02-05-2012, 01:06 AM
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#21 (permalink)
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EcoModding Lurker
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I am thinking about buying a 2007 Mustang V6 Manual and I wanted to get an idea of what to expect. So I rented a 2012 V6 Mustang Automatic from Hertz today and went on a road trip to get an idea what kind of mileage I could achieve.
I drove 300 miles. The first 60 miles was all highway traffic. I simply sent the cruise control at 65 mph. At the end of that 60 miles my Ultra-Gauge reported 38 mpg.
The next 30 miles was on State Highways with a 50 mph speed limit. I again set the cruise at 55 mph. MPG was about 36-37.
The next 80 miles was on 2 lane windy roads (Hwy 101 on the Olympic Peninsula). I drove all of this section in 3rd gear instead of drive to get an idea of more spirited driving. I kept it within 10 mph over the speed limit, and never accelerated at full throttle. Spirited, but still smooth throttle. I had 26 mpg for that segment.
The next 100 or so miles was again on State Highways. Traffic was quite a bit heavier, so most of the time I was varying speed between 45 and 55. I think I had 31 or so mpg for that segment.
The final 30 or so miles was in the city of Seattle and it's suburbs. I think I got 27 mpg for that segment.
At the end of the 300 mile trip, the mpg gauge in the Mustang reported 29 mpg overall average. My Ultra-Gauge reported 32 mpg and doing the math after filling the tank back up also came out to 32 mpg (309 miles and 9.6 gallons to fill the tank).
I did not do any hypermiling driving techniques, other than not being very heavy on the throttle and keeping the speed near the speed limit.
I really want to get the 2007 Mustang V6 I've got my eye on, but I don't think I can expect to get as good of mpg as I got with the 2012 Hertz rental. I know it had the newer V6 with dual instead of single exhaust. I think to get the higher EPA rating the new Mustang uses a different rear axle ratio than previous years. I wonder if it's possible to swap that into older models.
Overall, I was quite surprised how easy it was to achieve over 30 mpg. Even when I spent an hour and a half or so driving in a lower gear I was still getting pretty close to 30 mpg. I was really shocked when I got 38 mpg for the first hour of all freeway driving. Makes me wish I'd done that at 60 mph instead of 65 mph. I might have hit 40 mpg.
If I could afford it, I would be buying a 2011-2012 V6 Mustang today. But that's out of my price range so that's why I'm considering a 2007.
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02-05-2012, 01:35 AM
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#22 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
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there is a guy on here w/ a mustang.....he gets decent mileage.
Changing out the rear gear is very doable.
also, if you do a far amount of hwy driving, running a taller tire (nurmorus threads on this) will also help
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02-05-2012, 01:58 AM
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#23 (permalink)
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The 2012 3.7 engine has nothing in common with the 2007 4.0 motor. Very very different animals.
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02-05-2012, 02:01 AM
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#24 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
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true, but mustang dave has a 07 V6 and i believe he gets 30+ (when he keeps his foot out of it!!! )
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02-05-2012, 02:04 AM
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#25 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
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and true, the 2012 is a very different breed than the 2007. (kind of the point of ths post) Ford really wanted that EPA MPG number. And designed the car to get it.
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02-05-2012, 02:11 AM
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#26 (permalink)
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2012 motor has vvt, DI, an extra 100 hp, improved aerodynamics and reduced weight just to name a few.
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02-08-2012, 08:09 PM
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#27 (permalink)
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.........................
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tjts1
2012 motor has vvt, DI, an extra 100 hp, improved aerodynamics and reduced weight just to name a few.
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..and exploding driveshafts:
Why do 2011 Ford Mustang driveshafts keep exploding?
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02-08-2012, 08:26 PM
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#28 (permalink)
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...beats walking...
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...using Microsoft-speak: "...that's not a defect, that's a mechanical fuse to keep you from exceeding the manufacturer's designated 'limit." -- uh-huh, uh-huh.
Last edited by gone-ot; 02-08-2012 at 08:32 PM..
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02-08-2012, 08:34 PM
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#29 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
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a 2.5L 4 cylinder ecoboost SVO stang would be pretty sweet. I would think that such a rig with a 6 speed with tall gears should be able to get close to 35 mpg on the highway.
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02-08-2012, 08:52 PM
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#30 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
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I had a 1979 Mustang Pacecar with the 2.2 liter w/turbo. It was a sweet ride. Never checked it for mpg.........
It was a 5 speed.
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