[Maxer]

Evening all
Just bought a 4 year old 1.8 zetec c-max with 22000 miles on it. All seems ok but I'm only getting 34 mpg. Is this about right? I'm fairly used to the 1.8 engine as it was in a Focus I owned a few years ago.

 

[BlueMax]

Hi, I've got a 54 plate 1.8 zetec and i do mostly motorway journeys of 40 mile round trips a day and i only get 36mpg

I thought a would get at least 40???

 

[Millez]

Hi BlueMax

At 34mpg you're doing very well. My partner drives an 02 plate 1.8 focus and gets around 410 miles whereas the C-Max 1.8 struggles to achieve 360 miles. I've checked the specifications and the tanks are the same size (55 litres). Ford seem to have gone backwards rather than forwards. In my opinion, the engine has been married to the wrong gear box - in 4th gear at 50mph, the engine is reving beyond 3,000rpm, whereas the old focus is barely touching 2,500rpm. This forces you into 5th way too early and results in 4,000rpm at 80mph. If I'd know about the shocking economy, I would have opted for the 1.6 TDCi unit.

 

[revesby]

I recently bought a 1.8 ghia, and am getting around 30mpg on average! This can go up to 40mpg withg a very careful right foot on my run to work (which is slow but with little traffic), but sub-30 around town. I'm hoping that as the engine loosens up (it's done just 7000 miles, and not yet had its first service) I'll get a bit more. Not sure how Ford achieved their claimed 'official' average of almost 40mpg.

 

[BlueMax]

I recently fitted a K&N high flow filter to my 1.8 petrol zetec and after a week of runing it I have now averaged 38.6mpg as opposed to the 36.5mpg I was getting, it seems to be a fractionly quicker and a little smoother as well.

cost - £30 from ebay and 5 mins to fit, with petrol going up daily it seems a worthwhile mod.

.....just bought some xenon type bulbs from ebay as well but they are crap, green tinged light and they claim 50% more light but more like 50% less! I have bought from ''powerbulbs'' in the past and been very happy but thought i'd try ebay as they were only £6.50 deliver but I guess you get what you pay for

 

[revesby]

Filter sounds interesting - 2mpg is worth having, although I'd be please to be getting anywhere near your 36.5 mpg! Presumably will have to instruct the garage not to change it when you get it serviced (assuming you don't do your own). I see these on EBay, so may try one. Must say, I'm usually a bit sceptical about such easy and cheap performance-enhancers, and wonder why Ford wouldn't fit them? Do they allow more dirt into the engine and therefore more engine wear?Edited by: revesby

 

[BlueMax]

They are specialy constructed to allow more air through but no more dirt thus use less fuel, at the time of service you remove the filter clean it and re-oil (special oil) and refit it so it's good for the environment

(old paper ones used to go in landfill).

I pressume Ford don't fit the because of cost.

as i say i can only comment on my personal experience and it seems to be better all round compared to the old stock one.

...oh and i sent the bulbs back for a refund...

 

[snurdette]

I've been thinking about firring one of these filters even though I know nothing about them.  However, I have been told that they are noisey and can affect your insurance.  Is this correct and can they be fitted to diesels?

 

[BlueMax]

You are getting confused with an induction filter, the one i'm talking about is purely a direct replacement into the existing airbox, it is not any noisier or does it effect the insurance, with an induction filter you replace the stock airbox and yes it does make more noise as it sucks more air and the air is colder therefore denser and burns better (more oxygen) or something??

and you would need to inform your insurer, on the plus side they do make more difference than just a freeflow filter.

 

[Maxer]

Just been on holiday and covered nearly 300 miles. Failed to get over 34 mpg in my 1.8 zetec. What are Ford talking about with their claimed combined mpg figures?

 

[patriot]

very dissapointed with my 1600, 08 model, even taking it easy struggles to achieve 33 mpg. Hopefully gets slightly better in the next couple of thousand ???

 

[wobare]

I have 1.8 petrol on 54 plate. The average consumption (motorway + city)I got for over 6 lastmonths is 29.79 mpg. When I drive slowly on motorway (<?: prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><ST1:CITY w:st="on">Bristol</ST1:CITY> - <ST1LACE w:st="on">Southampton</ST1LACE>) I can get 39.79 mpg but I have to not exceed 60mph. Normal motorway travel with 4 people on board - 32.85 mpg. When I drive in the city only,I get 25.69 mpg. <?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><O></O>
<O></O>
What I am testing now is the v-power petrol from Shell. I have noticed that in the city the consumption drops by one liter. I am not sure what is the difference on motorway travel yet.

October Update: I drove to Convetry and back to Bristol and the average on tha whole route was 'impressive' 41mpg. I do not why. I was driving around 65ish with 2 people on board.<O></O>Edited by: wobare

 

[col]

the minimum i achieved from my 1.8 diesel zetec is 40 mpg max 46. thats to. around and back to midlands from cornwall. but i was wearingsize 10 pit boots

 

[cabal5935]

Well, I have got my 2.0 TDCi Zetec to stay on 56-58mpg for an entire trip (Manchester - Bath) by driving at 65mph ishthe whole way down! I made myself do it, despite it being REALLY tempting to hoof it after the first hour. It can creep up to that advertised 60mpg for my model, but tbh it's just not a reality. I usually reset the MPG reader and trip counter every time I fill up. Trip counter nomally reads about 350 (give or take) and the MPG is usually just shy of 40. I have got an average of high 40s before, but only when going on a long motoway trip and not putting the car into flight.



All MPG issues aside, I still think the car is worth it. You need the TDCi really, for many reasons. It's a great car to own, has only let me down once this year with glo-plugs. The dealer managed to drag £300 out of me for that as they "weren't sure if it was plugs or something related" and went on the usual dealer happy-go-lucky replace everything spree like always! I really don't get what they don't understand about "only replace what'sbroken, i'm on a budget", say it every time and it never works.Gotta replace half the engine every time.

 

[cpitt]

i have a 1.8 ghia petrol 04 plate 50k and the average is 27-29 this is shocking as my previous car a audi a4 2.4v6 achived this. i had the c-max it serviced as soon as i bought it hoping it would go up but it dosnt, i can manage 30mpg but to do that im being overtaken by milk floats (or so it seems) will definitly try the high airflow air filter though

 

[revesby]

I have a 1.8 petrol Ghia on a 56 plate with 12k on the clock. Current average is just over 30mpg, although this is lots of running around town. On a run it will go up to maybe 34, if I'm lucky, but this is really crap!! I also have a BMW diesel and on that I have calculated the trip computer to oiver-read by 7%. Not sure if this is the same with the CMax (will check it sometime), but if so, then the consumption os even worse.

Don't bother with the high air-flow filter. Believe me, this will make no difference! Save yourself the £30 and put it towards your next fill-up.

 

[cpitt]

too late i just bought one of ebay it probably needed one anyway as it wasnt replaced on the intrim service so that would of cost a tenner and at least with the k&n one i wont need to replace it again and might see a a positive out of it hopefully. cant believe that the figures are so poor though, surly there is something out there to buy reasnably cheap to make it a little bit better???

 

[CDORISMAX]

2.0l TDCI?

 

[revesby]

What it needs is a 6th gear. In 5th it revs really high, and (given that this is my wife's car and I only drive it occasionally) makes me frequently wonder if I'm in 3rd instead of 5th. Or change the 5th gear ratio to drop the revs down at cruising speed - obviously this would make it worse for acceleration. Not an easy option easy I suspect.

Would be interested in your experience with the K&N - for me, it made no difference to performance, fuel consumption, noise.

On the positive side, the engine feels really smooth and quiet (not sure if this is just due to the Ghia spec) and for the low mileage we do (8k per year max), the fuel consumption is more psychological than significant. The dilemma will be when we come to do the next holiday run - should we take the CMax (which is what we bought it for) or my down-sized diesel (BMW 1), which does 50mpg? I suspect we'll go with the CMax as the beemer has little rear leg room, but will cringe every time we fill up.Edited by: revesby

 

[cpitt]

i will let u know how the new filter goes. hopefully there will be some sort of improvement in some department of the car.