2,200 Mile Road Trip Report 2022 Bronco Sport Badlands Premium Edition

[Bompen]

Just completed our first long road trip since purchasing our Badlands in May of 2022 and wanted to write a brief description of the trip.
Itinerary: Indio, CA to Steamboat Springs, CO, and return
Total Miles: 2,200
Gas Used: 84.1 Gallons of 91 Octane Premium, various brands, Chevron, Exxon, Maverick, Costco, Pilot, decided to run premium early in our ownership
Average Miles per Gallon: Calculated 26.3; Dash reading MPG 27.5; difference 1.2 MPG, consistent with 11,600 mile, detailed analysis first 15 months owned.
Total Cost of Gas: $361.72, average 16.4 cents per mile, highest paid per gallon $5.67 Primm, NV, lowest $3.77 Salina, UT, average per gallon $4.30
Average Speed: 65-69 MPH with stops for gas and rest stops (dog with), usually running 78-82 MPH running on cruise, driving 6-8 hours per day, A/C on all the time
Tire PSI: Set for 34 PSI cold at home, ran 36-38 PSI while hot, outdoor temperature range 75 - 110, mostly around 100+
To our delight the Badlands ran flawlessly the whole way, which was a concern after following all the posts on this forum for two and a half years! We were able to pack more than enough gear for the whole trip including some bulky birthday presents for our daughter in Steamboat, which was also a concern of mine as the past trip we made to Steamboat was in 2021 in a Chevy Colorado Crew Cab Long Bed, the BS being much smaller. Overall, very pleased.

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[PaulOinMA]

My wife has taken her mom on several trips to visit college roommates in VA, and vacation on OBX before or after. '23 Badlands. Trip is MA ... NJ ...OBX ... VA ... NJ ... MA. 1,400 miles.

Nice vehicle for trips. Upper 20s mpg.

My '22 Escape Ti is more aerodynamic. Lower 30s mpg. 500 miles on a tank of fuel from MA to lower Delmarva.

 

[jason202]

We've done a few 900 mile road trips in our Badlands and I'm always surprised at how comfortable it is to drive for hours at a time on the highway. The adaptive cruise and lane holding are great for reducing fatigue.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

Just completed our first long road trip since purchasing our Badlands in May of 2022 and wanted to write a brief description of the trip.
Itinerary: Indio, CA to Steamboat Springs, CO, and return
Total Miles: 2,200
Gas Used: 84.1 Gallons of 91 Octane Premium, various brands, Chevron, Exxon, Maverick, Costco, Pilot, decided to run premium early in our ownership
Average Miles per Gallon: Calculated 26.3; Dash reading MPG 27.5; difference 1.2 MPG, consistent with 11,600 mile, detailed analysis first 15 months owned.
Total Cost of Gas: $361.72, average 16.4 cents per mile, highest paid per gallon $5.67 Primm, NV, lowest $3.77 Salina, UT, average per gallon $4.30
Average Speed: 65-69 MPH with stops for gas and rest stops (dog with), usually running 78-82 MPH running on cruise, driving 6-8 hours per day, A/C on all the time
Tire PSI: Set for 34 PSI cold at home, ran 36-38 PSI while hot, outdoor temperature range 75 - 110, mostly around 100+
To our delight the Badlands ran flawlessly the whole way, which was a concern after following all the posts on this forum for two and a half years! We were able to pack more than enough gear for the whole trip including some bulky birthday presents for our daughter in Steamboat, which was also a concern of mine as the past trip we made to Steamboat was in 2021 in a Chevy Colorado Crew Cab Long Bed, the BS being much smaller. Overall, very pleased.

Happy to hear you were pleased with your Bronco's performance! Thanks for sharing your experience with us!

 

[Ecom911]

Just completed our first long road trip since purchasing our Badlands in May of 2022 and wanted to write a brief description of the trip.
Itinerary: Indio, CA to Steamboat Springs, CO, and return
Total Miles: 2,200
Gas Used: 84.1 Gallons of 91 Octane Premium, various brands, Chevron, Exxon, Maverick, Costco, Pilot, decided to run premium early in our ownership
Average Miles per Gallon: Calculated 26.3; Dash reading MPG 27.5; difference 1.2 MPG, consistent with 11,600 mile, detailed analysis first 15 months owned.
Total Cost of Gas: $361.72, average 16.4 cents per mile, highest paid per gallon $5.67 Primm, NV, lowest $3.77 Salina, UT, average per gallon $4.30
Average Speed: 65-69 MPH with stops for gas and rest stops (dog with), usually running 78-82 MPH running on cruise, driving 6-8 hours per day, A/C on all the time
Tire PSI: Set for 34 PSI cold at home, ran 36-38 PSI while hot, outdoor temperature range 75 - 110, mostly around 100+
To our delight the Badlands ran flawlessly the whole way, which was a concern after following all the posts on this forum for two and a half years! We were able to pack more than enough gear for the whole trip including some bulky birthday presents for our daughter in Steamboat, which was also a concern of mine as the past trip we made to Steamboat was in 2021 in a Chevy Colorado Crew Cab Long Bed, the BS being much smaller. Overall, very pleased.

Sounds like you had a great trip! Thanks for sharing.

Leaving on Saturday for a 4800km (3k mile) round trip to the west coast for a camping trip, first big trip in the BB since we bought in 22. I'll keep track of the stats as well since the recent update. Hopefully an equally positive experience!

 

[V8 Yankee]

Just completed our first long road trip since purchasing our Badlands in May of 2022 and wanted to write a brief description of the trip.
Itinerary: Indio, CA to Steamboat Springs, CO, and return
Total Miles: 2,200
Gas Used: 84.1 Gallons of 91 Octane Premium, various brands, Chevron, Exxon, Maverick, Costco, Pilot, decided to run premium early in our ownership
Average Miles per Gallon: Calculated 26.3; Dash reading MPG 27.5; difference 1.2 MPG, consistent with 11,600 mile, detailed analysis first 15 months owned.
Total Cost of Gas: $361.72, average 16.4 cents per mile, highest paid per gallon $5.67 Primm, NV, lowest $3.77 Salina, UT, average per gallon $4.30
Average Speed: 65-69 MPH with stops for gas and rest stops (dog with), usually running 78-82 MPH running on cruise, driving 6-8 hours per day, A/C on all the time
Tire PSI: Set for 34 PSI cold at home, ran 36-38 PSI while hot, outdoor temperature range 75 - 110, mostly around 100+
To our delight the Badlands ran flawlessly the whole way, which was a concern after following all the posts on this forum for two and a half years! We were able to pack more than enough gear for the whole trip including some bulky birthday presents for our daughter in Steamboat, which was also a concern of mine as the past trip we made to Steamboat was in 2021 in a Chevy Colorado Crew Cab Long Bed, the BS being much smaller. Overall, very pleased.

Good milaege considering your speed. You must have had a good tailwind for a good portion of the trip. In case you missed the thread on adjusting your fuel bias search for "engineering test mode". There is an excellant post on how to access the fuel bias settings. Now that you have a good idea of your true mpg you can adjust the bias to accurately reflect your milaege. I adjust mine every 10K. The first time I adjusted mine I was off by 15%. Now I am off by 1 to 2%. Its easy to access, lots of other interesting programming in there as well. Enjoy.

 

[AmazingSieve]

I've done some big trips in my Badlands. San Diego-> Montana, San Diego->Denver multiple times, San Diego-> Mammoth Lakes, so lots of long miles and higher altitude driving and many more small trips here in the Front Range and the car has done consistently well.

One of the things I really like is the car will still pull going uphill at highway speeds at altitiudes > 6,000ft. Its really quite strong.

 

[Rockboz]

Thanks for your post. Next month we are taking our BSBL from Mi to Ut, returning through Co, Tx to Mi. We are getting about 3 mpg more than our 15 Edge V6.

 

[Bompen]

Good milaege considering your speed. You must have had a good tailwind for a good portion of the trip. In case you missed the thread on adjusting your fuel bias search for "engineering test mode". There is an excellant post on how to access the fuel bias settings. Now that you have a good idea of your true mpg you can adjust the bias to accurately reflect your milaege. I adjust mine every 10K. The first time I adjusted mine I was off by 15%. Now I am off by 1 to 2%. Its easy to access, lots of other interesting programming in there as well. Enjoy.

Thanks for the suggestion, I will search and adjust to try to get the dash MPG more realistic.

 

[Bompen]

Thanks for the suggestion, I will search and adjust to try to get the dash MPG more realistic.

 

[NMhunter]

I know my mpg readings aren't exactly right, because my speed is off consistently by about 1 mph. Makes no sense because it doesn't matter if I'm going 25 mph or 75 mph. Still off by 1 mph according to radar and gps. I use it as a relative guide.

Just finished my 3rd trip this year to Lake Powell and back to Albuquerque, and averaged 32 mpg. Fastest road I was on was 70 mph, most were 65 and 55. I pulled my 13' aluminum boat on my first two trips and my mileage was 23 mpg. The trailer really affects gas mileage, but doesn't slow the Badlands down any.

A headwind or tail wind sure makes a difference with these boxes we drive. I found a luggage box on top also cut my gas mileage considerably. Using a cargo carrier in the back doesn't hurt, and might even help. For off road, I bought one made for an ATV because it sits higher. It is only rated for 300 lbs. which means off road about 150, but plenty of room for a big tote box and a gas can or two. This trip, I had 5 full gas cans on the back in a full sized carrier.

 

[V8 Yankee]

I know my mpg readings aren't exactly right, because my speed is off consistently by about 1 mph. Makes no sense because it doesn't matter if I'm going 25 mph or 75 mph. Still off by 1 mph according to radar and gps. I use it as a relative guide.

Just finished my 3rd trip this year to Lake Powell and back to Albuquerque, and averaged 32 mpg. Fastest road I was on was 70 mph, most were 65 and 55. I pulled my 13' aluminum boat on my first two trips and my mileage was 23 mpg. The trailer really affects gas mileage, but doesn't slow the Badlands down any.

A headwind or tail wind sure makes a difference with these boxes we drive. I found a luggage box on top also cut my gas mileage considerably. Using a cargo carrier in the back doesn't hurt, and might even help. For off road, I bought one made for an ATV because it sits higher. It is only rated for 300 lbs. which means off road about 150, but plenty of room for a big tote box and a gas can or two. This trip, I had 5 full gas cans on the back in a full sized carrier.

Your speed might be closer than you think. For example if the roadside radar display says 55 you might be going 54.999 mph. If your tires are the stock size but the tread is at 50% you will need to adjust your speed upwards, in your case 1 mph more, assuming that you are exactly 1 mph off from what the radar is displaying. There are other varibles as well. Speedometers are calibrated using brand new tires so as wear and tear reduces the diameter, aka tread wear. That changes the speed as it is displayed on the speedo.
Air pressure changes the diameter also. The dealer can recalibrate but the cost might be more than its worth. Also when you replace the tires you will need to get it recalibrated again. The dealer may not touch it. Ford is very skitterish on calibrating from factory settings due to tire related lawsuits. That is why your speed is limited to 119mph due to speed related tire issues. I know thats a long winded response, I have the same issue as well so I can relate to yours.

 

[NMhunter]

As we used to say in the Forest Service, "Its close enough for government work."

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