N.S. man questions mileage promise on 2013 Ford Escape

A Nova Scotia man is warning consumers about the 2013 Ford Escape after his calculations show he’s not getting the advertised mileage.

“The car does work well, it just burns too much fuel for what they advertise,” said Barry Reed.

He said he was motivated to buy the all-wheel drive vehicle last August because of the touted fuel economy.

The promotions say the model uses six litres of gas per 100 kilometres on the highway

But that's not Reed’s experience.

“I thought I would get seven and a half or something like that which I would accept . [That] would be reasonable. I'm getting nine and a half which is far too much,” he said.

No one has disputed his math, but he was told by the dealership his warranty did not cover the problem .

Reed said when he called customer support he didn't get much further. He was told he had to break the car in and to check the mileage after 7,500 kilometres.

He said he has already done that, but the mileage hasn't changed.

George Iny from the Automobile Protection Association said the 2013 Ford Escape burns much more gas than the advertisements say.

He said while gas mileage on all vehicles is usually 30 per cent more than advertised due to lax regulations on testing , the Escape results are especially bad.

"It's really a broken promise," he said.

"Definitely he's been had..it's a drag as a shopper. As we say there is no free lunch."

Iny said companies telling consumers to wait until they clock 10,000 kilometres is just a ploy to put them off.

"This is called the 'Break it in' excuse," he said.

In the U.S., Ford is facing a class-action lawsuit over mileage claims on two of its other vehicles.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is also investigating.

Ford Canada did not return calls to the CBC.