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Ford Flex real world mpg
Any owners of the Ford Flex? I have a 2002 Chevy Venture w/3.5L V6 that is pretty much a dog of an engine. But it does get at least 25mpg highway and I've gotten as much as 30 if I keep it around 68mph. The nice thing about the Venture is that it seats 8. I think I've heard the Flex has the option for 3rd row seating.
I'd definitely consider the Flex if it is similar to my Venture in gas mileage and seating capacity.
I'd definitely consider the Flex if it is similar to my Venture in gas mileage and seating capacity.
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I have had my AWD Flex for about 4 weeks now. The Flex is my daily commuter and I have taken 2 highway trips so far. I live in the suburbs northeast of Detroit which means I travel on the I-94 freeway which includes some occasional rush hour traffic jams the closer you get to the city. I have been averaging about 20-21 MPG during the week. I am certainly not leading the traffic but I wouldn't say I am sitting the slow lane either.
On my 2 weekend highway trips (150 miles one way) I have actually averaged 26MPG!!! No that is not a typo, I wrote 26 MPG!!! I think this is awesome considering the sticker says 22 MPG highway. The trick is to stay at 70MPH. I have found that bumping it up to just 72 MPH has an adverse impact on my MPG.
The Flex replaced my 2006 Impala LTZ. Which was getting about 23 MPG work days but would manage 29 - 30 MPG on highway trips if I kept it around 70MPH.
I highly recommend this car. You will be amazed at how quiet this thing is on the road. I don't work for Ford, I don't own Ford stock and I have mainly purchased GM cars since I started driving. The point is I don't have any reason to manipulate your purchase decision. I just think that Ford has an amazing product here and I want to spread the good news.
Best of luck, Dano
I figure if I looked at a one year old model w/a few miles, I might get a good deal on used as Ford resale value is not as good as Honda or Toyota (that's fine as I keep my vehicles until they fall apart and have to be towed away).
Coincidentally I had researched and came very close to purchasing the Honda Odyssey. I learned that Honda was discounting their minivan in some locations and that was pulling me toward the Odyssey. At the time I was considering the EXL w/DVD which had a sticker of $34,700. I learned that Honda was giving nearly $5K of a discount (not personally confirmed) which would have dropped the price to the $29K range before tax. That would be out the door close to $31,500 in MI. I paid close to $36K OTD for the AWD Flex (I took Ford's $4500 cash incentive and I qualified for the supplier pricing).
If you opt for FWD (AWD is an $1850 option) then the price differential is only $2600, $31.5K Honda vs $34.1K Ford.
So the question for you to answer is do you want a minivan or a crossover? Test drive and decide.
I would also like to comment on seating. My Flex is listed as a 7 passenger version, 2 in first row, 3 in the second row and 2 in the rear. I place my 2 children in car seats in the second row. My wife can comfortably sit between them if she needs to. The rear seat can fit 2 with plenty of room.
Enjoy the ride....Dano
How much power does this box have?
farout
I ran different speeds with the CC set, starting at 67 MPH I saw 23.8, @ 70 MPH I saw 23.2, @ 63 MPH I saw the greatest gains.
On the return trip I discovered that I had a decent tail wind while heading South, my mileage dropped almost instantly heading North. The best I could get @ 65 MPH was 22.3, it was a pretty stiff headwind though, at least 20 MPH. There is an area that takes about 20 minutes to get through at 65 where they have wind turbine farms, and they were all going at a fairly good clip, and any area of water had ripples on the surface, including puddles in the ditch, so I would say getting what I got with a stiff steady wind pushing me back is pretty good. If I take the wind out of the equation, I don't see why this can't get 24 MPG on the highway. My mixed city highway tank hand calc came out to 20 MPG for 200 miles. This was taken halfway through my trip with 100 miles of City and 80 miles of highway.
Once I got out of the headwind, the MPG went up slightly.
Actually, it does have a really nice, smooth ride. However, I also like the looks. But of course, I own a gen1 xB as well so the efficient use of a boxy shape appeals to me.
"How much power does this box have?"
Base 3.5L engine has 262 hp and 248 ft-lbs
Ecoboost 3.5L turbocharged engine has 355 hp and 350 ft-lbs
Our Fusion, which is the Sport model, has the same 3.5 V6 as the Flex non turbo version, it gets the same MPG as the 3.0 V6 in the SE/SEL versions. It is a newer engine design than the 3.0, and that helps with MPG, and I see 30+ MPG on the highway with it, which is not bad at all for a 4 door family sedan with 263 HP. Our daily driving in that one is roughly 23 MPG, it is driven more than the Flex, so it has more city miles on it.
I want to replace my AWD CRV. The seat is one reason as my poor back is making it harder and harder to get comfortable. The seat would suit someone a lot smaller than me. I am torn between initial and down the road fuel cost (as we know gas isn't going to stay at todays prices forever) and comfort/quiet vs AWD. I live on a hill and everytime i come home and it has snowed and I am tired and it is a blizzard out, I think at those times I am glad i have stuck with the AWDs or 4x4's. But on those other occasions, I think how much I'd like to have more comfort for less cost in almost any 2WD vehicle. So your comments about the Fusion and dif engines really is helpful. I'm guessing it is FWD only, but it and the Flex are avail in AWD. Your Flex is AWD isn't it? I have heard the Flex is a very quiet, comfortable and roomy car. I am more than ok with the looks. Are they good vehicles? Have they had issues that you know of? I was looking at used Ford 500's in AWD until I find out they gave a lot of grief. Still don't know if true or not.
This 3.5 sounds like a good engine. I know that if both driven gently, the N/A should do 1 or 2 better mpg i think. Does yours take reg 87 octane?
The early models of Flex had a problem with driver comfort due to a fixed steering wheel, but the 2010 models have telescopic steering so it is easier to find a comfortable position. It reminds me a lot of my old 1979 LTD wagon, just a bit shorter and a bit taller. Two things Ford can do to improve this car, put a Rear view camera in the mirror like the Fusion has, and the BLIS, and this would make it an AWESOME car. I have gone through several new cars in the past 3 years and this one is the one I have been looking for, plenty of room, good looks, and lots of power.
The other day I gave a Mustang owner with his GT a run for his money, kept right up with him until we hit 100, sorry that's my limit until I get better brakes installed. He kept looking over at me like WTF??? I laughed as I backed off. Love my EB FLEX. Even with that fun run, still getting 19 MPG. I wonder how well it will do running 93 octane.....
I commute long everyday for work and I noticed that Flex eats more gas than my Sienna before.
All of this was tested last week when I went to Atlanta from Charlotte and I was in complete mileage mode in that I did not have the air on as it evening. This trip is extremely hilly and I kept it in the 60-70 range mostly. I did not accelerate going up the hills but let it fall back with only keeping a steady foot. I then went faster down hill naturally but still kept the pedal the same. I do not know if I got the max I can get, however I got 26.65 . That was not with Ford's computer, but with fill ups with gas leaking out on the ground. That is the only way to get a good idea what you actually get. The max the computer showed was 24+because that is an average. All in all the Flex is a great vehicle in my opinion and Ford's stuff is as good as any in the world and better in many cases. No I do not work for Ford.
My DD average is 19.2, my highway is just a hair over 27. Something like 27.053 MPG. That was on a 1200 mile all interstate trip.