Ford Escape: Driving style — good driving and fuel economy habits
Give consideration to the lists that follow and you may be able to change a number of variables and improve your fuel economy.
Habits
• Smooth, moderate operation can yield up to 10% savings in fuel.
• Steady speeds without stopping will usually give the best fuel
economy.
• Idling for long periods of time (greater than one minute) may waste
fuel.
• Anticipate stopping; slowing down may eliminate the need to stop.
• Sudden or hard accelerations may reduce fuel economy.
• Slow down gradually.
• Driving at reasonable speeds (traveling at 55 mph [88 km/h] uses 15%
less fuel than traveling at 65 mph [105 km/h]).
• Revving the engine before turning it off may reduce fuel economy.
• Using the air conditioner or defroster may reduce fuel economy.
• You may want to turn off the speed control in hilly terrain if
unnecessary shifting between the top gears occurs. Unnecessary
shifting of this type could result in reduced fuel economy.
• Warming up a vehicle on cold mornings is not required and may
reduce fuel economy.
• Resting your foot on the brake pedal while driving may reduce fuel
economy.
• Combine errands and minimize stop-and-go driving.
Maintenance
• Keep tires properly inflated and use only recommended size.
• Operating a vehicle with the wheels out of alignment will reduce fuel
economy.
• Use recommended engine oil. Refer to Maintenance product
specifications and capacities in this chapter.
• Perform all regularly scheduled maintenance items. Follow the
recommended maintenance schedule and owner maintenance checks
found in scheduled maintenance information.
Conditions
• Heavily loading a vehicle or towing a trailer may reduce fuel economy
at any speed.
• Carrying unnecessary weight may reduce fuel economy (approximately
1 mpg [0.4 km/L] is lost for every 400 lb [180 kg] of weight carried).
• Adding certain accessories to your vehicle (for example bug
deflectors, rollbars/light bars, running boards, ski racks) may reduce
fuel economy.
• Using fuel blended with alcohol may lower fuel economy.
• Fuel economy may decrease with lower temperatures during the first
8–10 miles (12–16 km) of driving.
• Driving on flat terrain offers improved fuel economy as compared to
driving on hilly terrain.
• Transmissions give their best fuel economy when operated in the top
cruise gear and with steady pressure on the gas pedal.
• Close windows for high speed driving.
Calculating fuel economy
1. Fill the fuel tank completely and record the initial odometer reading
(in miles or kilometers).
2. Each time you fill the tank, record the amount of fuel added (in
gallons or liters).
3. After ...
Emission control system
WARNING: Do not park, idle, or drive your vehicle in dry grass
or other dry ground cover. The emission system heats up the
engine compartment and exhaust system, which can start a fire.
WARNING: ...
See also:
Screen modes
Touch the screen mode selection button (12)
to view a series of icons, each depicting a
different screen mode (as detailed below).
Touch the relevant icon to select the desired
screen mode.
Ful ...
On-Board Vehicle Computers and Event Data Recorders
Your vehicle is equipped with on-board computer systems which monitor and control
several aspects of vehicle performance, including the following:
• Emission-related components and engine parame ...
Radio text
This text provides information about the song
that is currently playing. To turn this feature on
or off, press OK/MENU and scroll to Show
radio text and press OK/MENU to toggle
between on or o ...