Brand New 2010 Escape V6 4WD - very bad gas mileage - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

bingo296 · 07-16-2012, 01:46

I bought a new 2010 3.0L V6 4x4 240 HP Automatic Escape from the dealership in March and it has about 1000km (621 miles) on it right now.

Since I got it, I have been driving it normally, not like a crazy person or a granny, normal city driving. The spec says that I should get around 11-12L/100km which is 27 MPG (for the city) but its been 3 months now and I am still getting 17L/100km which is 13-14 MPG, which is a off by quite a bit giving that I'm usually driving by myself with nothing but seats and carpet in the vehicle.

What I don't understand is what am I doing wrong? Why the shitty gas economy? What can I do to make it better?

I called the dealership and they had no clue regarding this matter. Its pretty bad, I mean the last time the I filled her to the top, the gas light came on after only 220km or 136 miles and it took $45 worth of gas to fill it up, now is that bad or what

**CatSkinner** · 07-16-2012, 03:17

Does it have plenty of power when you step on the gas? And are you sure the 4WD is disengaged.

I'm a dinosaur, I don't trust these push button engagements.

**R.S.LOGAN** · 07-16-2012, 03:57

Also with that year and such a low mileage , rather than CALLING the dealer , sling it back under warranty and get them to do a diagnostic scan / emission .

wptski · 07-16-2012, 06:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by CatSkinner

Does it have plenty of power when you step on the gas? And are you sure the 4WD is disengaged.

I'm a dinosaur, I don't trust these push button engagements.

You have no choice with the 4WD, it's always ON, engages everytime you leave from a dead stop, rain, shine, snow, ice, etc.

**CatSkinner** · 07-16-2012, 18:36

Really? You can't turn it off?

**Big Block Ford** · 07-16-2012, 18:52

It needs to go to a dealer for a diagnostic scan. If that all checks out then maybe there is a brake binding or something. As RS Logan suggests, it may still be under warranty so the dealer should fix it if so.

**jwko** · 07-16-2012, 19:27

Ford shows an estimated 17/city and 24/highway for the 2010 Escape, 3.0L 4WD https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/...specs.asp?EV=0

**360ci** · 07-16-2012, 19:34

Escape 4wd is full time awd with FWD bias until wheel slip is detected.

I also advise going to the dealer as 1000kms and under three years falls under warranty. I'd question the low mileage, it was probably sitting a LONG time. Some things you can check/do are:

keep shifts under 2500rpm
tire pressures are adequate
as mentioned check the brakes, make sure they don't feel as if they're sticking; faulty calipers are rare
parking brake isn't engaged when driving
highway speeds are kept under 65mph (EPA highway cycle is 60mph with A/C on)
vehicle steers and turns as it should
air box is clear of any animal nesting/waste

The only thing you can do otherwise is to drive it if there are no transmission or engine software updates at the dealer. By drive it, I mean to put miles on it. Don't cheapen out on the gas either and see how that does for you mileage wise. If the vehicle was sitting for over a year chances are good there's carbon in it. Only way to blow it out is to drive it like you stole it. Lock it in 3-4 gear on the highway and do a couple short 25-40 mile trips to blow the carbon out. Even doing a seafoam treatment may be a good idea.

Oh, and $45 worth of gas tells me NOTHING. You need to post volume purchased to get an accurate mileage reading. $45 will fill up my Durango R/T about 1/3 of the way. It only gets 325 miles to a tank on the highway, so don't feel so bad.

wptski · 07-17-2012, 04:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by 360ci

Escape 4wd is full time awd with FWD bias until wheel slip is detected.

That's incorrect and also what I thought when I first purchased my '09 but that's not the case. It engages every time you leave from a dead stop no matter what the road condition is. The percentage of rear wheel torque slowly drops off as you reach a constant speed.

**360ci** · 07-17-2012, 10:18

Ford's 4wd is more sophisticated than the likes of Honda/Toyota as an example where the computer can move power to the rear in milliseconds up to 50% or as required. Earlier Escape 4wd were 70%front/30% rear torque split, until Ford realized it couldn't even climb a steep dirt hill and they changed the settings for the latest generation making it a bit more capable and better able to adapt to changing road conditions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wptski

That's incorrect and also what I thought when I first purchased my '09 but that's not the case. It engages every time you leave from a dead stop no matter what the road condition is. The percentage of rear wheel torque slowly drops off as you reach a constant speed.

If you put the throttle down when accelerating, the vehicle will transfer power to the rear as the front wheels may detect slip, although you may not actually 'feel' it from the drivers seat. In normal driving, at least in the rental unit I had (2011 4wd V6), there was no front wheel peel as the vehicle adjusted accordingly but I did feel more pull from the front end. My only complaint was the smallish sunroof. Anyway...

Right from Ford Source:

The Ford Escape is actually a front-wheel drive vehicle with an all-wheel drive option. A four-wheel drive module, which regulates torque between the front and rear axles, receives signals from the vehicle's ABS sensors when the front wheels begin to slip or rotate faster than the rear wheels. This causes the all-wheel drive module, part of the rear axle, to engage the rear differential, activating the rear wheels.