MPG Highs / Lows

[joel27nc]

My Fiesta says I'm to get 37 MPG. I'm getting 38.6 MPG right now. I hear others getting over 40 MPG on the 5 speed. Is this true, other 5 speed owners getting over 40 MPG? Why didn't they make a 6 speed manual? We would get over 45 MPG or better.

[Norm201]

Originally Posted by joel27nc

My Fiesta says I'm to get 37 MPG. I'm getting 38.6 MPG right now. I hear others getting over 40 MPG on the 5 speed. Is this true, other 5 speed owners getting over 40 MPG? Why didn't they make a 6 speed manual? We would get over 45 MPG or better.

Short answer: Driving habits, typical daily distance and city verses highway driving.

Those who are getting over 40 are also driving longer distances with few stops and steadier speeds. They also using more gas by virtue of the driving distance albeit great mileage. Typically our Fiesta gets about 28 to 30 MPG. But we are only driving 2 miles a day in suburban neighborhood. However, we use very little fuel by comparison but get poorer mileage. We fill up about once or twice a month.

If you don't drive your car you'll get zero MPG, but use absolutely no gas!

[billnchristy]

Average speed is the most important part of the MPG puzzle. Without it we really are not comparing apples to apples.

One highway trip for me can raise average speed by a few MPH over a tank of gas and that translates into a couple MPG.

My normal average is 25-30mph, I believe the Fiesta says 32mph right now.

Those that average 40mph + are going to have the high 30s, low/mid 40s, those of us that can't break 30mph will barely break 30mpg.

[Corvair]

I have a 5 speed, and often get 41 or 42 when I work at it and it's not hot or cold. I have a ScanGaugeII that gives me the instant and trip average. The worst mpg road for me is the 45 MPH with stops about every three blocks. I've gotten over 50 mpg in the city with a max of 30 mph. But there are like only three stops in several miles. Also fill up on a slope at the gas station and that will give you a bad number too.

Also some of us have poor math skills and some of us lie!

[iamz]

This thread needs to be moved here; The Eco Fiesta Driver - Fiesta Faction

[Faulkster]

Current average is 42.3 for me 5speed. I have yet to get under 30mpgs's. Not to mention i drive this car like i stole it.

[billnchristy]

Actually I looked just a minute ago...my avg. speed is 25.

[Norm201]

At every fill up I reset everything to zero. But not on a long trip unless I fill up. I think this gives a truer picture of the mileage per tank full. But that one long trip sure can skewer the reading.

[billnchristy]

I do the same...I was going to try lifetime but it gets to the point where it is very inaccurate tank for tank. For instance over 1k miles it was reading 32.1 and we were getting 29mpg.

My prius has 2 trip computers with seperate mpg and average speed calculations, I like that a lot because I can do a full tank and also a short run or a mileage calc for a work run...whatever.

[RWO]

I keep track of my MPG with a spreadsheet. The last 3 columns are computed.
The fields are:

Date, Odometer, Gallons, Miles Traveled, MPG, Running Avg MPG

08/16/10 240 8.10
08/27/10 508 9.10 268 29.45 29.45
09/03/10 754 7.60 246 32.37 30.91
09/11/10 1,025 7.60 271 35.66 32.49
09/19/10 1,303 8.30 278 33.49 32.74
10/01/10 1,577 8.35 274 32.81 32.76
10/11/10 1,855 8.00 278 34.75 33.09
10/24/10 2,144 8.60 289 33.60 33.16
11/06/10 2,435 8.94 291 32.55 33.09
11/24/10 2,704 8.88 269 30.29 32.78
12/09/10 2,978 8.91 274 30.75 32.57
12/19/10 3,188 7.85 210 26.75 32.04***
01/07/11 3,423 8.35 235 28.14 31.72
01/15/11 3,693 8.37 270 32.26 31.76
01/27/11 3,933 7.79 240 30.81 31.69
02/09/11 4,198 8.57 265 30.92 31.64
02/19/11 4,494 8.85 296 33.45 31.75
02/26/11 4,778 8.62 284 32.95 31.82
03/11/11 5,065 8.84 287 32.47 31.86
03/20/11 5,365 8.56 300 35.05 32.03
04/02/11 5,687 9.60 322 33.54 32.10
04/11/11 5,966 8.49 279 32.86 32.14
04/21/11 6,247 8.54 281 32.90 32.17
05/01/11 6,559 8.84 312 35.29 32.31
05/13/11 6,835 8.10 276 34.07 32.38
05/27/11 7,144 8.71 309 35.48 32.51
06/07/11 7,447 8.84 303 34.28 32.58

*** The car was reprogrammed, TSB 10-19-6