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Ford Kuga 1.6 A/T AWD Fuel Consumption

8K views 42 replies 11 participants last post by  Ripperoo 
#1 ·
Hello everyone,

I am a recent owner of a 2014/15 MKII Ford Kuga 1.6 AWD A/T Trendline.

I am concerned about my fuel consumption, please see the picture attached.

Is this the correct consumption? not driving with a heavy foot, trying to maintain 80-100km/h.

I went to ford and spoke to them, the technical guy said it does seem a bit too heavy on fuel and they want to run a diagnostics test and maybe reset the computer.

I browsed on another forum and had mixed answers.

Also, I believe the tank is a 60Ltr, I ran the car almost empty and then filled up and only got 50Ltrs in.

Please advise if this is just a juice drinking tank, should i have gone for the 2.0Ltr? Just doesnt make sense that a 1.6 ecoboost engine can drink so much fuel.

The attached picture is my consumption after filling up the tank.

P.S im from South Africa

Thanks,

Rojas
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#2 ·
Type of driving ? City, highway, mixed (and percentage ?) ? I've got a 1.5EB and my City is pretty much the same as yours, while my Highway is about 1,5-2lt lower (around 10,5), and my Mixed is currently hovering around 11,6-11,7.

Please also note that mine is a manual FWD, while yours is an Auto 4WD, which has higher fuel consumption by definition
 
#3 ·
On paper my driving should be 70/30 (Highway/City) but ive just come back from the holidays where i was doing town driving, so this is day 2 now on the highway, just reading from what you saying, kinda seems correct then? Thats hella heavy on fuel for a modern engine...

Are you aware of any ECU chips or tunings that can possibly help with consumption, some guys this side in S.A say the engine is too small for the body, not sure about the assumption.
 
#4 ·
Ace is right. There is a difference between auto and manual drive and we don't know the driven altitude profile to say if it's good or bad. And I'm sure the awd adds to that. In my case I do 10 on perfectly flat highway and 16-17 in the city (check my signature for details on the engine)
 
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#5 ·
Yep, it's more or less the same for all F/I engines, they can fluctuate wildly when it comes to mpg, especially the smaller ones. It's a side effect of the whole downsizing trend, if you manage to keep the small engine off-boost, then it's pretty economical, otherwise if you really get on the go-pedal, consumption skyrockets.

I never really cared for fuel consumption figures and I've made up my mind that, whatever car and engine I get, taking into account my driving style, I'll always be about 50% above the factory claimed mpg, so that's that ;)

Most remaps claim a -small- gain in mpg, because they usually raise the TargetAFR of the closed-loop fuel maps (ever so slightly), so you do get a small increase in mpg, but not much, usually it's single digit percentage....
 
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#7 ·
My no.1 reason for getting the Kuga (over the other C-SUVs like Ateca, Tiguan, X1, GLA etc) was that it's a driver's-car, even more so than the X1. It's the only SUV that -to my knowledge- actually lifts-off the inner rear wheel when cornerning more than lively, in order to keep the front pointed in the right direction ;) Personally I'd take that over any and all lower consumption figures -and I did so.

And also I never look at the mpg figures of any car I buy, and didn't look at the Kuga's as well.
 
#9 ·
The 2.0l Ecoboost is definitely more economical on fuel.
Mine averages 10.2 L/100kms around town and goes to about 7.6 L/100kms on the highway, the average is around 9.6 L/100kms, and it's very lively.
 
#10 ·
It’s not your fault, in an effort to show willing, Ford like others have jumped into trying to shy away from diesel and offered a cheaper model.
Unfortunately you are not alone with poor figures for the petrol model and I would say even worse with the auto.
It’s a big car for a small engine and when torque is needed to move the mass, petrol doesn’t have it unless it’s a huge CC, it’s good for instant power but nothing else. Diesel is good for bags of torque and used in an engine that is built more robust and keeps its inertia better due to its heavier components, it beats the pants of petrol.

There are some on here that will complain that there diesel is just as bad as a petrol but they are few and far between.
 
#11 · (Edited)
It’s not your fault, in an effort to show willing, Ford like others have jumped into trying to shy away from diesel and offered a cheaper model.
Unfortunately you are not alone with poor figures for the petrol model and I would say even worse with the auto.
It’s a big car for a small engine and when torque is needed to move the mass, petrol doesn’t have it unless it’s a huge CC, it’s good for instant power but nothing else. Diesel is good for bags of torque and used in an engine that is built more robust and keeps its inertia better due to its heavier components, it beats the pants of petrol.

There are some on here that will complain that there diesel is just as bad as a petrol but they are few and far between.
I've been hearing this "argument" about small engines, not having torque to move the car... With all due respect, it's a nonsense, as the car is not moved by torque alone, but by POWER APPLIED TO THE WHEELS. Scientifically, that power is torque multipled by engine RPM, divided by 5252 constant. So, other things being equal, the car with higher HP always wins, regardless of nominal torque.

That is why 2.0l petrol Kuga with its modest 340Nm of torque accelerates 0-60mph in a mere 6.9s, while 2.0l diesel takes 9.7s despite having 400Nm of torque.

Torque alone means nothing. Take a John Deer tractor as an example, with its 3000Nm of torque, it's not known for great acceleration, as its engine's RPM is so low, it still moves very, very slowly.

If diesel cars were more agile / punchy / lively / jumpy / "rabbit like", then all the sport super cars like Ferrari, Bugatti, oh wait Formula 1, 2, 3, etc... would've been diesel powered. ?
 
#15 ·
No one said you can... and so what?? If I were concerned with MPG, I would've bought a PHEV or full electric.

The point of my response was to bust a myth (which you seem to support) that diesel is somehow more punchy, more agile. It's a completely baseless allegation.

Take any passenger car, equipped with the SAME SIZE engine and petrol one beats a diesel hands down every time... WTF is all the hot air talk about diesels being more powerful?? It's b/s.
 
#16 ·
So why did Audi use diesel instead of petrol in their endurance cars from 2006. Whilst I agree that a petrol 2 litre turbo car will be more powerful than a comparative diesel car the one thing the petrol will never have is the power at lower revs. The two engines produce their maximum power at a totally different part of the rev range but as we don't have a 2 litre petrol turbo in the Kuga in the UK, or a 2 litre petrol, the only comparisons we can make in the UK is to the small 1.5 litre petrol.

If buying new you can buy what ever you want in your budget but for those of us who buy our cars as second owner then the choice is limited. In the UK the choice of second hand petrol Kuga's is small in comparison to diesel and although I don't particularly like diesel, it was the only choice for me in the Kuga. Another thing is that our goverments vehicle road tax make it more desirable to buy a diesel car and has been this way since 2001.
 
#17 ·
So why did Audi use diesel instead of petrol in their endurance cars from 2006. Whilst I agree that a petrol 2 litre turbo car will be more powerful than a comparative diesel car the one thing the petrol will never have is the power at lower revs. The two engines produce their maximum power at a totally different part of the rev range but as we don't have a 2 litre petrol turbo in the Kuga in the UK, or a 2 litre petrol, the only comparisons we can make in the UK is to the small 1.5 litre petrol.

If buying new you can buy what ever you want in your budget but for those of us who buy our cars as second owner then the choice is limited. In the UK the choice of second hand petrol Kuga's is small in comparison to diesel and although I don't particularly like diesel, it was the only choice for me in the Kuga. Another thing is that our goverments vehicle road tax make it more desirable to buy a diesel car and has been this way since 2001.
I'm not debating economics of a second hand car purchase, rather busting myths about power / agility of petrol vs diesel, that's all. It's physics, it's objective, not a matter of opinion or preference, it's a fact ?
 
#18 ·
So why did Audi decide to use diesel instead of petrol for their endurance cars. Surely they would have had a more powerful car if they went via the petrol route. More powerful should = faster
 
#19 ·
You're mixing apples and oranges. Endurance is not the same as power or speed. Formula 1 is extremely fast, but their engines blow up all the time, so not very (en)durable.

All I'm saying is that cm3 for cm3 a turbo diesel will always be slower, weaker, less punchy than a turbo petrol fit in the same car.

And the reason that prompted me to weigh in was yet another stupid comment about "petrol Kuga being underpowered", compared to its diesel sister.

Cheers
 
#20 ·
I strongly suggest to stop using words like "stupid comment" or "which you seem to support". It gives the impression it's too personal and toxic and we all want a nice objective thread that does not need to go up in flames. Even if the stuff you're saying is right.
 
#21 ·
I think the comment that a diesel engine is weaker than a petrol is seriously up for debate. At the end of the day if you are happy with the car you have purchased then that is all that matters whether that be petrol or diesel as there are pros and cons for both.
 
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#23 ·
I have the 1.5 AWD petrol which is great, but whilst it is still waiting for the water ingress repair I have been loaned a new 180 AWD diesel Vignale and have driven around 1500 miles. Obviously not a direct comparison due to engine size but the diesel is a better motorway car and great for overtaking. I also really notice the not so frequent trips to the petrol station, but as smartguy69 said above “if you are happy with the car you have purchased that’s all that matters”, I brought a petrol because it suited me best at the time.
 
#24 ·
Diesel has been developed for motorway usage, which is to say - steady (low) RPM and long operating hours. That is why all the trucks and buses have a diesel engine, as well as ships, turbines, etc. No one questioned that.

For people who spend a lot of time on a motorway (say they commute daily to work) OF COURSE that a diesel is gong to be an obvious choice. However, if your driving is 90% in the city (traffic jams, lots of stop-n-go), on a short distance trips (like taking kids to school, buying groceries, etc) then petrol will be a preferable choice.

That however was not the point. No one questioned which car is better for certain driving habits - City Vs Motorway.

My rather harsh and impulsive comment was such because I'm sick and tired of diesel owners telling how petrol is under-powered. It's just not true. Perception is not reality. Yes, the 2.0l diesel is more powerful than a 1.5l petrol Kuga... by 4HPs. Oh wow!!

Again:

Diesel Kuga 2.0 TDCI 182HP
Petrol Kuga 2.0 Ecoboost 245HP

Diesel Kuga 1.5 TDCI 150HP
Petrol Kuga 1.5 EcoBoost 176HP

Lets look at acceleration 0-60mph (the strongest engines only):

Petrol Kuga 2.0 EcoBoost - 6.9s
Diesel Kuga 2.0 TDCI - 9.2s

Am I missing smth....? ?
 
#26 ·
Hahahaha, I was waiting for a comment from Ripperoo but I guess most of us who have the " weaker" engine have just run out of words. My guess is we just have too many interpretations of our English language as power = fast and strong, like an American muscle car.
 
#27 ·
I know bud.

I put that on to diffuse, what has become something of a touchy subject. I don’t know why anyone can take exception peoples comments, it’s their opinion, right or wrong. Ok we all like different things and when we like something then, I guess we try to convey it across that it’s good. It still won’t change your mind if you have what you like.

As an old work buddy once said to me, “I LIKE WHAT I KNOW AND I KNOW WHAT I LIKE”. That was it end of, Vauxhall we’re king of the road!

So as others have said, if it works for you then fine.

I have being trying to just put across how the low torque can work for you. And yesterday I decided to remind myself how punchy the 2ltr diesel was. It gave me a nice smile and I wasn’t in sports mode neither.

I’ve had all my fast driving when I was a traffic cop and the 2.8 turbo VXR was supreme. So a salute to petrol!

The whole police vehicle fleet are now diesel. The Volvos we had were chipped and I’m not sure about the BMW saloon cars.
 
#28 ·
Sometimes it's hard to get across what you really mean as well in a post without it being chapter. I can write a chapter haha. Anyway, enough of this talk about cars.....I just bought a new TV.
 
#31 ·
I have a small Samsung in our Utility room. Our main TV's have always been LG but this time I have gone for a Sony. I went for a Sony because they are more powerful lol. I had 3 TVs in my list, one each from the big 3 but in the end thought why not have a change. Pleased with my choice though as more often than not there is usually some buyer's remorse associated with parting with a few quid. Had the same with my Kuga. Back in thread track now.
 
#43 ·
Where is Ripperoo these days? Hope he’s not gone dark and is on the assassination trail of the sales rep who sold him “BIG RED”

Ripperooooooooooo, buddy, crank ya handle, come on back, what’s ya 10?
I still hover around KOC and have a quick gander!

To be honest, I still cannot stand the newer layout.

The old layout was easier on the eye and it was dead easy to find what I wanted.

I've got it the best I can by disabling ads and other elements, but it's just not the same.

Still got "Big Red" and the salesman is still alive (as far as I know).

But "Big Red" is still a thirsty bar-steward despite hitting 12,500miles, but did hit 41mpg after a 800+ mile drive over 3 days while we travelled to the big smoke and back for New Years Eve on the banks of the Thames. Whoopie-do, 41mpg!

Mind you, this was after filling up with "Shell V-Power" as opposed to my regular poison, "BP Ultimate".

My old Mondeo seemed to perform better on "Shell V-Power" too and I would use it all the time, but nearest Shell filling station is 40+ miles away. :(

Anyway hope you all had a good one. A bit late, but BLTN!
 
#35 ·
So lots on different stuff to comment on.

We have two Samsung’s, small one in the corny , and big un in the lounge.

The governments think tank said diesel was the way to go, now they admit they were wrong so not only are the general public who invested in them, shafted so are the large organisations like the feds etc stuffed. Mind, I can see why a one fuel strategy works, OMG, the amount of feds that put petrol in diesel cars, derrrr.

After dropping Carwow a lease hire enq, I dropped into the Volvo dealer and looked at the XC40. The sales rep admitted that customers are moving away from PCP deals to lease, as the amount of money (what even more) being lost was now an even bigger factor. So for the price or even cheaper you can get a lease deal and hand it back after the term and get a new one.

Anyway the XC 40 rear seat leg room seemed less than the Kuga. The XC 60 was bigger but not by much so not worthy of a serious thought.

The sales rep also said that the future was not orange but hybrid then totally electrified in years to come. When 2035 comes around, IIRC this being the year that no fossil fuel motors will be allowed to be fitted, ill be 75. Might be a sooooped up mobility scooter or hover chair!
 
#38 ·
So lots on different stuff to comment on.

We have two Samsung’s, small one in the corny , and big un in the lounge.

The governments think tank said diesel was the way to go, now they admit they were wrong so not only are the general public who invested in them.

The sales rep also said that the future was not orange but hybrid then totally electrified in years to come. When 2035 comes around, IIRC this being the year that no fossil fuel motors will be allowed to be fitted, ill be 75. Might be a sooooped up mobility scooter or hover chair!
Nearly nearly bought a QLED Samsung for the living room but went Sony instead. First time Sony for me but I had a 20% voucher for Very so choice was limited.

Surely with all the clever people we have as advisors to the government it was known about the nasties diesels throw out prior to them giving us "incentives" to buy diesel cars from 2001.

I can't see 2035 coming for no fossil fuel engines tbh. If we go back 15 years to 2005 it's not like we have moved very far certainly where electric cars are concerned. We have better, faster more powerful phones, TVs and other electronic goods but not very far with car technology. We have have a bit more power and slightly more efficient engines and cleaner diesels but if electric cars are the only thing to buy new from 2035 onwards then second hand cars registered in 2034 and earlier are going to have a good second hand value. Or did you mean everything will be a hybrid at the very least.
 
#37 ·
Good point about auto with petrol to stay away from the powershift but I think you are ok from 2017 models and later.
 
#40 ·
The engine as we know it is going to be here for sometime!

Whilst not been too much of a forward thinker and more of a fire from the hip person, I see it like this.

Yes hybrids are coming in at a steady flow but most are assisted by a petrol/diesel unit. So even if the ban them, they will still have to produce the fuel for them. And those electric cars that are stand alone full charge models, don’t have the infrastructure to help out.

It’s been mentioned that we haven’t moved far in battery technology in the motor industry, so I can’t see there been a sudden leap forward, good enough to propel a 40 ton HGV around for several hundred miles at a time.

The only time this would become acceptable is, if we accepted that for example it took a whole day to drive to Dover or even have to have a stop over to charge up. Life would become slower for us (maybe not a bad thing) and we’d have to be more patient, which is hardly likely, as we are a “want it now” society.

So for the mo, well have to take it on the chin, unless someone can come up with radical transport solutions that are clean, easy and cheap.

That’s way off into another galaxy......(wish I could have done that in the Star Wars text style)

Enjoy ya Sunday, kugonians.
 
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