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Ford C-Max titanium ecoboost - Fuel mpg - Organic66
Have recently bought a new petrol Cmaxx, chosen for MPG but am shocked at how poor this is. I am a careful and experienced driver and the best I can achieve is 33.6 rather than the 55.4 official data. Is there any data on how many miles I need to drive before ( if ever) I get a decent MPG. I am worried as my car costs have escalated and I wish to complain to Ford and the dealership. Any advice please would be gratefully received
Ford C-Max titanium ecoboost - Fuel mpg - RobJP

Sorry, but forget any complaint.

The ONLY fuel economy data that the dealership / Ford can give you, BY LAW, is the result of the 'official' test.

Various people have been complaining for a number of years that the 'official' mpg and real mpg - for almost all cars - are horribly divergent. This (and other) websites operate a system where people can record their real mpg, to inform other potential future buyers.

www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/ford/c-max-2010

A small amount of research by yourself BEFORE buying the car would have shown you a more accurate picture.

Ford C-Max titanium ecoboost - Fuel mpg - skidpan

I am a careful and experienced driver

You say that but it does not always equate to being an economical driver. My dad was careful and experienced but when he handed us his Micra when he stopped driving we immediately got 5 mpg more than he did in exactly the same usage.

And that brings me to another issue, you do not say how you use the car. Rush hour stop-sart traffic will eat more fuel than 50 mph rural drives.

Ford C-Max titanium ecoboost - Fuel mpg - Engineer Andy

I am a careful and experienced driver

You say that but it does not always equate to being an economical driver. My dad was careful and experienced but when he handed us his Micra when he stopped driving we immediately got 5 mpg more than he did in exactly the same usage.

And that brings me to another issue, you do not say how you use the car. Rush hour stop-sart traffic will eat more fuel than 50 mph rural drives.

Exactly - also often 'careful' people who drive, say at 30 in 4th gear are labouring the engine (well below 2000 rpm on a petrol engine [different to diesel ones]), often using more fuel than being in 3rd, especially when needing to keep the speed up on small inclines.

The other thing that many people forget (especially those with families) is that (I don't know whether this happenes in this case or not) the test does not simulate real-world riving situations, not just the roads themselves, but that they don't include two parents and a bunch of screaming kids plus bags/shopping, or the large effects of having the A/C on or a roof rack/box.

Given all the negative press about this issue (not just recently) over the last 10 years, you'd have thought everyone would've cottoned on to it all by now - apparently not. They may as well have a capital 'M' for mug stamped on their forehead when they enter the showroom.

Ford C-Max titanium ecoboost - Fuel mpg - Avant

When you say 'ecoboost' I presume you mean the 1.0 litre engine. I'm afraid that you're not alone in being disappointed by the fuel consumption of this engine: it's a good performer but to get the good performance it needs plenty of 'right foot'. I don't mean to imply that you're heavy-footed, but no doubt you want to drive normally rather than like a snail.

The 1.0 Ecoboost is a good match for the Fiesta but it's a small engine for a biggish car like the C-Max. I went the opposite way - big engine, medium-sized car - and have a 2.0 litre, 217 bhp petrol Octavia which averages 36-38 mpg and gives over 40 on a long run. Bags of performance but a light right foot is enough to achieve it.

Ford C-Max titanium ecoboost - Fuel mpg - madf

I monitor my in use fuel consumption (Jazz 1.4CVT) and can have a 25% or more variation in fuel consumption easily over the same stretch of road depending upon a huge range of variables:

For example:

Drving with a cold engine - fuel consumption rises +35%

Drving uphill: +30% +

Drving uphill with cold engine: +50%++

Stop/start driving: +15%

Stop/start with cold engine +40%

Drving downhill with no throttle : consumption falls -50%+

Driving with gentle throttle opening -20%

And so on..

(the Jazz has a sensor which lights a warning sign when combustion is most efficient. It never lights going uphill or when engine is cold).

So there are huge variables in everyday driving... which are absent from the fuel consumption tests..

If you live in hilly country - forget the official figures...

Hilly country and traffic lights= terrible.

Petrol cars are far more susceptible to poor driving styles/conditions than diesel.

I aim to average overall the urban mpg.. if I drive carefully and have lots of long journeys..Otherwise? forget it.

Edited by madf on 08/10/2015 at 05:02

Ford C-Max titanium ecoboost - Fuel mpg - daveyjp
Nice warm summer day, motorway at 50mph and you may see 50 mpg from the 1.0 ecoboost in a car weighing as much as a C max.

UK autumn, cold days, expect what you are getting. Short trips in particular will be an mpg killer, but if you are doing low annual mileage seek solace in the fact a diesel wouldn't have been much better.