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For comparison, my 4-cylinder Toyota Camry XLE has averaged 30.8 mpg over its 85,000 mile life.
Let me see if I understand your twisted logic. I trade in a half loaf of bread for what is advertised as a full loaf, discover that the new loaf is only three quarters full, but should be happy because I now have more bread that I started out with. Yeah, right, that makes a lot of sense :confuse: . If you don’t already work for Ford, you should apply for a job. You could help with their advertising. Maybe you could add a note to that 500 miles per tank lie that says: You might not actually get this kind of gas mileage, but we are almost certain that it will be better than your trade-in
Of course it can be both.
Gosh, Bob, that’s not an analogy, that’s exactly what has happened, except as I said in my post #193, I only get about 22 mpg. That’s exactly what I’m whining about :mad: . You sure nailed that one, Bob :shades: . Oh, and by the way, the big Ford lie is that this car will go 500 miles on a tank of gas.
And the Freestyle will go 500 miles on a tank of gas, but there might only be ½ gal left in the tank. So it’s not a lie, but they just didn’t tell the whole truth in that the tank will be nearly empty by the time you’re done with your 500 miles. I’ve driven about 475 miles with mine and still had about 1 ½ gallons remaining.
That's not really a lie. It *will* go 500 miles on a tank of gas, *if* you get the EPA estimated mpg.
And, it *is* possible (or should be) to get the EPA estimated mpg . . but only if you drive in a specific manner. Most people don't drive in such a manner, though.
Yeah, what ever. I guess the point is that most people don't get 27 mpg.
In my car, I could only go 500 miles on a tank of gas if I walked the last 82 miles!
Most of us do, except maybe a smart guy like you :P .
Hmmm this suitcase is 18"x24"x42", plus this suitcase is .......plus this purse is about 1 cubic feet, and it all adds to 16.8 cubic feet but I can't get it to fit behind the 3rd row...see, another lie about the Freestyle
I think it is 22 Cu ft.
You guys have convinced me that my car really does get 500 mile to a tank of gas but somehow it tricks me into believing it only gets 22 mpg. If I had known what this sneaky little car was doing, I would never have complained or accused Ford of telling a lie.
I had hoped to get meaningful information on this forum about why my 2006 FW Freestyle might not get better gas mileage. A few people have given me that kind of feedback, and I really appreciate it. For the most part, however, I have seen a ton of rhetoric from faithful Ford employees and car lot lizards. All indications are that Ford is on its way out of business. They flooded the market with gas hogs that people can’t afford anymore. The Freestyle was intended as one of the Bold Move vehicles to get them on a turn-around path, but it turned out to be little more than Bold Talk. The next Bold Move will probably be to Mexico. Habla espanoel, señor Bob and señor Passat?
No, the "Way Forward" was started way more recently than the Freestyle.
In case you haven't found the information in this forum:
1. If you drive the FS hard around town, you will end up with 17-18 MPG (or less). If you are careful with the throttle, you can get around 19-20.
2. The FS is sensitive to going above 65 MPH and going up and down hills. Either one will drop the MPG.
3. If your gas has Ethanol, it will lower your MPG by a couple of MPG.
4. If you have an AWD, you will most likely get 1-2 MPG less.
5. The amount of weight you carry in the vehicle affects MPG. Often times people load up their vehicles with extraneous junk.
6. Trying to time the lights (when possible) so as to not accelerate into a stop will help out a lot. So will trying different routes that don't use so many hills or have so much traffic / stoplights. I always try and time my speed so that I don't have to slow excessively and wait for a stoplight.
Mine is a 2006 SEL FWD. Personally, I get around 18-19 in town, around 22 mixed, and 26 MPG at 80 MPH. I haven't had the heart to keep the speed below 65 for a tankful.
But you have to realize that you are hurling around two tons of metal (before passenger and cargo weight). It's going to use some gas. But not as much as a conventional SUV, which is the best comparison vehicle.
So find any other vehicle with three rows of passenger seats and the Freestyle's cargo capacity, then tell us what that one's real world milage is.
That's exactly the MPG I get with mine for those driving conditions.
5. The amount of weight you carry in the vehicle affects MPG. Often times people load up their vehicles with extraneous junk.
hmmmm...I can think of some extraneous junk, weighing about 200lbs that could be tossed out of the vehicle...but not if it's moving too fast. :P
huh?
Maybe this will cheer him up. Here's some spy info that any Freestyle owner would be interested in.
http://news.windingroad.com/auto-news/ford-still-says-this-car-doesnt-exist-2009- - - - -mercury-monticello-spied/
Chad
since she drive short distances, a tank of gas still lasts a while. to me, your mileage sound pretty good, considering the circumstances.
My conclusion is that Ford realized that they can make a 6 speed which is the same as a CVT for smoothness yet does not have the cost disadvantages of a CVT or cause the customer misperceptions of the CVT. (It sounds like its slipping..etc.)
The CVT costs more to build. It costs more to own because it has to be serviced every 60,000. So if it gives you no advantage in fuel economy or in driving experience, why bother?
What you should really be mocking for Ford for is for bring a CVT to market in the first place after spending all that development money on it and only use it for 3 model years.
That Trans plant is already scheduled to be closed.
Mark.
I also have an ‘06 FWD Freestyle. It has just over 6,000 miles and I average about 22 MPG city/highway combined. The average for people who report their mileage on fueleconomy.gov is 21 MPG. Ford’s hype about 27 MPG and 500 mile to a tank of gas is nothing more than a fairy tale. I look forward to trading my Nostyle in on something that is not a Ford.
Yes the "500 miles on a tank ad is misleading" but I've put over 450 miles on a tank on more than one occasion on highway trips and still had almost 2 gallons to spare.
But generally I'll average about 22-23mpg in a mix of suburb/highway driving.
It’s not so strange. Let’s say a man buys a car with a window sticker saying it will achieve between 17 and 23 mpg in the city and between 22 and 32 mpg on the highway. It seems reasonable for the man to believe that he should be able to get 23 to 25 mpg. The man is disappointed when he only gets 21 or 22 mpg, and he complains about it. That doesn’t sound very strange to me.
Based on you're getting 27mpg at 60-65mph, if you kept your highway speed at about 70mph, you'd proably get 25-26mpg, which is what I get. I think the reason for your less than great mpg might be your driving style.
I hope you're right about that. Though I find it hard to believe. The CVT is the smoothest automatic transmission I've EVER had.
It is true that when the Nostyle is driven very slowly, like a golf cart, it gets pretty good mileage.
As I said before, I believe 60–65 mph is very slow. I usually drive between the speed limit (65 mph) and 75 mph. That seems like a good speed for the Nostyle. Not so slow as to get run over by other drivers, and not so fast that it feels like it is falling apart. If I did drive in the 80’s, 21–22 mpg would be ok, but at that speed, I’ll bet the mileage would drop to 15–16 mpg.
On my recent trip to NM, I got 24.8 @ 80 MPH. Coming back there was a 40 knot headwind and the MPG dropped to about 22.5. On the last leg of the trip (non Interstate - about 100 miles) I got 27 MPG at around 65 MPH. This was fully loaded, probably around 5000 lbs gross vehicle weight.
This compares favorably to my 2003 Honda CR-V, which got about 26 MPG at this speed on the same roads. But it weighed less and had a 2.4L I4 engine. And there is no comparison on handling and comfort - the Freestyle wins hands down.
My in town MPG is generally 19-20, mixed is 21-22. For such a large car and a 3.0L engine, I am satisfied.
FWIW, we had a snowstorm and an entire week of snow covered roads. My 2006 Freestyle FWD handled beautifully the entire time. The CVT is very good in snow.
That is good news. I have had two other cars with FWD and they handled well in show, so it’s good to hear that the Freestyle does too. What type of tires do you have?
I am glad that you are happy with the mileage your Freestyle delivers.
The stock 17" that come on the SEL.
Speaking of snow/ice, Limited owners should note that the Owners Manual specifically says that snow cables (AKA chains) CANNOT be used on the 18" tires. I have no idea what Ford expects them to do when the roads turn icy.
I keep a set of cables underneath the drivers seat myself, though I've never had to use them.
I have 8500 miles on the car and the mileage has been steady since about 4000 miles.
The car is exactly what it's supposed to be, a modern station wagon. Anyone who is expecting a sports car in handling, acceleration, etc. doesn't remember riding in the jumper seat of the family estate wagon...
Helton, you couldn't be more wrong. First of all, my '05 FWD Freestyle gets 27 MPG with a full load of people and luggage, doing 75 on flat ground, tested averaged over 4 tankfuls on a trip. I couldn't believe it at first, so I checked the speedometer calibration and found it was only off 1%, not much at all. Other tankfuls in mixed driving around town have delivered between 25 and 28 MPG. And it handles great. In fact, its easy to get the speed way up before you realize it, as it is solid as a rock and poised. I credit the stiff, highly crash-worthy, chassis and good suspension tuning.