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ford fiesta 1.6 powershift - poor fuel economy 17-20mpg

25K views 33 replies 17 participants last post by  DsmTalonGuy 
#1 ·
i have a new ford fiesta 1.6 powershift, has around 350 miles on the clock. im averaging only 17-20 mpg.. should i be concerned that there is something wrong with my car? your feedbacks are greatly appreciated.. im starting to worry..
 
#2 ·
It's still new. But there are a lot of questions that need answering. First, the PS needs to learn your driving habits. That may take up to 500 miles. Then you need to be conscience of your driving habits. No quick starts and no heavy braking. Also short trips are going to reek havoc on mileage. I suggest you take in on a 50 to 100 mile highway ride. You'll see that mileage go way up. But becuase its still new you need to vary your speed for several hundred more miles to beak in the engine. Give it at least 2 to 3 more weeks with regular driving. Keep us posted.

PS...Welcome to the Forum.
 
#3 · (Edited)
thanks for the reply. i stay in the 2000-2500 rpm range. i'll keep you posted.


is it a good idea to have my powershift patched? ford people say it would take 2 days to do it. they said it also involves driving the car at 80kph for several minutes as part of the upgrade process. is this true??? i highly doubt the driving part...


i filled up and reset the fuel economy gauge, this is what i got after about 2 miles.. my last fillup was with 91 octane unleaded, now i tried the 95octane (dunno if its unleaded or not). will this affect my fuel economy?

 
#15 ·
i filled up and reset the fuel economy gauge, this is what i got after about 2 miles.. my last fillup was with 91 octane unleaded, now i tried the 95octane (dunno if its unleaded or not). will this affect my fuel economy?

2 miles isn't going to give you any kind of idea of the fuel economy of your car. If I try 2 miles in town my MPGs are probably lower than that due to stoplights, slow traffic, etc. Find a flat road you can drive several miles on at 50-60mph and then see what it registers at.
 
#4 ·
read the Fiesta Owners Guide
Measuring techniques
Your best source of information about actual fuel economy is you, the
driver. You must gather information as accurately and consistently as
possible. Fuel expense, frequency of fill-ups or fuel gauge readings are
NOT accurate as a measure of fuel economy. We do not recommend
taking fuel economy measurements during the first 1,000 miles
(1,600 km) of driving (engine break-in period). You will get a more
accurate measurement after 2,000 miles–3,000 miles (3,000 km–5,000
km).
 
#7 ·
Reflashing the TCM takes about 4 hours - not 2 days. Also it requires no special driving afterward, except by you as you reteach the computer the shift patterns.

I have had both cars done ... I know.
 
#8 ·
Norm - what you say is true but reread what he posted ... they want two days and to drive it afterward? We both know a reflash does not take that long nor require any special "driving" as he's been led to believe.
 
#9 ·
As has been said many times, when, where and how you drive have a huge effect on mpg.
Traffic, stop and go are killers.
But as they guys said, give it some time.
Octane doesn't have much effect except on your pocket book.
87 is the recommended octane.
Better hope that 95 was unleaded.
 
#12 ·
i always go for unleaded especially with vehicles with CATs. but this time out of desperation with my poor fuel economy, i tried to fill up 1 tank with 95 octane thinking maybe it would help.. next time i will switch back to unleaded..
 
#10 ·
Do not waste your money on high octane gas. If anything that is going to reduce your fuel economy even more.

FWIW I have a new '13 with about 2000 miles on it now. My first tank or two were kind of disappointing as far as fuel economy goes - though not near as bad as you've reported. My most recent tanks have been up in the 39mpg range.
 
#17 ·
MSD, I have over 48,000 miles on my 2011 Fiesta and have averaged 36.5 mpg with roughly a 60/40 city/highway split. I've only gone under 30 mpg on a tank once or twice (in the winter due in part to slower city traffic speeds and excessive idling to keep the interior warm).
 
#19 ·
As well note these cars, compared to MANY others I have owned in the past, are VERY sensitive to throttle inputs in relation to gas MPG. I average 70 MPH and shift at 4500 and average 34-36 MPG. As a test, one tank full I never went over 60 MPH, and granny shifted so slow at 45 MPH I was in 5th. I got 42 MPG. Needless to say, could not possibly drive like that ALL the time. With the way these cars are geared, truely awesome MPG is going to come at the expense of driving it easy, all IMHO of course.
 
#20 ·
Shortly after I got my '11 SEps I entered an economy run. Driving at 45mph and coasting with the throttle closed, in gear, I got a little over 52 mpg.
As Mach 1 said, if you go into the higher revs, the mileage drops.

As I have often said, mpg is affected more by the driver than anything else.
 
#22 ·
Over the past two days I have I have noticed my kms to empty read out has been dropping like a rock! There are not error lights and no puddles of fuel under my car...
Hi hydeco,

Have you taken the vehicle to your dealer for diagnosis? I highly recommend doing so as they are in the best position to assist. For questions within my scope, do not hesitate to ask. :cool:

Kwasi
 
#24 ·
...I have over 48,000 miles on my 2011 Fiesta and have averaged 36.5 mpg with roughly a 60/40 city/highway split. I've only gone under 30 mpg on a tank once or twice (in the winter due in part to slower city traffic speeds and excessive idling to keep the interior warm).

UPDATE: At 66,630 miles, and after having had to drive the 2011 SES during the winter months for the first time, my average is at 35.6 mpg with a 56/44 city/highway split. For comparison purposes, I've driven my ST 11,200 miles in the past six months averaging 30.4 mpg in 66/34 city/highway driving.
 
#27 ·
I Just bought my fiesta 1.5L 2014. had it for 8 months now. I get 6.5km/L city driving and 17km/L highway. Is there something wrong with my car? It's like gulping up my gas. I have talked with the dealer and they diagnosed it with a computer and they said they can't find anything wrong with the car. Is my unit defective?
 
#28 ·
It gets better over time. I was concerned about low MPG (for me) - in the 30s average - until this weekend. I had to take a fast run from home to the Catskills and back. Racked up a 44.88 MPG reading after fillup this morning. That's an all-time best for a total of 4 Fiestas I've owned (including the 2 current ones).
 
#30 ·
I have my own database for each car to log all costs. I can derive cost/mile (with or without purchase price), miles/day, low/average/high MPG and more. Separate reports for mods, service, fueling, etc.

I derive all MPG from the gas receipts - never rely on the car computer.
 
#31 ·
I do something similar in a spreadsheet on my computer. I keep a notepad in my glovebox and jot down mileage, gallons, cost per gallon and the date, then transfer that to my computer every couple of months.

I hate phones and don't carry one. ;)
 
#32 ·
I write the odometer, trip and computer MPG on the receipt and then enter it as soon as I can when I get home. I note the car MPG only to see what the variance is between actual and car as an average. I'll be altering my database to supply that shortly. All mod, fuel and service items have comments section, and for fuel I can track trips simply by the location where I tanked up.
 
#33 ·
It's interesting keeping track of all car related expenses because it really adds up. My last car, which I kept for 9 years, had total expenditures of about $50k. It was a $19k car. Fuel and insurance were the top for expenses.

As long as the Fiesta doesn't start eating transmission and clutch components, it should cost considerably less.
 
#34 ·
I have a 2015 Ford fiesta SE Automatic
And mines getting 300 on the clock with full tank.
My MPG is showing 19MPG....
Although I never get 300 miles on a full tank as claimed by miles remaining. I tend to only get 250 Miles on milageage reset.
So I'm getting 18-20 mpg

All I got to say is hey join the club. My 96 talon gets 35 mpg and it's highly modified.
This car sucks fast cause RPMs go high to barely move
 
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