Taurus/Sable MPG-Real World Numbers

Comments

• bennyheel Member Posts: 3

  October 2008

  I have an 08 Taurus SEL which I purchased in July of 08 with over 10,000 miles now. (I commute 100 miles roundtrip with a carpool of 2 riders). This is a great car for my purpose. It is comfortable, roomy, quiet, and we can listen to Fox News on the Sirius Radio to keep abreast of the markets and politics.
  
  Every fuel purchase has been logged in on Atlantagasprices.com which is a gasbuddy.com subsidiary. I average about 70-80% highway miles using the HOV lane with some stop and go rush hour traffic if there is an accident.
  
  Overall, according the the fuel logbook at Atlantagasprices.com, I am averaging 25.5 MPG. The best mileage I got was driving (avg 65 mph with the a/c on) from Atlanta to Spartanburg, S.C. 261 miles, where I got 29.56 MPG according the to logbook. The trip computer on the dash showed that I got 28.2 MPG.
  
  On the whole, I think the trip computer is within 1-2 mpg of the fuel logbook and sometimes is spot on.
  
  The worst mileage I have gotten was 19.61 mpg in mostly city driving, but this was when I had 2,400 miles on the car. Since then, it hasn't been lower than 22.5 mpg.
  
  I've had the oil changed every 5,000 miles (most recent was $10.65 using a ford dealer coupon in the paper).
  
  My car came with Continental tires, which I rotated at 5,000 miles. I recently increased the tire pressure from 32 (which is recommended) to 34 and I've notice the gas mileage has improved from 1-2 mpg. I'll keep an eye to make sure they don't wear prematurely or unevenly.

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• pod Member Posts: 176

  January 2009

  I have a 2000 Sable Premium with the V6 duratec 200 hp 4 valves/cylinder engine. It weighs about 3300# (averaging figures I have read). It appears to be relatively aerodynamic. I have 130,000 miles on it. Recently I have determined that in mixed city and highway traffic I get from 23-26 mpg; in pure highway driving I get about 29-31 mpg and I drive in the 65-75mph zone often with cruise control engaged.
  Why is it that many of the new 4 cylinder cars with lesser weight get only similar (or worse) mileage. I thought the technology was getting much better. For example, the Edmunds tests of the 4 cylinder Saturn Astra and the VW Rabbit get similar numbers, almost identical. Why don't they do better considering the lower horsepower and the lesser weight? It seems that there is some regression rather than progress.

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• tinkerboy Member Posts: 1

  March 2009

  I am a bit confused re. acetone use. I understand the dilution of 2-3oz/10 gal but am uncertain about your "no 10% ethanol" statement. Is there a product you recommend for use with the acetone mix? Who has the least ethanol?Is there a risk to the paint if one spills the acetone?
  thanks
  Ray ( yes, you can call me Ray...too)

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