Gas mileage / MPG achievements (with optional MPG computer pics)

[MCMfan92]

Last tank averaged 48.2 in my cvt hatch

[MirageRally]

That's really good! Last tank on mine was 39mpg cause l drove quickly around town.

[RogerF765]

Last tank averaged 48.2 in my cvt hatch

That’s great. I opted for the 5 Speed even though the CVT is rated at higher MPG because the CVT that I test drove was an absolute dog. Even in Sport mode it was terribly slow so I’ll sacrifice a few MPG for better drivability. Now I have heard that the performance of the CVT can vary widely between cars but I’m happy with the 5 speed thus far.

[MCMfan92]

That’s great. I opted for the 5 Speed even though the CVT is rated at higher MPG because the CVT that I test drove was an absolute dog. Even in Sport mode it was terribly slow so I’ll sacrifice a few MPG for better drivability. Now I have heard that the performance of the CVT can vary widely between cars but I’m happy with the 5 speed thus far.

IMO, getting good “performance” out of a CVT depends entirely on how you drive it. 4k rpm in my own testing is right around where the engine makes the most torque, also, If you take off real lightly, 1.5k rpm has decent torque as well for “taking your time” up to speed.

I honestly like the CVT vs the traditional automatic my fusion has.

It’s all dependent on what you like though.

[Mark]

That’s great. I opted for the 5 Speed even though the CVT is rated at higher MPG because the CVT that I test drove was an absolute dog. Even in Sport mode it was terribly slow so I’ll sacrifice a few MPG for better drivability. Now I have heard that the performance of the CVT can vary widely between cars but I’m happy with the 5 speed thus far.

According to everyone's mpg logs, the 5-speed has a higher rating. CVT only seems superior in theory.

[RogerF765]

IMO, getting good “performance” out of a CVT depends entirely on how you drive it. 4k rpm in my own testing is right around where the engine makes the most torque, also, If you take off real lightly, 1.5k rpm has decent torque as well for “taking your time” up to speed.

I honestly like the CVT vs the traditional automatic my fusion has.

It’s all dependent on what you like though.

That makes sense since the torque peak is advertised at 4K rpm. It is pretty hard to tell a lot of about a car from a short test drive but I’ve had more manual transmission vehicles than automatic and have had nothing but motorcycles for the last 7 years so I don’t mind shifting gears.

[7milesout]

The engine is most efficient (getting the most forward motion out of the fuel burned) when accelerating with the throttle as open as it can be and RPM in the vicinity of the torque peak (which is a really wide 2500-5500 in this car) in the highest possible gear. But, if you go full-throttle, the ECU reads that as "forget fuel economy and go for max power" and puts you in open-loop, so you can't fully open the throttle. But, you can give it half to 2/3.

I hope this doesn't start a war, but I think the notion that better mpg is actually achieved when the engine is operated at it's most efficient condition (rpm & load) is not understood correctly. Engine efficiency and driving efficiency achieved are not necessarily mutually related. There are lots of reasons why an engine may run most efficiently under certain circumstances. But that doesn't necessarily mean that that engine placed into a vehicle and ran under those conditions is going to yield the maximum mpg that system (the car) can yield.

I can agree that the engine is most efficient under circumstances as you mentioned. However, let me try to put a real world example to it. Let's say the most efficient condition our cute little 3 cylinder engines can run is 4,000 rpm with let's say 80% throttle.

Take 2 Mirage's, both 5 speed manuals. They are both driving down the road at 50 mph.

Mirage A is the one we're using to simulate running the engine at its most efficient condition. Mirage B is any other 5 speed Mirage.

Mirage A is at 50 mph, in 3rd gear (that should be 4,000 rpm to 4,150 rpm, somewhere in that zone). So we have the rpm set, how do we have it meet the 80% throttle? There would have to be something holding it back so that it didn't accelerate at that 50 mph, it just holds the speed steady with the throttle open (the cylinders are experiencing little to no vacuum at 80% throttle). How about we attach a magical parachute that has the perfect amount of drag to replicate this condition. With just the right amount of drag, the throttle is held open at 80% at ~4,000 rpm in 3rd.

In the next lane over is Mirage B doing the exact same speed but is in 5th gear turning a skosh over 2,500 rpm. And it is at what (I'm not sure) 10% throttle to maintain that speed.

Which will be getting better mpg? I will concede that Mirage B's engine is NOT operating at its most fuel efficient condition.

My contention is that while Mirage A is using the fuel it is receiving in a more efficient manner, it is simply USING MORE FUEL. While Mirage B may be wasting more of the fuel it is receiving, yet it is using MUCH LESS FUEL.

The takeaway is that engine efficiency and driving efficiency (of a whole system) are not necessarily mutually related.

[davidricardo86]

57.5 average MPG A, my best yet! It was about 60-70°F, no speeding or hard braking, a lot of coasting, RPMs 2,000-3,000 if possible, 30-50 MPH, very little traffic, some small hill climbs, night time driving

Edit: I filled up today and at the pump I recorded 45 MPG for the last tank (338 miles driven). I drove until my fuel gauge and the pump icon were blinking (which made me a little worried). I bought regular unleaded 87 for $2.18/gallon and pumped in approximately 7.5 gallons.

[7milesout]

That is awesome. If gas prices skyrocket, we can all claim, "I was a Mirage owner, when owning a Mirage wasn't cool."

[MetroMPG]

57.5 average MPG A, my best yet!

Nice work!