I recently hired a ford focus 1.6 16v whikst in south London and it did around 35mpg with not much use of a/c and plent of fifth gear usage even in town, chnging up quickly and keeping revs around 2-3k etc etc ....is this reasonable I would have expected nearer 40 mpg, how much would an equivalent GM Astra or Honda Civic 1.6 have done.
Any replies will be appreciated. Thanks.
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I've commented elsewhere that the 1.6 Focus auto we hired to get me to Portsmouth and back (550 miles) only returned 33 mpg. This would be probably 350 miles cruising on motorways at 70-75, 170 miles on good 'A' roads at 55-60 and the rest pottering around towns.
A colleague who has one didn't think this was massively bad - he claims about 35-40 average from his depending what he does.
About 5 years back I recall doing, just for interest, a mileage check on my parents '88 Saab 900i. This 2-litre rust bucket was nearly up to 200k miles and only saw a garage when it broke down. That got 35 mpg on a combination of shorter runs... Just reinforces my desire never to own a Ford, especially as the handling of the Focus was nothing to write home about compared to my Yaris...
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My 1.8 Focus used to do 30-35 on the run to work, 7 miles urban driving, less in winter - nearer 25. It did mid 40s on a run.
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Foci are generally awful on fuel. My 1.8 used to struggle to make 30MPG, generally only doing 28MPG unless I did a motorway run. The MPG dropped like a stone when driving about 70mph too.
The TDCi's are better, but my Mondeo TDCi which is heavier and has a bigger engine is better on fuel than a Focus TDCi.
Coupled with the fact they're noisy, the ride isn't up to much, the seats are uncomfortable and the interior is of questionable quality I do wonder why anyone buys them. Its certainly the biggest car buying regret I've ever had and I've had lots of Citroens.
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I found that over 35000 miles of mainly motorway use my Focus TDCi Ghia rarely got over 40mpg (and no I don't have that heavy a right foot). When I had use of a 2.0 Ghia petrol for a couple of weeks it was only about 3 mpg worse.
Quite agree that they are all much too noisy but I found the seats to be very comfortable. They are easily the best middleweight to drive though and the interior is better made than many if not quite up to late 90s Audi standards.
If the new one is quieter and has a decent sized boot (golf clubs and trolley...) then I would consider one.
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Coupled with the fact they're noisy, the ride isn't up to much, the seats are uncomfortable and the interior is of questionable quality I do wonder why anyone buys them. Its certainly the biggest car buying regret I've ever had and I've had lots of Citroens.
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Did you regret having the Citroens? It sounds like you are damning them with faint praise.
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You will be lucky to get 40 mpg in a petrol Focus.
My TDCi only does 38 mpg on short runs and 40 to 45 on longer trips. I am disappointed with the fuel comsumption on the Focus compared with a previous ZX TD, which always did about 42 mpg.
Now the cold weather is here, I am very cross how long the TDCi takes to warm up, I wish I knew the answer to this problem.
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Forgot that, takes an age to get warm, thank goodness it has a heated screen!
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I think that it takes longer to warm up because of the engine's excellent thermal efficiency.
number_cruncher
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I think that it takes longer to warm up because of the engine's excellent thermal efficiency. number_cruncher
Having worked on the development of car heating systems for several years, I can confirm that you are absolutely correct. Most people blame the heater itself.
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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SWBO's Focus TDdi does 43mpg in summer and 38mpg in winter, all very short journeys, ranging from 0.5 miles to 2.5 miles. A 2001 MK4 Vauxhall Astra G 1.6 16v that I used to have only did 33-36 mpg around town but 43 mpg on a run, so I don't think the 1.6 petrol Focus is any worse than most.
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SWBO's Focus TDdi does 43mpg in summer and 38mpg in winter, all very short journeys, ranging from 0.5 miles to 2.5 miles.
Must cause hellish wear in the engine with journeys of that length.
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No experience of a Focus but you also asked about the Civic....
I took SWMBO's Civic Type S to Liverpool (from Berkshire) last week to put more miles on it and fewer on the Audi. It did 40.5 mpg - excellent for a 2-litre (always assuming the instrument is accurate), so presumably the 1.6 would do even better.
It's not perfect - the fuel tank is too small at only 50 litres. The A4 has 70 litres and will go up to 600 miles on a tankful - a big bonus and something that's often overlooked when buying a car.
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I have a Focus 1.6 petrol and used to get 500 miles out of a tank on journeys mainly on Motorways and Dual carriageways (equates to about 45 mpg).
On town driving the economy drops to around 36 mpg.
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when i have checked my 1.6 petrol zetec hatch automatic mpg. it averages out at 36 mpg, my mates 1.6 manual returns 40mpg.
that includes crawling along the M60 every work day
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So who can get the best MPG then??!!!
My 1999 110bhp Passat TDi returns around 65mpg on my 42-mile run up and down the A1 (Cambs, Beds & Herts) to work. Meaning over 700 miles from a 62 litre tank.
I'm sure someone with a feather-like foot can beat that.....
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