Just ordered new 2018.9 Lincoln MKX 3.7L Black Label AWD today...

[waltcmusic]

~1400 RPM, 50 MPH, ~36MPG

 

Thanks. This means 55 MPH is the most fuel-efficient point by clock time. Cars love going at 1,500 RPM for best highway/time MPG. 2,000 RPM, not so much. 1,750 RPM may be okay if you're in a hurry (is it 62 mph?). If you slow down to 45 MPH, it may get 38 MPG, so my estimates may be right touching 40 MPG if lucky.

Edited May 20, 2018 by waltcmusic

[waltcmusic]

(following a shift into 6th gear at ~48 MPH).

 

This means 48 MPH is your highest best MPG you can get on highway with Lincoln MKX. Any faster speed is all downhill (unless there's a 7th gear installed). Thank god it's not 43 MPH, found in many 4-cylinders with 6-speed auto I rented many times.

 

Try lowering the speed a tiny bit, at what speed does 6th gear kicks out into 5th gear mode?

Edited May 20, 2018 by waltcmusic

[waltcmusic]

I can live with 50 mph max driving. After adding city driving, this mean my estimated average MPG will run at 24-27 MPG. If you get only 17 MPG average, you are driving too fast.

Edited May 20, 2018 by waltcmusic

[mkx-wanders]

Thanks. This means 55 MPH is the most fuel-efficient point by clock time. Cars love going at 1,500 RPM for best highway/time MPG. 2,000 RPM, not so much. 1,750 RPM may be okay if you're in a hurry (is it 62 mph?). If you slow down to 45 MPH, it may get 38 MPG, so my estimates may be right touching 40 MPG if lucky.

 

Any lower than 50 MPH caused a down shift to 5th gear.  Maybe something can be done with the "S"ports mode by taking the computer adjusted shift points out of the equation.

[waltcmusic]

Any lower than 50 MPH caused a down shift to 5th gear.  Maybe something can be done with the "S"ports mode by taking the computer adjusted shift points out of the equation.

 

Is it 48 mph or 49 mph that you felt a downshift to 5th gear? If that's true, than 45 mph is less fuel-efficient than 50 mph. Stay at 50 mph minimum speed.

 

This will be a huge improvement from 2010 BMW X3 I already sold. Anything below 38 mph kicks out of 6th gear. It's also not too fuel-efficient on highway, because it runs at 1,850 RPM at 50 mph and 2,000 RPM at 55 mph (yuck...). Saving 500 RPM makes quite a bit of difference in highway MPG, doesn't matter what brand is the car or MPG rating.

Edited May 20, 2018 by waltcmusic

[mkx-wanders]

Is it 48 mph or 49 mph that you felt a downshift to 5th gear? If that's true, than 45 mph is less fuel-efficient than 50 mph. Stay at 50 mph minimum speed.

 

This will be a huge improvement from 2010 BMW X3 I already sold. Anything below 37 mph kicks out of 6th gear. It's also not too fuel-efficient, because it runs at 1,850 RPM at 50 mph and 2,000 RPM at 55 mph (yuck...). Saving 500 RPM makes quite a bit of difference in highway MPG, doesn't matter what brand is the car.

 

Felt? I have to keep looking at the tach to see the 5th to 6th handoffs ;-)

 

Any word on you chroma chocolaty goodness is being delivered?

[waltcmusic]

Felt? I have to keep looking at the tach to see the 5th to 6th handoffs ;-)

 

Any word on you chroma chocolaty goodness is being delivered?

 

Yeah, someone wrote 48 mph is the beginning of 6th gear, and I estimate it would be below 44-45 mph that it would kick back into 5th gear. Let me know what you got?

 

From e-mail:

Dear Walt,   The MKX has been sent and ordered. The build week is the week of 6/25/2018. Once it is built we will be able to track it the whole way here. 

[thisguy159]

Currently getting 16.8mpg

Edited May 20, 2018 by thisguy159

[mkx-wanders]

 

Yeah, someone wrote 48 mph is the beginning of 6th gear, and I estimate it would be below 44-45 mph that it would kick back into 5th gear. Let me know what you got?

 

From e-mail:

Dear Walt,   The MKX has been sent and ordered. The build week is the week of 6/25/2018. Once it is built we will be able to track it the whole way here. 

 

 

Will do.  Too many mountains in my driving yesterday.

[waltcmusic]

Currently getting 16.8mpg

 

Could be colder climate, or driving too fast. I hope to get at least 25 MPG average. 

[akirby]

Currently getting 16.8mpg

Currently getting over 20 out of my 3.5LEB F150. It’s amazing.

[thisguy159]

Could be colder climate, or driving too fast. I hope to get at least 25 MPG average.

No u won't.

Edited May 20, 2018 by thisguy159

[Cosmos36]

Excepting city/commute driving entirely as irrelevant to the spouse and I, thus addressing only suburban, rural, and freeway driving, I average 20%-29% better fuel mileage than the spouse over identical routes driving a 2010 3.0 Fusion V6.

 

The point? The different driving styles of two persons on the same routes under the same environmental conditions over extended time periods in the same vehicle can yield significantly varying fuel mileage results. Some folks in my acquaintance circle deny that driving styles affect MPG to any degree, but they also admit that they have never made the comparisons. I learned the wisdom of keeping the comparative data to myself some years ago. 

Edited May 22, 2018 by Cosmos36

[walkabout]

You're not going to get 25 mpg, or anything close. You're driving an awd suv that weighs 4400 pounds. The epa on your vehicle is 16/24. Consumer Reports got 18 overall worth the more efficient engine. Drivers on this board have been getting between 16 and 19 overall.

 

I live in LA too. 80% of my driving is on wide open highway to hiking trails and bike paths. I'm not even getting 20.

 

I really don't know why you insist on claiming that the mkx is going to get the same mpg as four cyl family sedan.

 

You are a good guy but I don't know why you persist with thus stuff.

[waltcmusic]

You're not going to get 25 mpg, or anything close. You're driving an awd suv that weighs 4400 pounds. The epa on your vehicle is 16/24. Consumer Reports got 18 overall worth the more efficient engine. Drivers on this board have been getting between 16 and 19 overall.

 

I live in LA too. 80% of my driving is on wide open highway to hiking trails and bike paths. I'm not even getting 20.

 

I really don't know why you insist on claiming that the mkx is going to get the same mpg as four cyl family sedan.

 

You are a good guy but I don't know why you persist with thus stuff.

 

My average MPG in 2010.9 BMW X3 AWD was 24.5, both city and highway, plus traffic jams. Never accelerate the car over 1,500 RPM per automatic shift, while turn off the A/C button. A little slow, but worth it. I use cruise control on city a lot too, at 30 mph max running at 1,200 RPM. If I see red light ahead, I turn off cruise and let go off gas pedal. Sometimes I shift to neutral to let it decelerate by itself. That's how I succeed.

 

Despite what EPA has posted, the non-turbo 3.7L may do BETTER on MPG than 2.7L at lower speeds only up to 1,500 RPM max, because there is no gas wasted to power up the twin-turbo, and bigger engine works less-hard than smaller engine like 2.7L. With twin-turbo, more gas is feeding into turbos than engine itself, even at low RPM speed, and cold weather makes it even worse. Ask mkx-wonders??? I think his average MPG is better than expected, in addition to bonus "active grille shutter" with 20" wheels only.

 

I will be happy to provide a photo showing 25 MPG average in new MKX, if you wish, after I successfully purchase it. But I have a good feeling I may be able to reach 26 MPG average, not 25 MPG, assuming I only drive up to 50 mph max on freeway, slow-lane only. I always shift to neutral if freeway driving is suddenly going downhill or coasting only, and watch the instant MPG goes up to 99 MPG, which boosts up my average MPG quickly.

 

If you admit accelerating the MKX at 2,500 RPM from stop each time when light turns green, you lose on MPG. Even over 2,000 RPM is no good. Only 1,500 RPM max.

Edited May 22, 2018 by waltcmusic

[Adam]

Please tell me you are an environmentalist with all this fuel economy obsession!

 

Can’t be another rational reason why someone who bought a $70,000 luxury suv puts the transmission in neutral on the highway to save gas. It just doesn’t compute, to me anyway. I’m sure you have more important things to worry about in your life!

[waltcmusic]

I’m sure you have more important things to worry about in your life!

 

 

[waltcmusic]

Timmer, tell us more about your new 2018 MKX Black Label order. We both ordered similar vehicles with identical manufactured dates, only color is different. Interesting... Could be twins if we're lucky. 

[waltcmusic]

Timmer, tell us more about your new 2018 MKX Black Label order. We both ordered similar vehicles with identical manufactured dates, only color is different. Interesting... Could be twins if we're lucky. 

 

Looks like Timmer canceled 2018.9 order. I'm single again. 

[thisguy159]

I'm single again.

And always

[waltcmusic]

20" wheels come with factory-installed Hankook tires. How yours been holding?

Edited June 11, 2018 by waltcmusic

[mkx-wanders]

20" wheels come with factory-installed Hancook tires. How yours been holding?

 

They are crap.  You will be lucky to get 25k out of them. 

 

A friend of mine turned me onto Falken (North America marketing for Sumitomo) G4 Pro A/S and I am loving them so far.  They're super quiet and yet they can climb a hill of black ice.  I ran into a surprise T-Storm in the mountains that flooded the road in spots with 2 inches of water and felt zero hydroplaning.  Now to see how many miles I can get out of them (9k so far).

[waltcmusic]

They are crap.  You will be lucky to get 25k out of them.

 

LOL... Even Black Label comes with Hankook tires too. Who made this garbage?

Edited June 11, 2018 by waltcmusic

[akirby]

They're not crap just because they only last 25K miles.  That just makes them expensive.  

 

I've never gotten more than 25K on my cars and 35K on utilities.   Heat and road conditions play a role in that but low profile tires have less tread generally speaking.

 

The 21s on my MKX would have lasted to 30K probably but they got too noisy so I replaced them at 22K.  

[waltcmusic]

 

The 21s on my MKX would have lasted to 30K probably but they got too noisy so I replaced them at 22K.  

 

I believe 21" tires come with Pirelli, right? In my experience with tires, even the cheapest tires I bought (like Kumho, similar to Hankook) lasted me for 45,000 miles. Tire rotation every 7,500 miles is the key to success.