MPG question for Ford Fusion

[Proprioceptive]

So my wife and I were looking at the Ford Fusion and I noticed that the Fusion S gets 23/34 mpg while the SE and SEL get 22/31 mpg. I looked it up and they're using the same 2.5L engine... is it just because the SE and SEL have dual exhaust and some added interior features?? I've just never seen this before. Oh, and they're all AT.

 

[iGas]

Weight could be one reason, so as minor differences in wheel options & gearing ratio. Perhaps one is automatic & the other is manual.

I just looked up the Fusion options, and found S came with 16" rims and auto as standard option.
Standard option for the SE is 17" rims with manual gear shift (auto is an option)
Standard option for the SEL is 17" rims with auto gear shift.

 

[Proprioceptive]

Weight could be one reason, so as minor differences in wheel options & gearing ratio. Perhaps one is automatic & the other is manual.

I just looked up the Fusion options, and found S came with 16" rims and auto as standard option.
Standard option for the SE is 17" rims with manual gear shift (auto is an option)
Standard option for the SEL is 17" rims with auto gear shift.

I did mention they were all auto (the ones we looked at), and as far as I can tell, the gear ratios are identical... identical drive trains. Will the tire size and weight really make a 3mpg difference hwy?

 

[LTC8K6]

Bigger rims doesn't necessarily mean a larger tire diameter, though.

 

[thedarkwolf]

bigger rims are heavier usually though

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Bigger rims doesn't necessarily mean a larger tire diameter, though.

They generally mean larger inertial mass, which means they take more energy to get up to speed. They can also increase the drag from the wheel well, which again will hamper highway mpg.

 

[LTC8K6]

S - 16" painted aluminum wheels
SE - 17" steel wheels with painted plastic covers
SEL - 17" machined aluminum wheels

I doubt there is much weight difference.

 

[LTC8K6]

SEL has the leather power seats as well.

 

[Proprioceptive]

Bah... I even asked the sales guy at the Ford dealership and he told me that the S has a more fuel efficient version of the engine... I was like WTF? It's the SAME 2.5L Duratec engine! I don't get it at all.

 

[Nyati13]

It's probably the software in the ECU, the SE gets the normal map, and the SEL get's a more aggressive map that increases responsiveness and "fun" at the cost of MPG.

 

[MJinZ]

Wheels, tires, and weight. I highly doubt Ford would spend the money to reprogram the ECU for more aggressive gearing. The 4 banger is ancient and anemic - it needs all the aggressive gearing it can get.

 

[ElFenix]

Wheels, tires, and weight. I highly doubt Ford would spend the money to reprogram the ECU for more aggressive gearing. The 4 banger is ancient and anemic - it needs all the aggressive gearing it can get.

the 2.5 is new, first debuted on the fusion and mazda3 last year. it replaced the 2.3.

 

[TraumaRN]

And not just any tires it has LRR tires as well.

 

[MJinZ]

the 2.5 is new, first debuted on the fusion and mazda3 last year. it replaced the 2.3.

That's a little better then, even if it is just a bored out version of the 2.3.

 

[ElFenix]

That's a little better then, even if it is just a bored out version of the 2.3.

 

[vshah]

i think it is probably weight. if they had upped the fun factor through ecu tuning, they would advertise that fact or it would be reflected in power figures. could be different tires too?

 

[MJinZ]

Right???

 

[TraumaRN]

i think it is probably weight. if they had upped the fun factor through ecu tuning, they would advertise that fact or it would be reflected in power figures. could be different tires too?

See my earlier post it uses 16 inch low rolling resistance tires...