Advice for a new owner

[coach81]

Ok vets.. help out the new guy. I'm hoping/expecting to go pick up my vehicle later today. Time to give me some info/advice on "If I had only knew"... a couple of useful things I have learned so far:

1. Push on the gas cover to open it

2. Push the moon roof button twice to get it to open all the way.

3. Use "Engage or Empower" for best tools to improve fuel economy.

4. Try to drive "slower" accelerate slower, and get full regen out of brakes..

 

any other tips???

[SalvadorAssumpcao]

Ok vets.. help out the new guy. I'm hoping/expecting to go pick up my vehicle later today. Time to give me some info/advice on "If I had only knew"... a couple of useful things I have learned so far:

1. Push on the gas cover to open it

2. Push the moon roof button twice to get it to open all the way.

3. Use "Engage or Empower" for best tools to improve fuel economy.

4. Try to drive "slower" accelerate slower, and get full regen out of brakes..

 

any other tips???

 

Look up "pulse and glide". It's a bit counterintuitive, in my experience effective (even in my old car, when I did not know I was doing it) and, sometimes, a bit of a variant on the first part of your #4.

[SalvadorAssumpcao]

Also, along 1-3

5. Need to step on the brake pedal and then flick the switch to release the parking brake

[acdii]

Here is tip #1

 

Enjoy the CAR! :) If you are new to Hybrid, don't become fixated on the gas mileage, it will be low for you for a while until you learn the techniques and quirks. Only Vets like me who have driven them since 2007 worry about the MPG.

 

Before you sign anything, go over the car font to back and make sure everything on the sticker is in the car, didn't know the cargo net was missing until a week later. Also test drive it on a long trip, dont go around the block. let it fully warm up, and see how the EV feels. Make sure you like the car, are comfortable and feel good in it.

 

I was going to buy a Cmax, which would have been $60 a month less than the Fusion, but after driving it for 30 minutes, I was getting a cramp, and it felt too much like a minivan.

[jeff_h]

A few pre-delivery lessons based on recent posts around here:

 

1 - Check the headliner to make sure it's not all wrinkled.

 

2 - Check that BOTH fobs unlock the doors and trunk... when I saw that post the other day I sent a note to my salesman to please double-check and then if one is inop, then they can make it right BEFORE I arrive. So of course I checked both and they were fine.

 

3 - Might want to check the oil and make sure the level is good, seen posts by others around here that this was an issue, not on the Fusions but on a new car in general.

 

And suggestion --- don't get wrapped around the axle on MPG until you are well familiar with the controls and normal operation of the car, enjoy!

 

Jeff

[DeeCee]

I mentioined this once before but believe it is important. Don't let the various displays in the car catch you off guard. It is easy to get fixated on a display and realize you really aren't watching the road as carefully as you should be.

Enjoy the new car and take your time learning all the options available.

[coach81]

Fantastic tips!!! I'm seriously going to put these in my phone so I don't forget them for later today....

 

Keep 'em comin'!!!

[B25Nut]

Coach,

 

These all have great advice but the best one is Acdii's: Enjoy the Car! It's not worth getting a few more MPG if most of the other cars are passing you. The most important thing to master is braking. You'll probably find them sensitive at first, but you should quickly adapt. A few weeks back I drove my wife's RX330 for the first time since I got my Fusion. When I came to a stop in our garage, I went about 4 feet past my intended stopping point. Luckily, we have a large garage.

Keeping the braking efficiency between 95-100% should be your goal. Unanticipated and downhill stops are almost impossible to achieve this, so don't let that discourage you.

Get rid of the Green Leaves on the right display. They are not worth the distraction. If you're like me and really need reading glasses to see close-up things clearly in lower light levels, spend extra time memorizing the different buttons on the steering wheel. The Voice Control button was the hardest for me. I kept on pushing the one above it for awhile.

With the cold weather, immediately turn on your heated seat but turn the climate off for the first minute or two so it doesn't blow cold air. But after that, turn it on. To enjoy the ride, you also need to be comfortable. Having someone tell me to not use the climate control to heat the car in order to save money is like a suggestion that I wear a heavy coat inside my house instead of turning the heater on. None of us here are near the poverty line. For what we paid for our Fusions, I think most can afford to spend a little more on gas so that we thoroughly enjoy the ride. Remember that even if you average mid-30s MPG numbers, you're still doing better than over 90% of the other drivers on the road.

I have found that the climate control usually puts the fan at too high a setting. I'm always adjusting it down to the 50% level. For my first two months of driving, my windows would fog almost constantly. For the past two weeks, they haven't fogged once. The only change I made was to shut off the center vents and set the climate control so that the air constantly comes out the window and foot well vents.

In the past I have rarely used the parking brake, but I have changed my habit with the Fusion. Since it is electric, it is very easy to engage and to turn off, with the control being very conveniently placed. The use of the PB is also very good for the health of the CVT.

Don't concentrate on what your displays say for a few days. You want to become totally comfortable with seat and mirror settings and the handling of the car. Then you can work on becoming a hybrid driver. I hope the direction indicator lever doesn't take as long to adapt to as it did for me.

I want to really thank you Coach, since you were the one that started most of the discussions on the 2013. I think you deserve getting your hybrid more than anyone else. I know you'll enjoy it. I think we're all very happy for you.

[GrySql]

+ 1 - B25Nut

[acdii]

I found the defrost and floor combination with 1 or 2 bars of fan seems to work best, adjust the temp to how you like it, takes a little while to warm up, but if you have long drives like me, then it works out great.

[lolder]

Sit in your driveway and read all the manuals from front to back and become familiar with all the menus and features. Then do it again a few days later. For those that don't like to read manuals CHANGE ! This vehicle is the most technological marvel in your possession. Your home computer or smartphone doesn't have big moving parts. You can get in this car and drive without ever cracking a manual but you will be rewarded if you read everything several times. The 1st gen, FFH's came with an Owners Guide, a Quick Reference Hybrid guide, a Sync manual, a tire and a vehicle warranty manual. Read them all while parked. Don't have an accident playing this video game. Set the HVAC on automatic and forget it until you become more comfortable in the car and want to start tweaking things for economy. You didn't buy this thing to freeze in the winter. Spring and Fall are when you can really maximize your mileage by keeping the AC compressor off and using ventilation instead. The first FFH's even know when to go to defrost automatically. You can have the most fun in this car since Drive-In-Movie days ( I'm told ).

Edited January 11, 2013 by lolder

[camelot]

Sit in your driveway and read all the manuals from front to back and become familiar with all the menus and features. Then do it again a few days later. For those that don't like to read manuals CHANGE ! This vehicle is the most technological marvel in your possession. Your home computer or smartphone doesn't have big moving parts. You can get in this car and drive without ever cracking a manual but you will be rewarded if you read everything several times. The 1st gen, FFH's came with an Owners Guide, a Quick Reference Hybrid guide, a Sync manual, a tire and a vehicle warranty manual. Read them all while parked. Don't have an accident playing this video game. Set the HVAC on automatic and forget it until you become more comfortable in the car and want to start tweaking things for economy. You didn't buy this thing to freeze in the winter. Spring and Fall are when you can really maximize your mileage by keeping the AC compressor off and using ventilation instead. The first FFH's even know when to go to defrost automatically. You can have the most fun in this car since Drive-In-Movie days ( I'm told ).

I wish I did that with my 12 focus I found alot of the sync commands don't work. Also the rain sensing wipers don't work as they should also. Now a yr later I have to bring it back. Drive ins? Yeah, Just closed the last one here a few yrs ago for condo's Fun times! Good advice +1 b25nut

Edited January 11, 2013 by camelot

[B25Nut]

Excellent suggestions Lolder. I wore my battery down twice in the garage. The Quick Reference Guide is actually pretty good. The Owner's Manual can be frustrating, especially when it keeps sending you to page 84.

[lolder]

The Owners Guide is pretty good for such a complex device. It could have more, it could have less. Reading it all the way through will help you ring a bell when something comes up in the future. You may have to look for it though because the index is a little sparse.

The two biggest OG mistakes were not describing HVB reconditioning events more fully and failing to tell you that in the event of a computer braking failure that you had to push FURTHER DOWN on the brake pedal for the power disc brakes to engage. It only says to continue pressing. That was the cause of the Customer Satisfaction brake software update that created a maintenance service event for all the early FFH's.

[coach81]

Coach,

 

These all have great advice but the best one is Acdii's: Enjoy the Car! It's not worth getting a few more MPG if most of the other cars are passing you. The most important thing to master is braking. You'll probably find them sensitive at first, but you should quickly adapt. A few weeks back I drove my wife's RX330 for the first time since I got my Fusion. When I came to a stop in our garage, I went about 4 feet past my intended stopping point. Luckily, we have a large garage.

Keeping the braking efficiency between 95-100% should be your goal. Unanticipated and downhill stops are almost impossible to achieve this, so don't let that discourage you.

Get rid of the Green Leaves on the right display. They are not worth the distraction. If you're like me and really need reading glasses to see close-up things clearly in lower light levels, spend extra time memorizing the different buttons on the steering wheel. The Voice Control button was the hardest for me. I kept on pushing the one above it for awhile.

With the cold weather, immediately turn on your heated seat but turn the climate off for the first minute or two so it doesn't blow cold air. But after that, turn it on. To enjoy the ride, you also need to be comfortable. Having someone tell me to not use the climate control to heat the car in order to save money is like a suggestion that I wear a heavy coat inside my house instead of turning the heater on. None of us here are near the poverty line. For what we paid for our Fusions, I think most can afford to spend a little more on gas so that we thoroughly enjoy the ride. Remember that even if you average mid-30s MPG numbers, you're still doing better than over 90% of the other drivers on the road.

I have found that the climate control usually puts the fan at too high a setting. I'm always adjusting it down to the 50% level. For my first two months of driving, my windows would fog almost constantly. For the past two weeks, they haven't fogged once. The only change I made was to shut off the center vents and set the climate control so that the air constantly comes out the window and foot well vents.

In the past I have rarely used the parking brake, but I have changed my habit with the Fusion. Since it is electric, it is very easy to engage and to turn off, with the control being very conveniently placed. The use of the PB is also very good for the health of the CVT.

Don't concentrate on what your displays say for a few days. You want to become totally comfortable with seat and mirror settings and the handling of the car. Then you can work on becoming a hybrid driver. I hope the direction indicator lever doesn't take as long to adapt to as it did for me.

I want to really thank you Coach, since you were the one that started most of the discussions on the 2013. I think you deserve getting your hybrid more than anyone else. I know you'll enjoy it. I think we're all very happy for you.

 

Wow.. don't know what to say... *tears*...

 

but seriously.. thank you so much for the thoughtful comment, and thanks so much for the advice and solid sense. I was smiling ear to ear last night the entire time driving my car.. and that is why I'm typing this right now.. I simply can't sleep waiting for the chance to play with it, and drive it again. Totally agree with the "enjoy the car" comment... I plan to.... for a very, very long time.

 

Thanks again, B.