Automotive Forums

My '05 mountaineer is getting 11 miles to the gallon (city).  Should I be expecting better?  How can I improve this?  

Check out: http://www.fueleconomy.gov  

Sell it...  

The EPA rates a Mountaineer at 15mpg city, and they are usually a little optimistic and with the quality of gas dropping your 11 sounds about right fo strictly city driving. You can check the air pressure in your tires to make sure you are at the top of what the factory recomends, you can not use the AC around town, you can accelerate more slowly and work to conserve speed by not flying up to red lights and slamming on your brakes, or you could follow the other posters advice and sell the thing and a buy a vehicle that isn't a complete gas guzzler. The reality of the situation is, you bought a vehicle that gets poor mileage and no matter how many things you do above, it is always going to get poor mileage. Welcome to SUV ownership.  

This is a great example of the silly questions I get everyday.  A couple of weeks ago a long time customer of mine comes in and wants to know whay he's getting such poor fuel economy with his new H2.  The salesman told him it would get great mileage because it has that new fangled fuel injection stuff.  Amazing.  Then this weekend my sister-in-law e-mails me wanting to know why her new Avalanche get's so much worse mileage than the Suzuki XL-7 she traded for it.  I guess she didn't notice it's twice as big when she bought it.  Unfreakingbelievable.  

my guess is your mercury is a v8?  the only thing to do is accept the fact that it gets crappy gas milage or sell the car for something a little more fuel efficient.  there are alternatives to gas guzzling v8 suvs, its give and take.  the power may be nice, but you cant have your cake and eat it too i guess.