Ford Transit Connect gas mileage – My first tank

I recently refilled the gas tank of my 2015 Ford Transit Connect cargo van for the first time. This was the first full tank of gas that I’ve used since I purchased this used vehicle. I was counting on the smaller size and the smaller engine to deliver better MPG than a full size van.

Ford Transit Connect cargo van

This tank had a mix of highway driving as well as city and also some stop and go traffic. My primary car is a plug-in hybrid so I think I have developed a pretty good sense of how to drive smoothly for higher mileage but this was going to be the first check on how that translated to the 2.5 liter four cylinder engine and 6 speed automatic transmission used in this van.

Gas pump readings

I waited until the gas gauge was down into the red zone above empty, essentially the same place it was when I filled up the tank just after purchasing it. 12.269 gallons of regular unleaded was replaced.

Simple display in Ford Transit Connect XL

The rather simple dash display on the Ford Transit Connect XL model showed 321.2 miles on the trip odometer since I had last refilled the gas tank. Some quick math tells me that I got over 26 miles per gallon. I think the estimation of 393 miles for a full tank of gas in this vehicle is probably pretty close to reality. I reset the trip odometer after the tank was filled and this photo was taken so that I can check my next tank’s mileage.

This is also in line with the EPA MPG estimates found on the sales literature for this vehicle when it was new. I’m glad that it still does that after 109k miles. I should note that I didn’t use the AC all of the time and the back of the van was lightly loaded.

Folks who are considering the “van life” will probably like the better gas mileage a small van like the Ford Transit Connect offers but will have to decide whether the lack of space when compared to a full size van is something they can live with.