Looks Like A Focus-Drinks Like A Mustang!!

[rusty fez]

Good afternoon.My good Lady runs a 1.6 petrol Zetec (2009) Whilst it is a nice motor to drive but it is rather thirsty It only averages (according to the trip computer around 33 mpg but I suspect even that is optimistic)It is used for mixed driving, not just town work so I find this a bit rubbish.So bad I am consideing buying an A%*"^a! Is this common for this year focus or is there something I can do? It is never thrashed (never seen 90 mph)and not seen 3500 rpm through the gears either.

I suspect Ford have added all the bells and whistles on this car and made it considerably heavier whilst sticking with the old 100 bhp zetec engine.We owned a 2002 mk 1 Focus and that was at least 5 mpg better with better performance.

[Turvey]

We get around that or less with mainly town driving, however on a trip south recently(mostly between 50-60mph) we were getting over 40mpg. As you say though, maybe heavier car so engine has to work harder.

[artscot79]

ive got the 115bhp 1.6 which has better economy than the 100bhp and for short trips 10 miles to work and back i see 36mpg bearing in mind the car barely warms up really and its hilly around town with lots of stop start i see 33mpg mixed driving is anywhere between 39 upwards the most being 47mpg i would say that for mixed driving its pretty poor what youre focus is showing theres a few things

reset the trip computer and average speed dont fill the tank as thats just more weight and despite what some think over the last few years ive tried supermarket fuel and i get lower mpg with that as well as power power

check youre tyre pressures 32 at the rear and 30 at the front is more than sufficient also try some fortunas fule system cleaner ford use it and its quite good and see what improvements you get and last of all make sure the air filter isnt dirty or clogged up

[FOCA]

Good afternoon.My good Lady runs a 1.6 petrol Zetec (2009) Whilst it is a nice motor to drive but it is rather thirsty It only averages (according to the trip computer around 33 mpg but I suspect even that is optimistic)It is used for mixed driving, not just town work so I find this a bit rubbish.So bad I am consideing buying an A%*"^a! Is this common for this year focus or is there something I can do? It is never thrashed (never seen 90 mph)and not seen 3500 rpm through the gears either.

I suspect Ford have added all the bells and whistles on this car and made it considerably heavier whilst sticking with the old 100 bhp zetec engine.We owned a 2002 mk 1 Focus and that was at least 5 mpg better with better performance.

Well, 33mpg is not that bad, a Mustang may only return 15-20mpg

driving style has a lot to do with it - i usually do the driving am not often driven, i was in a car where the driver slowed down changed into 1st and stopped at every roundabout, junction etc, where i would have been is 2nd, at least creeping forward, and i would have read the road ahead better, so i would have lifted off sooner in situations where i know im going to have to stop - all this stuff adds up

So different drivers/ different techniques can give significant differences in MPG

Driving slowly does not nessisarily give better MPG, changing up too earlly or going uphill in too high a gear (at too little revs) or being lazy and not changing down when required may use more fuel because the engine may require a larger throttle opening, may "labor" and may mot be at the most efficient revs (especially with a petrol-engined car) - not revving the car can also be surprisingly bad for it

AC can have a significant negative effect around town or in start-stop driving/ or when accelerating/ repetitive accelerating - it can be upto 4MPG - at a constant speed (eg- cruising on the M-way) it has little effect on MPG

Wheel / tyre weight, tyre width tyre make/ type and pressure can have a significant effect on MPG - a Mondeo mk3 (or4) 16" steel wheel+ tyre weighs 17.4kgs,(x4 = 69.6) an 18" ST wheel weighs 22kgs (x4 = 88) - this is rotatng mass - approx 20 more kilos to be accelerated/ de-celerated - so much so that the same models but with different wheels have different manufacturers/ govmt figures

Narrower tyres tend to get better MPG than wider ones (less drag)

Tyre design has moved on and some "eco" "energy efficient" models return significantly improved MPG - some "mud and snow" "winter" or "all weather" tyres may return very poor MPG

I run 60psi on my bike - if ive not been on it a while, and the pressures have dropped, i can really feel the difference in drag, its less obvious in the car, but i run 41psi on the back, and 39 in the front, it took a bit of trial and error to get to these PSIs, the Mondeo is heavier than a Focus, but running an extra couple of PSI can help reduce drag (increasing MPG) the ride can suffer - but im Scottish - try 36PSI

[ben1191]

Driving styles,people who don't rev their car now and then will do it more harm than good,it needs a good clear out now and again.

Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC

[theduke]

I get the same hovers around the low to mid thirties, does get better on longer motorway runs

So long as its serviced at the correct intervals theres not much else you can do other than tyre pressures and driving style

[btmaldon]

My previous car which was an 11 plate 100bhp Focus used to average 43 on a run and 38 mixed driving. Now if your wife is anything like mine I can get 5 mpg per gallon more than she can out of her Clio. That's by driving normally so it could well be just the driving style.