Still catching up

Odometer: 12903.8
Tank Mileage: 452.7
Gallons Added: 12.441
Long-Term Average: 39.9
Short-Term Average: 40.1
Calculated Average: 36.3

This is the fill-up after the weekend trip to Chicago.

One thing I noted during this period is the AC power point operation. If I have the laptop and radio battery charger both connected at once, this is too much and the point shuts down. If I have allowed one of the other to complete charging, I can connect the second device without overloading the connection. Also, I have noted no additional noise from the AC power point above the noise provided by the car itself.

[Posted 2010-07-05 0008]

Catch-up

Odometer: 12451.1
Tank Mileage: 392.3
Gallons Added: 9.937
Long-Term Average: 40.5
Short-Term Average: 40.7
Calculated Average: 39.4

We filled early to avoid having to fill in Illinois.

[Posted 2010-07-05 0002]

Round Trip

Odometer: 12058.7
Tank Mileage: 676.2
Gallons Added: 16.358
Long-Term Average: 40.7
Short-Term Average: 41.0
Calculated Average: 41.3

This was a great tank. For the first time, I was able to complete my monthly trip to Ohio (~400 miles) without having to stop for gas. I did a day of work on either end and even did a side trip to Lansing before I had to stop for gas. There are several records:

1. Calculated average, this is the best ever for a fill-up.
2. Tank miles, just a bit more than my previous best and only 14 miles after E.
   
3. Miles to E range, 662 miles were on the tank when the Miles to E hit zero.

A/C is used all the time. There were times when the load of accessories (which includes A/C) was 5/7 of full scale. The A/C is very effective. I'm still getting used to the controls. Currently, my issue is change the volume when I want to change the speed on the cruise control. Finally, I think either I'm getting better, or the car is hitting another wear-in point as I'm getting >40 mpg even into significant headwinds.

Back to Normal

Odometer: 11382.4
Tank Mileage: 575.7
Gallons Added: 14.825
Long-Term Average: 40.3
Short-Term Average: 40.5
Calculated Average: 38.8

There were a few longer trips (~50 miles) in this tank, but most were in the normal daily commute range (~25 miles). Construction on this route has improved, so there is less stop-and-go through that zone.

A Couple Records

Odometer: 10806.7
Tank Mileage: 672.2
Gallons Added: 16.371
Long-Term Average: 40.3
Short-Term Average: 40.9
Calculated Average: 41.1

Part of this tank was the final drive home. This was about 400 miles all Interstate running between 65 and 70 mph. The balance of the tank was my normal commute during the remainder of the work week.

First record is the distance driven between fill-ups. This beats the previous best by over 30 miles. The second record is the calculated average for this tank. This beats the previous best by over .5 mpg.

The other event was the 10,000 mile service point. I learned that the local dealer I went to doesn't appear to understand "give me the 10,000 service". The book calls for tire rotation, oil & filter change. Apparently, I have to specifically ask for each part of the service. All I got was the oil and filter change. I got it for free, so I can't complain too much. I also mentioned the display reset, but they were unable to find any information on this from Ford. They had never heard of it. Sounds like the same that everyone else online is hearing. I hope they are willing and able to pass my report back to Ford. I may give a dealer closer to where I work a chance at my service points when 20,000 rolls around.

Bolder Boulder Road Trip - Day 6

Miles Driven: 559.8
Average MPG: 42.5

Today's goal was to make it home in one piece. This was accomplished. Today's speeds were a bit slower than the mountain end of the trip. The closest to city driving was on the Tollway around the south end of Chicago. I'm glad I got a bit further east than originally planned for yesterday as there was severe weather near the Nebraska/Iowa border. As it was, I had great weather for the finish of the trip.

Today also completes the second month I've had the car. I continue to learn more about how it operates and how to get the best performance out of it. I am currently averaging over 5000 miles per month, but I don't expect this to continue as most of that was in Month 2 and over 3000 miles was in this trip alone.

I continue to enjoy driving this car and feel it was a decision well made.

RTFM

Odometer: 10134.5
Tank Mileage: 556.7
Gallons Added: 14.667
Long-Term Average: 39.5
Short-Term Average: 39.5
Calculated Average: 37.9

At 10,000 miles, the "oil service soon" message became "oil service required". (I have this scheduled for Thursday after I get home.) While recording my numbers, I discovered something useful. The Reset button on the steering wheel will acknowledge the message. For the oil messages, they go away. For the low-fuel messages, an icon is added next to the temperature gage. I never thought to look in the book to see about how to get back to the normal display of temperature, but I'm sure it is in there. This works well enough for me and removes the annoyance factor related to the announcements.

This tank was pure Interstate except for getting to the hotel, food, and gas. The wind was significant and almost a 90 degree crosswind for most of the tank. Running with cruise control in hilly terrain between 70 and 75 mph didn't help.