Boomerweps Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 TC SWB XLT with standard 4 cylinder engine, tow package. 2100 miles & change one way northwestern PA to southwestern UT. TC performed beautifully, the view out front was great. Set the speed control usually 4mph over the speed limit and it handled great except for some bad winds in western KS, wife hit it driving both ways. Meaning 84mph out west. Trip was I-80 to Akron, cut down to I-70 in Columbus, OH, then clear to I-15 in Colorado. Hit quite a bit of road destruction (suck). After a motel hell stay in west Denver, left at 4am and ran into an early May snowstorm. The truck mandatory chain up signs were all lit. Went about 60 miles through ice & snow. Adequate driving performance for a fwd box with new summer tires. Wife was freaked out though. Vehicle performed alright with the crap UT gas, 85 octane with 10-15% alcohol for regular out there and cost $0.40 more than back home's regular 87 octane. Great seats but we added a gel pad to alter the butt pressure occasionally. Packed behind the front seats level with the bottom of the windows going out, but with purchases, I had to buy a couple big duffle bags and the back was packed to the roof with crap flying forward on panic stops twice. Should've taken the hitch-hauler I bought for the trip but left home after considering the nightly removal at motels. No roof rack either. Rear camera really came in handy on the trip back. Already planning another trip there. Either with the hitch-hauler and a lot less luggage/car trip stuff OR after a LWB trade in, maybe with roof rack ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomerweps Posted June 6, 2015 Author Share Posted June 6, 2015 Oh, yeah 2.5L engine. Another reason to avoid the hitch-hauler was loss of rear camera use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G B L Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Sounds like a great ride. How was the weather going through Glenwood Canyon. That is a Beautiful ride. Because of the Altitude 85 is enough octane for the 2.5 Liter . The 1.6 Turbo would want more to get the power. Is your TC a Wagon or a van? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windguy Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 great trip report. curious, how was your gas mileage? my wife and I just took our own first extended trip, but not even close to that distance. about 180 each way. the TC is a nice touring vehicle. like you said, the views out the front and sides with the big windows makes it really nice. I'm used to the road noise in our cargo model but my wife thought it was a bit noisy. need to work on getting that quieter. Gas mileage didn't improve that much over my usual mixed driving, which is about 24mpg. We averaged maybe 24.5mpg, which seems really low. This is according to the van's calculation for mpg. I expected upper 20's. It's so nice to have a van to pack up for a weekend trip. so much room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 I find 70 mph on the freeway for extended time , gets average of 26.x mpg 60mph gets me 30.x average mpg . did 4000+ miles last July when my van was relatively new , they do eat miles well. as far as interior noise ............Turn the Radio louder ! hahaha ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windguy Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 I find 70 mph on the freeway for extended time , gets average of 26.x mpg 60mph gets me 30.x average mpg . did 4000+ miles last July when my van was relatively new , they do eat miles well. as far as interior noise ............Turn the Radio louder ! hahaha ! thanks Mustang. so if Boomerwerps was doing 80+ at times, we should expect to see mpg around 22 or so. I had the cruise control set to 68 (for 65 limit), my comfort zone, so that's not the optimal speed for max mpg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomerweps Posted June 8, 2015 Author Share Posted June 8, 2015 TC was the wagon model. I usually get 28.5mpg something for local highway miles, 55-60 mph. Had about 2500 miles on the TC starting the trip. Averaged around 25.3mpg on the trip, little local travel there, cousin insisted on driving us most of the time. Running 75-85mph a lot, still got about 23mpg. About 8100 miles on the odometer now. I think it's fully broke in now. The MPH values are vehicle trip computer values. The wagons are passenger car quiet. The one touch windows, up/down all windows, is a great feature but sucks for smokers trying to vent and get the window just right for draw and least wind noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windguy Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 TC was the wagon model. I usually get 28.5mpg something for local highway miles, 55-60 mph. Had about 2500 miles on the TC starting the trip. Averaged around 25.3mpg on the trip, little local travel there, cousin insisted on driving us most of the time. Running 75-85mph a lot, still got about 23mpg. About 8100 miles on the odometer now. I think it's fully broke in now. The MPH values are vehicle trip computer values. The wagons are passenger car quiet. The one touch windows, up/down all windows, is a great feature but sucks for smokers trying to vent and get the window just right for draw and least wind noise. seems like you're getting decent gas mileage. good report. regarding the one touch windows not being smoker friendly, I thought I read somewhere that the American Cancer Society teamed up with Ford designers when they made the TC and figured out how to discourage drivers from smoking while driving, and the windows was one of those deterrents In my cargo van, only the driver's window has the one-touch feature, but it's easy to crack the window a bit if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G B L Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Mine has just under 9000 on the clock, It is getting 28to 29 at highway speed 68-75. A good speed don't need a radar detector, no longer racing the police. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windguy Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Mine has just under 9000 on the clock, It is getting 28to 29 at highway speed 68-75. A good speed don't need a radar detector, no longer racing the police. that's pretty good mileage. hope mine improves over time. re speed, yeah, that's the right attitude. you'll still get there without the stress and more beer money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.