban/country roads. We use "cheap" non-ethanol fuel too. Most of those few weeks have also had to use a mix of A/C or defrost due to changes in the weather in Indiana, and almost no windows open except for the sunroof on occaision. We are sticking at just under 26mpg (25.6 to 25.8) and am very pleased with this result. Can't wait to take it on a trip that keeps us on the interstate for a couple hundred miles at a time, to really test out that mileage.

[akirby]

I averaged 26/27 with 4 large adults plus luggage and A/C at an average speed around 75 on relatively flat interstate between Atlanta and Charleston over the weekend. (2.0L EB Titanium). Not bad IMO.

[morry]

I just finished another Guelph run, and again the stats are quite interesting.

The temperature again was about 40 and there wasn't much wind.

On the flat stretch the computer was reading 46 mpg. and by the Guelph exit it was down to 45.3. On today's trip the traffic was lighter than normal so I was able to keep the cruise on for most of the way.

By the time I was in Guelph it had dropped to 43 mpg and on the way out by the 401 entrance it was down to 40.5 mpg.

By the London exit it was back up to 41 mpg.

The interesting part about this is that in only 30 miles of local driving the average had dropped about 5 mpg. On the return trip it came up less the 1 mpg.

Under similar conditions the 09 would have shown 37 mpg by the Guelph exit 34 by the 401 entrance and 35 by London.

The local travelling of about 30 miles dropped the average by almost 5 mpg. The old one under the same conditions never lost more than 3.

I find it very interesting that under a set of conditions where only 20% of the trip was not on a limited access highway there was a drop of 5 mpg for the entire trip.

Using a turbocharger in this way to replace a much larger engine for good performance can be very effective but as the old saying goes "there is NO free lunch" you are paying for it in traffic when that extra power is needed.

There are no conditions where the old car ever got better mileage than this one but as I suspected in low speed local traffic the gap is not as large.

The other thing that one has to remember is that with the size of the gas tank and efficiency of the engine it is not necessary to refuel as often and this allows for more time for local travelling and under these conditions your overall average is likely to take a hit.

morry

[morry]

Another weekend run with an interesting twist...

This time there was a northwest wind of about 15-20 mph. Since this highway runs from the southwestern part of southern Ontario to the northeast it means that going both ways you will get a partial headwind for part of the trip in both directions. Also the temperature was about 29 degrees.

Under those conditions the starting mileage was about 43 mpg. By the Guelph exit it had dropped to 41 and by downtown Guelph it was at 39. On the way back it showed 36 at the on ramp and rose a little to 37 by London.

That wind really did affect the results!

I have finally driven the car enough to be able to include a full tank of gas in the results. By the gas station the computer was recording a trip average of 30.6 mpg and by checking the amount of fuel used against the trip odometer I calculated an average of 30.5. That is an error of .1 per 30 or about 3 %.

That is very similar to the figures that my earlier Fusion gave me and it shows that Ford is consistent with the calibration of these computers.

Considering the conditions that the real world can throw at these cars I don't consider 3 % to be an issue at all.

Morry

[propwash]

If the computer only differed from the actual by .1 in 30 mpg, that is a difference of .3%, not 3%. Your computer is ten times better than you thought it was!

[Rtipping]

We have a 2014 Ruby Red Fusion SE, the wife wanted cloth seats so we had to order it with 2'0 motor and cloth seats.. Man, that car will run. we get 21 or 22 around town and 27 to 29 on the highways, maybe would get more if I stayed off the gas pedal.

"maybe would get more if I stayed off the gas pedal."

Yes they certainly will go-go.

[morry]

I have now done two more Guelph runs. The first one had almost identical environmental conditions as the one in my last post.

There is no surprise then that my fuel mileage ways almost the same.

This weekend however the temperature was hovering around 10 degrees Fahrenheit and this did make a difference.

The initial reading was 40.5 mpg. and by the Guelph exit it was still sitting at 40.5. In Guelph it showed 39.1 and by the entrance ramp to the 401 it was 38.5.

By London it had recovered to 39.7.

When you take everything into consideration this is still very good gas mileage, but it is quite interesting what running in cold weather can do.

Later,

Morry

[d-dave]

Hey y'all, newish owner.

 

I bought a certified, pre-owned 2013 Ford Fusion SE with the 1.6 Ecoboost and the Autobox (good luck find a manual alas!) and the 18" wheel package. One of the reasons I choose the Fusion was the fact that it could get "close" to my previous car, a 2013 Nissan Altima SV (2.5 with the CVT). I hated the CVT with a passion, and I ended up doing 60,000 miles in four years on the Altima with no warranty. It was rated for 28 city, 38 high way and it did not disappoint. On a 70/75 MPH trip from Charlotte to Raleigh, NC, I would easily do 36+ MPG in all season. Each monstrous tank was 580+ miles. At my new job (way less miles) I was averaging 30-31 MPG in my Altima

 

In my Ford, my MPG is so much worse. I am lucky to get more than 25 MPG any way. I did that same trip from Charlotte to Raleigh and I averaged 24.5 MPG. I chalked it up to my first run in a new to me car. No biggie. After a month of road trips for the holidays and back and forth to work, I am sitting around 22-24 MPG. Now I only goose it a little bit, most of the time, I drive easy, keep the revs below 3,000 RPM, etc. I do know how to drive with less gas.

 

I just don't get it. The dealership said it all checked out. They said that the engine was fine, no codes, it was "working as intended." Needless to say, I am extremely disappointed thus far. I've only had the car about two months (Late November purchase), and I'm actually seeing my mileage continue to slip.

 

My methods: I use the car's odometer to track how many miles I drive, I fill up to the first stop at the pump. I divide those miles by that purchased amount to get my mileage. I never trust the car's readouts.

 

So, I see a tune might help, but I have warranty for the next six years I don't want to jeopardize. I wonder if the air filter is an issue because of the weird fuzzy mess before the actual filter (though the replacements have it too). Or if its the wheels, I don't have the cash to just swap out for smaller, lighter wheels.

 

Do you experienced owners have some suggestions? I love the car, but the mileage is really getting on my nerves. Once oil bottoms out and jumps back up, I don't want to pay for that extra gas.

[akirby]

Forget the air filter - that won't affect mpg. Just out of curiosity reset the computer and compare it to your manual calculation next fill-up.

 

The CVTs excel at mpg but your Fusion is rated at 38 highway.

 

Make sure the tires are at least 35 psi when they're cold (preferably at the coldest time of the day).

 

What size wheels do you have? Larger optional wheels can reduce mpg.

 

Next time you're on a level highway without a lot of traffic put the cruise on 55 or 60 and reset the computer mpg and see what you get over several miles.

[zip89105]

When the weather warms up you'll probably see an increase in mpg. Some vehicles however don't live up to their EPA estimates, especially at speeds over the limit.

Edited January 28, 2016 by zip89105

[d-dave]

Forget the air filter - that won't affect mpg. Just out of curiosity reset the computer and compare it to your manual calculation next fill-up.

 

The CVTs excel at mpg but your Fusion is rated at 38 highway.

 

Make sure the tires are at least 35 psi when they're cold (preferably at the coldest time of the day).

 

What size wheels do you have? Larger optional wheels can reduce mpg.

 

Next time you're on a level highway without a lot of traffic put the cruise on 55 or 60 and reset the computer mpg and see what you get over several miles.

 

I did that after I had Ford update the ECU, and at 60 mph, I was seeing 33 mpg. Funny enough, that was driving in the NC foothills/mountains. I was actually hot dogging it up the hills and such because it does handle really well compare to the floaty Altima! That was right after the ECU reset, and I thought things would be getting a lot better!

 

I honestly hadn't check the tire pressure since I bought the car since it has Nitrogen in the tires. I do eye ball them, and they are sitting pretty. I'll check them tomorrow morning. I do know that rolling resistance can play a part in power delivery and mileage, but since these are a "stock" option set, I never imagined them being too terribly different. I mean, I'm not even getting 25 MPG on my rolling highways. Downhill 99.9, up hill (at 75 mph) 8 according to the instant computer.

 

I'm just really irritated I'm getting SUV mileage out of a sedan I bought on the grounds for efficiency. Or am I expecting too much.

 

Thank you everyone for your helpful insight.

[akirby]

The ecoboost engines are super sensitive to how they're driven. Whereas naturally aspirated engines have a gentle curve ecoboost seems to have a cliff. Stay within the EPA test parameters for speed, acceleration (and coasting) and vehicle options and you can get EPA mpg. Go past those parameters just a little and mpg falls off a cliff.

 

Also - make sure you're not getting bad gas. Try a tank of mid-grade or premium from another source just to see if it makes a difference.

 

The other possible explanation is a lazy O2 sensor.

[PGarrett]

I have a 2014 1.5 with 12800 miles on it. I recently made a 4 1/2 hour drive. I filled up with 87 Octane non-ethanol gas. I started out at 34.2 mpg and ended at my destination at 39.8. My cruise control was set at 71 most of the way, occasionally I drove 75 mph. On the trip home, I filled up with 93 Octane with ethanol (couldn't find gas without it). My average speed was 78 mph and my mpg was 34.5.

[Geforcefly]

Premium fuel or not I CANNOT get the EPA highway number unless I'm going slower than 65 with the AC off in my 1.5L 2014 SE.

[akirby]

Premium fuel or not I CANNOT get the EPA highway number unless I'm going slower than 65 with the AC off in my 1.5L 2014 SE.

 

EPA average highway speed is closer to 55, and they use 100% gasoline with A/C on only part of the time. So that's not surprising.

 

Don't forget that temperature and elevation changes play a big part in anecdotal mpg reports.

[timwil56]

Also weather, road condition, how one uses their cruise control, weight in the car... all these and the factors stated above affect mpg's. Coming from a PHEV I have learned many ways to maximize range/eMPG's. One thing some folks do (my brother in particular) when using cruise is, when they have to turn it off, hit resume and the car raises the rpm's to get back to the set speed. It's much more efficient to slowly accelerate back to the desired speed and hit resume.

Edited March 2, 2016 by timwil56

[morry]

I have now returned from a midwinter vacation and I have resumed the drive to Guelph.

This last weekend the outside temperatures were in the mid 50's and there was a southwesterly wind for the whole day.

I still have the snow tires on but the warmer temperatures seemed to have really helped!

Also to make the number crunching a little easier I will include the U.S. gallon mileage in brackets after the Canadian

I am surprised at how much of an improvement there was due to the warmer weather...

On the first stretch it was showing 48 (40.6) mpg and by Guelph this had dropped only a little to 47 (39.7).

By downtown Guelph it was down to 43.6 (36.6) and by the on ramp to the 401 it was down to 42 (35.2).

By the London exit it was back up to 43.6 (36.6).

As in the past I have set the cruise for 118 kph for as much of the trip as possible, so this is real life driving.

Morry

[zip89105]

Yikes. Last tank was 20mpg on a 210 mile fill-up where approximately 70 miles was highway driving, the rest city driving. 2016 FWD 2.0 SE and I'm an easy driver. Chevron 91 octane with 10% ethanol. Of 9 fill-ups since I purchased it new, this is the worst tank for mpg.

Edited March 17, 2016 by zip89105

[timwil56]

Yikes. Last tank was 20mpg on a 210 mile fill-up where approximately 70 miles was highway driving, the rest city driving. 2016 FWD 2.0 SE and I'm an easy driver. Chevron 91 octane with 10% ethanol. Of 9 fill-ups since I purchased it new, this is the worst tank for mpg.

What were the driving conditions? Was there a headwind, what was the ambient temperature, did you use A/C or the defrosters, was it raining or snowing, were there elevation changes, any construction zones, rough roads, a lot of passing and do you hit resume after pausing the cruise or gradually regain speed and hit resume? You drove more city than highway. Was it a lot of stop and go, short trips, 4-5 adults in the car, were you carrying extra weight and were the conditions outside of your normal driving habits? Many factors affect mpg's.

Edited March 18, 2016 by timwil56

[zip89105]

Just normal city driving, which is usually 45mph between lights. The temps are mild here in Las Vegas, so not running the air conditioning much. Highway driving was 72mph with cruise set. Nothing unusual. I couldn't ask for better driving conditions. I'm just surprised at 20mpg when 33% of my driving on that tank was highway. I'm registered on Fuelly.