Jump to content
Do Not Sell My Personal Information


C- Max MPG


Parkgate Miller
 Share

Recommended Posts

I'd really like a group of us to try an experiment.

If you look on the ford website it gives details of how they conducted their mpg tests.

My figures are not even in the ball park.

I'm a carefull driver, light on the throttle yet I can't come close to fords mpg's for my 1.8tdci.

Even given manufacturers tolerences we should be closer than what we are.

I would love to hand my car over to an organisation ( top gear or fifth gear tv shows ) who could mimic fords mpg tests and have a real comparison, because there is something wrong somewhere and to be honest it is not just fords.

When you consider we base our purchase on a manufacturers figures, to then not even be close is out of order.

Another idea would be to get a fairly flat motorway run of a couple of miles, select cruise, select speed to take away the drivers hoof out of the equation, reset the menu mpg and record what the car does and post it here.

Imagine if we could grow a database of similar runs from similar models it would provide a wealth of info for owners and buyers alike.

We just need someone to facilitate the experiment.

mr rugby

I have always thought that these sorts of tests were done on a "dyno" set to mimic the fact that the engine had a car attached

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

hi i have a ford focus c max 1.6 tdci ghia auto and at the moment i am getting about 26 mpg and slight hesitation could this be erg valve? are the symptoms a sign of this problem and where is the valve. when we bought it 2 years ago we were getting 37 mpg on school and local driving. its been to ford they replaced the mass air flow sensor, this has not solved the problem any ideas suggestions would be greatly appreciated. one thing we did notice the pipe from the air filter to what we think is turbo was loose, have tightened it now could this be causing the loss in mpg? thank you

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hi i have a ford focus c max 1.6 tdci ghia auto and at the moment i am getting about 26 mpg and slight hesitation could this be erg valve? are the symptoms a sign of this problem and where is the valve. when we bought it 2 years ago we were getting 37 mpg on school and local driving. its been to ford they replaced the mass air flow sensor, this has not solved the problem any ideas suggestions would be greatly appreciated. one thing we did notice the pipe from the air filter to what we think is turbo was loose, have tightened it now could this be causing the loss in mpg? thank you

ell first off folks forget what the official figures say as said many times these figures are gained by the vehicle being tested by ford and on that test the vehicle is driven on a test track at no more than 5 miles at at ime the rest is done in a lab those figures are based on optimum driving conditions ie the right temperature etc etc etc you drive on roads that arent flat that have speed humps traffic lights traffic ques constant stop start etc the car isnt tested in these situations example toyota prius claimed mpg 73.4 mpg top gear tested it in london 54.7mpg no where near the claimed mpg ....fords figures for combined mpg is an average of slow driving mpg with cruising on a flat track at 60mph thats all its commonly known that diesels do not make good town cars the mpg will be poor for this yet people keep buying them expecting wonders not understanding that a diesel uses more fuel around town get it on a motorway where it sits at low rpm and it will give fantastic mpg.

in short the issue isnt the figures its the fact that many people dont understand how they are worked out and dont understand that a diesel is a mile muncher not a town car.

youll find the mpg for this time of year ie longer time taken to warm up etc is about normal and the dealers will tell you the same because there is nothing wrong accelerating harshly using the brakes too much steep hills traffic speed humps wind temperature tyre pressure and weight all effect the mpg if youre filling the tank up youre using more fuel as the car is now heavier which is why its recommended you only fill the tank halfway using the radio aircon heaters etc uses more fuel the aircon alone uses 10 percent more fuel then add radio rear window demiter electric mirror demister heated front screens it all adds up guys.

also i agree cheap supermarket fuel is a false economy as they use more cleaning fluid than fuel so for eaxample you get £5 of fuel from a supermarket £1.50 of that is cleaning fluids whereas Shell etc theres is more like 50p i used to use cheap supermarket fuel and i was getting 15mpg less then Shell unleaded.

mpg varies all the time a strong head wind changes it instantly also the type of driver so many posts are popping up about mpg that isnt bad its just not what people were thinking it would be based on the official figures which are not real world figures i have a 1.8 petrol focus i can get 32-33mpg around town official figures are 27mpg how well i anticipate the road i change up early i dont fill the tank and have roof racks and a boot full of stuff on it and i use Shell fuel during the colder months with increased warm up time i get less mpg just because the temp gauge sits halfway doesnt meanthe engines up to temp and the thermostat has fully opened if it hasnt the sensors in the engine are telling the brain the mixture ghas to be a bit richer than when its fully warm

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

My 1.6TDCI 90BHP averages about 45MPG around down and 50-52mpg on longer drives, most of my journeys are done by my wife to her work and back, I'm getting a Tuning Box tomorrow so hopefully see a small increase, it's still more economical than my last car a Skoda Fabia vRS which was getting about 42mpg around town, sometimes dipping down to 40MPG.

I've also got a K&N filter Fitted as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


My 1.6TDCI 90BHP averages about 45MPG around down and 50-52mpg on longer drives, most of my journeys are done by my wife to her work and back, I'm getting a Tuning Box tomorrow so hopefully see a small increase, it's still more economical than my last car a Skoda Fabia vRS which was getting about 42mpg around town, sometimes dipping down to 40MPG.

I've also got a K&N filter Fitted as well.

depends on the tuning box if its a cheap one it mnay give you more problems than anything the only proper way to have it done is with a remap or things like bluefin which are set within the factory specs for the car the majority of tuning boxes do nothing more than fool the cars sensors and can cause all sorts of issues easy way to tell if they dont hook it up toi a computer and dyno it then then how do they know the box is doing the job? they dont they are set generically for all vehicles not done specifically for the car i hope you have no future issues and you got a good one.

as for mpg official figures arent real world figures this is the main issue no one asks or researches the real world figures diesels as town cars can be good or hopeless given the cost and extra cost of diesel a small petrol will be more economical in town i got rid of a diesel for that very reason i was caught by the same idea that a tenner will last forever and it doesnt far fgrom it

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The tuning box is a DTUK tuning box, one of the better one's on the market, I had a tuning box on my previous car the Skoda and it increased the performance by about 37BHP, the one I'm getting has diffrent maps on it to suit the car. I wish I could get Bluefin for the car but I don't think they do it on the 1.6TDCI as yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I have just had my cmax 18tdci serviced (minor) oil and Filter and new sofware updates since the service my MPG has dropped about 10 MPG ......after 2 1/2 yrs of getting near quoted mpg.

took it back to garage they put it on machine sorry sir no error codes cant revert software nothing we can do see how it goes .............

Anyone else had this after a software update????

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How many miles are on the clock ? For the first 3-4k miles it will still be "running-in" and won't get the best MPG.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I have a c-max 55 plate ghia (euro 4) 1.6 tdci and this is my fuel economics (60.000 miles) around town im averaging around 49mpg and just done a 950mile cornwall round trip and averaged 61 mpg taking it nice and steady at around 67 miles per hour and this was with the car well laden and 4 poeple in the vehicle .

This vehicle has been getting these figures since i bought it on 9.000 miles 4 years ago and the reason i still own this car.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

seems to be a lot of variation with MPGs on CMax models. I had an 04 1.6tdci 110BHP which did 40 - 55mpg. I had a mid life crisis and bought an X type Jag but got rid after a few months, bought a cheap Rover 45 (petrol) I recently 'saw the light' and bought an 07 CMax 1.6 tdci (90bhp) and made the following observation:

Filled to brim, driven very carefully, 60 - 70 mph on open road, thinking ahead and avoiding braking and harsh acceleration. Drove 260 miles and re filled and noted amount of litres. Did the maths and worked out at 60.5mpg. Book figures are urban 48 extra urban 70 and average 60. The average MPG showed 65mpg. I think these displays are always a bit optimistic.

When working out MPG, always do it by filling up and noting mileage, fill up next rtime and note miles driven and litres of fuel used. Divide litres by 4.55 to get gallons and divide distance driven by gallons used. I can do it in my head, saddo I know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

my dads got a 2009 c max 2.0tdci powershift witch he has had from new its done around 8000 miles but there are a lot of short runs in that and it does between 38to40mpg on average he's pleased with that considering its an automatic he did have a 2006 1.6 petrol before witch was also quite good on fuel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've never known a car that can change mpg figures quite so drastically, admittedly I've always used cheap supermarket fuel, not for the sake of being tight, but simply the fact I drive past Morrisons petrol station 6 days a week, I'd have to go out of my way to go to a proper brand petrol station, my job normally entails at least 15 miles to get there ,sometimes more, sometimes less, but normally more,a couple of years ago I had a job about 9 mile away, lots of very bendy roads and not many straights, the car hovered around the 40 mpg mark all the time I was there (about 8 months) <_< ,I had a job last year that was 35 miles away, 4 miles of small road,31 miles of dual carriage averaging around 70 going and about 65 on the return, car then averaged 52-54 mpg for the month I was going down there.

Had a weeks holiday of normal driving but keeping the speed around the 60 mark, one long journey, 120 miles each way, then a few more local days out, managed 56.5 mpg from that tank full, actually got to 624 miles on the trip meter before it got to no miles left on the trip computer, but it still had fuel left in it.

The best I ever got from it but could not measure,I only had the trip computer as a ref was a 73 mile journey each way of virtually clear dual carriage way, I set cruise to 65 mph on the way up there with a reported average of 62.5 mpg, then without resetting the trip I came home at the dreaded official speed quoted on most car fuel figures , "56 mph" locked into the cruise and stuck to for 70 miles, the average then went right up to 68.9 mpg and was still slowly rising all the time but I had to stop the journey, so with no proven figures on that run , it must have been somewhere in the mid 60's.

On general driving the average fuel guage is usually wrong in my favour, on one tankfull it reported an average of of about 51 mpg but actuall figures were 53 mpg. All my figures are measured amounts no guesses, I fill up to the brim each time, then go to work immediately so the fuel doesn't drain out the breather pipe. That way I know its the same total fill up and correct amount of fuel used every tank, I don't do it much now as I know roughly what the car does now. The car hardly ever gets town use, that would probably give poorer than the 40 mpg that are my worst figures.

so just to sum things up

Car Ford C-Max 05 1.6 TDCi Ghia 110 bhp (now at about 55k)

Fuel Cheap Supermarket Diesel

Airfilter Standard Ford

Worst 40 mpg

Average 45-46 mpg

Long run 53-56 mpg

Best Careful 65 mpg

Sorry such a long post but accurate figures from my car with accurate fuel amounts used, we all know there's a large variation of amount of fuel you can get in your car in the different conditions between hot and cold, somedays the fuel goes in fine, then certain days it froths up like anything and trips the fuel pump, the tank isn't full but the froth stops more from going in, at least with my brim top fill ups I know I had the correct amount of fuel measured each time :D :D

So there's your staggering difference from worst 40 mpg right up to Careful Best of about 65 mpg

That's only a difference of about 25 miles per gallon, :( :( ,not 25 miles per tank full :angry: :angry:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 years later...

just completed a 400 mile trip, mixed driving, computer says 54mpg. by filling before and after i made it 51 mpg.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello, my best results is 57mpg, local road, really easy on the pedal. Everyday comute with little City driving 47mpg and highway 33. Its a heavy car with a little engine and its very hard to get better results. I consider in average 45-48 is normal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Ive got a 2.0tdci 04 plate with 215k miles and can get 64-66mpg on the run. It doesn't get used for short journies. I used to use supermarket fuels but last 4 weeks been using super diesel. £1.14 a litre can't go wrong and it does make a difference. I've also got a panel filter k&n which has increased the mpg by 10% easiely.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Last year I had some work done under warranty and the garage upgraded the ECU for free while they were at it. This seemed to improve acceleration more than anything but I get about 60mpg on motorway journeys and 40mpg on 1 mile sub-30mph trips. This is an 08 1.8 tdci - I am more than happy with the economy. I do always use the premium diesel and I always used premium petrol on previous cars. My 1997 BMW 1.8 petrol averaged 40mpg running on high octane fuel, but maybe old petrols need it more... makes sense that better quality fuel will help in the long run.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 years later...

Hi all I got a c-max 2.0tdci 136bhp and I'm only get 27 mpg any advice plz 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Si88 said:

Hi all I got a c-max 2.0tdci 136bhp and I'm only get 27 mpg any advice plz 

What sort of journeys are you doing? If your only doing short runs then thats what i would expect.

Has it allways been like this ?

When was it last serviced?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I own a 1.5tdci , I average around 47 to 50 .I am quite satisfied with that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, Hostahousey said:

I own a 1.5tdci , I average around 47 to 50 .I am quite satisfied with that.

Ive averaged 47.4 over 18,565 thats actual not via the computer which gives 47.5, and i dont hang about not as good as my last Mondeo though which did avg  52.3 over it life  135987 miles

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

I have recently bought an 09 plate 2.0 petrol automatic with 59000 miles on the clock and a full service history. I love driving the car but it only does 24mpg which is terrible I have done full diagnostics on the car and it shows everything working as it should. I have had 3.0 Landrovers  with better fuel consumption than this  admit that now I am retired I only do very short trips, but come on 24mpg can't be right.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That don't look great, is it a 09 or a 19 as your info states 2019. Either way its , I run with AC on all the time now its winterish I still get over 45mpg with my 1500 tdci auto.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share




×
×
  • Create New...

Forums


News


Membership