Disapointing Fuel Economy

[marc a]

Just signed up to this forum due to total frustration with responses from my dealer.

 

I picked up a 2013 Fusion Titanium Hybrid last April and have never cracked 40 MPG. According to the on board systems my lifetime mileage is around 37. The car has 11,000 + miles on it and I have been back to my dealer several times to address this issue, along with other minor items. I've been told that "it depends how you drive, what accessories are on, how hilly the terrain is, how much weight you're carrying etc." I have also noticed that the car immediately jumps out of electric drive it the accelerator is depressed more than 1/4 to 1/2 inch from idle. Essentially it's only in electric mode when I'm either going down hill or coasting.

 

Since the cold weather has hit MPG has completely tanked to below 30 MPG. I knew that the advertised 47 MPG was bogus but I expected to see 40. (20% below advertised). Right now it's 35% lower than advertised.

 

I spoke to a Prius owner (I know, I know) and they're getting 2-3 MPG lower than advertised, not 20.

 

Is anyone out there experiencing the same frustrations?

[GrySql]

Welcome to the Forum!

There is a ton of useful info here and sometimes it's hard to find.

If you haven't already, take a look at the first three 'pinned' posts in the Welcome forum.

Especially read this one, it has links to important things to know about the FFH (Ford Fusion Hybrid).

Actually, each separate Forum subject may have 'pinned' info, it's always a good first look for a new member.

 

We have had members complain about their cars mpg's and a good starting question is: has your Dealer performed all the latest FFH TSB and Recall updates that pertain to your car?

In a way your Dealer is right, driving style, terrain and weather make a difference in the cars fuel use but your mpg's do seem lower than they should be.

There are a few bad builds that have cropped up but its best to see if there is anything you can do to improve the situation before totally blaming the car.

 

These FFH's require a slightly different driving technique than other hybrids, we explain that on this forum.

This link explains how to maximize your driving to achieve the best your car has to offer, there are other Threads that discuss this as well.

 

We have a lot of snow belt members that work real hard at keeping us informed of the severe cold issues and maximizing the mpg's of the FFH in winter.

Take your time and read up and search around, but don't be afraid to ask questions, we don't bite - well, most of us don't. :)

 

In addition, the Forum has two Ford Customer Service Rep's with us, Ashley and Kim. They help with problems that need an extra bit of attention.

If you feel you've done all you can and the Dealer is unresponsive to your complaints get in touch with Ashley, she can help with that aspect.

Edited January 17, 2014 by GrySql

[Ted Swing]

In short, yes, a number of drivers have this issue. It's possible that there's something wrong with your car, but it could very well be more about your driving style. Some of it (temperatures/weather) you can't do much about, but there are a lot of factors affecting your MPG that you can change. There are some good posts on these forums with a lot of details on how to do that.

 

The three biggest and simplest things to change (if you are willing) are:

1. Drive slower. Consumer Reports said that in their testing of the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid they got 49 MPG cruising at 55 MPH, 43 MPG cruising at 65 MPH and 37 MPG cruising at 75 MPH, IIRC. That should give you some idea of the efficiency you can expect at different speeds.

 

2. Accelerate slower. That's when the car burns the most energy, whether a traditional car or a hybrid. You mentioned that pushing the pedal down beyond a certain point takes it out of EV mode. When accelerating and when cruising try to be more gentle on the pedal (per #1 and #2) to keep it in EV mode a bit more. I usually don't use EV mode throughout the whole acceleration, but I do for part of it.

 

3. Brake gradually. What kind of brake scores are you getting? You should be able to get close to 100% most times (obviously sometimes you have to brake unexpectedly) by starting your braking earlier than normal.

 

Other things I've noticed that can help are:

4. Minimizing the heating and cooling. For heating, you can turn temperature control off for part of the trip. For cooling, I've found that often a low setting on the fan (with no AC) is enough. Obviously not everyone is willing to live with less than optimal temperatures, so you'll have to decide what's good for you.

 

5. Longer trips (especially more than 10 miles) are also more efficient due to the car's warm up time, but most people can't really control that.

[acdii]

This may sound cruel, but if you can trust the PPPRius owner, have him drive the car a bit and see what he can get.(granted of course he does well in his). A lot of this car depends on how it is driven and where it is driven.

 

A lot of the blame game goes towards the drivers on these, so dont be offended by it, it does take a lot to learn on these cars, they aren't very driver friendly, but once you get the knack in them, you will be surprised how easy it becomes and does transition into the non hybrids. Ford will always blame the driver, no matter what. Unless there is a hard set trouble code, they will state, no trouble found.

 

It is cruel because once the pppprius driver drives the FFH, you might not get it back. :) Ted gave a good run down of tips, and GrySql the links to the most helpful threads you will find. It is true, short trips under 10 miles will kill MPG. If you can, get a pic of your trip summary lifetime, and the coach screen, we might be able to give some insight with those.

[ptek]

I have also noticed that the car immediately jumps out of electric drive it the accelerator is depressed more than 1/4 to 1/2 inch from idle. Essentially it's only in electric mode when I'm either going down hill or coasting.

 

I too have seen that, depending on the speed, it doesn't take much to have the car switch out of EV mode and run the ICE. Have you tried using the Empower Display Mode to monitor the EV cutout point? I find it helps me regulate the throttle during normal cruising. If I see the EV power is at the max threshold, I can decide if I want to back off a bit and stay in EV mode, or let the car switch to the ICE (when starting to go up a hill for example).

 

For reference, with a warm car and battery half full, my car's EV threshold is a hair under 2 bars. On level ground at 35 MPH, I can cruise along well under the 2 bar threshold. At 55 MPH, I can stay in EV on level ground, but any incline or headwind will kick it out of EV. At 70 MPH, I can only keep it in EV mode if the car is going downhill. This is at winter temps of 32 F or less. I haven't had the car long enough to drive it in warmer weather yet.

 

From the manual:

Empower adds an engine on/off threshold to the power demand gauge from Enlighten. The threshold is shown as a blue double outline. The gauge is designed to show you how close you are to the gasoline engine on/off threshold and how much power you are requesting based on how far you press the accelerator pedal.

 

When power demand is below the threshold the vehicle is operating on battery power only with the engine off, EV is displayed and the gauge fill is shown in blue.

 

When power demand exceeds the threshold both the engine and the high voltage battery provide power and the gauge fill is white.

[hybridbear]

Just signed up to this forum due to total frustration with responses from my dealer.

 

I picked up a 2013 Fusion Titanium Hybrid last April and have never cracked 40 MPG. According to the on board systems my lifetime mileage is around 37. The car has 11,000 + miles on it and I have been back to my dealer several times to address this issue, along with other minor items. I've been told that "it depends how you drive, what accessories are on, how hilly the terrain is, how much weight you're carrying etc." I have also noticed that the car immediately jumps out of electric drive it the accelerator is depressed more than 1/4 to 1/2 inch from idle. Essentially it's only in electric mode when I'm either going down hill or coasting.

 

Since the cold weather has hit MPG has completely tanked to below 30 MPG. I knew that the advertised 47 MPG was bogus but I expected to see 40. (20% below advertised). Right now it's 35% lower than advertised.

 

I spoke to a Prius owner (I know, I know) and they're getting 2-3 MPG lower than advertised, not 20.

 

Is anyone out there experiencing the same frustrations?

Brake score and also the coaching bars are a big help. If you're able to post some of those pics then that will help us try to help you. Also, what are your driving habits? Short trips? Long trips? High speeds? Heavy traffic? All the other posts above also contain excellent tips/advice!!

[weezarc]

There is one technique for driving the Fusion Hybrid that will help alot with fuel economy but is still one I haven't unconsciously mastered after 10K miles. Best way I can describe it is to "feather the gas". Basically remembering to not give constant and heavy pressure on the petal but rather to press lightly and release frequently. If I don't do this, my car won't switch to the electric engine even if I'm on flat or downhill terrain. I'm sure this is listed in the tips links from above but thought I'd chime in.

[billford]

My fuel economy increased quite a bit following a few tips on this forum.

 

First, when accelerating from a standing start, such as a stop sign, step on the gas pedal enough so the engine starts running. Then when you get up to speed, back off the gas pedal to maintain speed, then it will go into battery mode. Don't try and keep it in battery mode from the initial launch. The idea is that on the initial launch, the running engine is more efficient than using the battery alone to get that massive metal car to start moving. Once it starts moving, then it requires a lot less energy, this is where the battery alone is more efficient.

 

Also, when the engine is cold, I try and avoid using the heater, until the engine warms up naturally. When the engine warms up, then I turn the heater on. If you turn the heater on right away on a cold engine, the engine will keep running until its warm to provide you with heat. I always turn on the heated seats on a cold start instead of using the heater.

 

Keep the tires properly inflated.

 

Don't carry unnecessary items in the trunk, avoid the extra weight.

 

Gasoline weighs about 6 pounds per gallon. So if you keep your tank about 1/2 full, you will reduce quite a bit of weight compared to if you keep it full all the time.

[KLH]

Basically echoing what others have said, all hybrid cars take getting used to before seeing great gas mileage returns. The basic rule of thumb is to drive like a grandpa - no quick acceleration, long braking, etc. Great mileage is the result of not using a lot of energy... and energy is spent at every turn.

 

The first thing to get under belt is being open to driving differently. Second is to commit to doing what it takes to coax great mileage out of the car. The car can do it, but doing it is contrary to the way most drivers drive in America. See how long you can stay in EV mode. Once the ICE turns on, see what it takes to get out of it. See how long you have to brake to get 100% on the score.

 

Once you get a feel for how to stay in EV mode, it becomes a choice of driving style: save on mileage or save on time. They are mutually exclusive.

 

By the way, the game gets much harder in cold weather (<40*), because heat causes the ICE to turn on most of the time.

 

Don't give up. At 50*+, I was able to constantly get 40+ mpg. If you cannot do that knowing how to coax the mileage, then the car does have a problem.

[Twinkle]

I agree with all the comments. I get on average over 40 mpg. Yesterday broke 48 mpg cause I had a huge downhill. I have gone from being a lead foot to driving very conservatively and grandma like. I have not done any recall stuff yet and still I can get 40 - 42 or more mpg.

[El_conde]

If you're getting your MPG average from the in dash computer you're going to be even more disappointed. I already found out that this gauge average six more miles per gallon than that you're actually getting. If your dash average tells you that you're getting 39 MPG then you're actually getting 33 MPG. I filled up my tank all the way up (until I could not put any more fuel), recorded the mileage and reset my trip odometer and the MPG gauge. I drove from Savannah, Georgia to Fayetteville, North Carolina on a Saturday morning with hardly any traffic with the cruise control locked in eco mode @ 65 MPH. Once I arrived in Fayetteville I had less than a quarter of a tank left and I refilled again like the previous one and divided the trip miles by the total of fuel I put in. The in dash gauge was showing an average of 38.5 MPG but the manual calculation came up to 32.6 MPG. I repeated the procedure on the return back with the same result. During these two trips the vehicle never went in electric mode only after the software upgrade. I contacted Ford to voice my disappointment and pretty much they put the ball on EPA's court by saying that EPA is responsible for the computer programing. I guess they think I'm an idiot. Not only the Fusion doesn't meet the 47 MPG claim but Ford also rigged the MPG gauge to make you believe that it is not that bad. This is basically plain and simple FRAUD!!!!

Edited February 17, 2014 by El_conde

[gkinla]

So I said to myself I wasn't going to post to these threads anymore with my measly 36.2 lifetime mpg. It definitely is the type of driving I do in Los Angeles, lots of short trips in heavy traffic. Here is an example of a great short, in city, trip. The engine was warm due to a previous stop. This trip I have taken many times with mpg in the 32 to 38 mpg range.

 

Today was a Holiday, the route traffic was very lite. Stops were at a minimum. But when I did have to stop there was no time to gradually slow and get 100% braking, so the low brake score.

 

 

There just wasn't that mad city, I have to get somewhere drivers around me or in back of me, leaning on the horn to get moving. Just a leisurely 9.5 mile trip. There wasn't a need not to PO the drivers who were in a hurry. The ICE did come on several time to charge the HVB battery. So reaching the EPA rating can be done, just not with the everyday driving I do around LA.

[Sleddog]

I guess I'm the exception. My life time is 51 MPG. My fill ups are close to what my Fusion is calculating. I have gone from filling up my Focus every week, to filling up my Fusion every other week. I use a few more gallons, typically 3 I think, over the two weeks. I'm happy with what my Fusion is doing.

 

El_Conde, some how I don't think the EPA is programming Ford's hybrid software. If that's what you think, you real need to do some research. If that was the case, they must be programming for the Prius, Tesla and the Ferrari. As for fraud. Nope. I believe the EPA disclaimer is "Your mileage may vary". You have an axe to grind. You say you have contacted Ford. Have you actually taken it to the dealer to see if there is a problem?

 

Oh Kim (our Ford rep), how about starting a case for this guy and see if you can assist him.

Edited February 18, 2014 by Sleddog

[jeff_h]

I guess I'm the exception.

 

El_Conde, some how I don't think the EPA is programming Ford's hybrid software. If that's what you think, you real need to do some research. If that was the case, they must be programming for the Prius, Tesla and the Ferrari. As for fraud. Nope. I believe the EPA disclaimer is "Your mileage may vary". You have an axe to grind. You say you have contacted Ford. Have you actually taken it to the dealer to see if there is a problem?

 

I guess I was the other exception, as the display on my 2013 FFH said 50.9 MPG when I sold the car at 35k miles -- I will corroborate El_Conde's point on the optimistic display average vs the manual calculation (I've noted this in various threads about a dozen times), as the display said 50.9 but the manual calculation over every fill-up across those 35k miles was 48.7, which is almost a 10% difference. However, over 128k miles when checking the same comparison on the Prius, it was about 6% off which is more accurate than the FFH but the EPA still couldn't manage to get the Prius programmed accurately either. So Toyota is a big fat fraud too.

 

And I myself had a trip on I-95 last weekend from VA to SC with the Energi (with 5 in car and bags Tetris-packed in trunk), on the way down set the cruise at 65 and got 42 MPG (EPA programmed mine for 43 so it was pretty close), and on the way back cruise was set on 68 and got 40 MPG which is still good.

[hybridbear]

 

I guess I was the other exception, as the display on my 2013 FFH said 50.9 MPG when I sold the car at 35k miles -- I will corroborate El_Conde's point on the optimistic display average vs the manual calculation (I've noted this in various threads about a dozen times), as the display said 50.9 but the manual calculation over every fill-up across those 35k miles was 48.7, which is almost a 10% difference. However, over 128k miles when checking the same comparison on the Prius, it was about 6% off which is more accurate than the FFH but the EPA still couldn't manage to get the Prius programmed accurately either. So Toyota is a big fat fraud too.

 

And I myself had a trip on I-95 last weekend from VA to SC with the Energi (with 5 in car and bags Tetris-packed in trunk), on the way down set the cruise at 65 and got 42 MPG (EPA programmed mine for 43 so it was pretty close), and on the way back cruise was set on 68 and got 40 MPG which is still good.

I worry that your sarcasm will be lost on some who think like :baby:

[acdii]

After driving Hybrids for 7 years, I knew going into the 2013 that I could expect to see 38-43 MPG in it on my daily drive. It is something I calculated in my head after driving 3 other Hybrids since 2007 over the same roads, 5 days a week. Knowing what they got, and what their EPA claims were is where I based my expectations on. Call me nuts or whatever, but when that "other" car failed to get even close, I knew it had an issue, but Ford put up the YMMV claim and told me to go pound sand. Since I would not take that as an answer I worked with my dealer(the service manager also believed there was a problem but his hands were tied), and got a replacement without going through legal issues. I can happily say I was right, the replacement Does get 38-43 MPG, exactly what I expected it to.

 

Its not 47 MPG as the EPA claims, but I also don't drive on EPA roads in EPA weather, at EPA speeds. None of the other 3 hybrids got EPA(well the Camry actually did better than EPA, it averaged 36 and EPA was 34, but thats because of how i drove it, I didnt trust the brakes). The Prius was rated 50 highway 60 city, I got 45 mostly. The 2010 FFH was rated 36 highway 41 city, and 39 combined, it got 38 Combined when winter was factored in. For the first year though it never saw 40 MPG, it wasnt until it hit 15K that I started to see 41 MPG in it.

 

You can get 47 MPG in these cars when driven under the right conditions, and driven correctly. There are stretches of roads that if I took every day to and from work I too would see what Sleddog and Jeffh see in theirs, because every time I take those roads I am seeing mid 50's. They are relatively flat with long stretches between lights with a 45 MPH speed limit, traffic flows at around 50 MPH for the most part. Ideal conditions for great gas mileage. Its the perfect EPA road setup.

 

So factor in 3 things here, the winter blend fuel, Road conditions, (pavement, grades, traffic, and weather), and your driving habits. All of these factor in to what the car will get in MPG. While you cant change 1 & 2 you can change the driving habits, and that is the most important part of driving a hybrid, its only going to be as good as it is driven.

 

As for the gauge discrepancy, already covered in another thread, yes its a known issue and is because of how the computer determines how gas is used. Also if you use remote start, it is not counted in fuel consumption.

Edited February 18, 2014 by acdii

[gkinla]

After driving Hybrids for 7 years, I knew going into the 2013 that I could expect to see 38-43 MPG in it on my daily drive. It is something I calculated in my head after driving 3 other Hybrids since 2007 over the same roads, 5 days a week. Knowing what they got, and what their EPA claims were is where I based my expectations on. Call me nuts or whatever, but when that "other" car failed to get even close, I knew it had an issue, but Ford put up the YMMV claim and told me to go pound sand. Since I would not take that as an answer I worked with my dealer(the service manager also believed there was a problem but his hands were tied), and got a replacement without going through legal issues. I can happily say I was right, the replacement Does get 38-43 MPG, exactly what I expected it to.

 

Its not 47 MPG as the EPA claims, but I also don't drive on EPA roads in EPA weather, at EPA speeds. None of the other 3 hybrids got EPA(well the Camry actually did better than EPA, it averaged 36 and EPA was 34, but thats because of how i drove it, I didnt trust the brakes). The Prius was rated 50 highway 60 city, I got 45 mostly. The 2010 FFH was rated 36 highway 41 city, and 39 combined, it got 38 Combined when winter was factored in. For the first year though it never saw 40 MPG, it wasnt until it hit 15K that I started to see 41 MPG in it.

 

You can get 47 MPG in these cars when driven under the right conditions, and driven correctly. There are stretches of roads that if I took every day to and from work I too would see what Sleddog and Jeffh see in theirs, because every time I take those roads I am seeing mid 50's. They are relatively flat with long stretches between lights with a 45 MPH speed limit, traffic flows at around 50 MPH for the most part. Ideal conditions for great gas mileage. Its the perfect EPA road setup.

 

So factor in 3 things here, the winter blend fuel, Road conditions, (pavement, grades, traffic, and weather), and your driving habits. All of these factor in to what the car will get in MPG. While you cant change 1 & 2 you can change the driving habits, and that is the most important part of driving a hybrid, its only going to be as good as it is driven.

 

As for the gauge discrepancy, already covered in another thread, yes its a known issue and is because of how the computer determines how gas is used. Also if you use remote start, it is not counted in fuel consumption.

 

acdii...so eloquently said. This should be mandatory reading by all first time FFH owners.

[lolder]

Jeff-h's math is a little off. 50.9 to 48.7 is about 4%, not 10%. That is the discrepancy in my 2010 FFH but my odometer reads 2% low so the net discrepancy is about 2%, about 1 mpg. The Prii have traditionally been about 6% too optimistic.

[jeff_h]

Jeff-h's math is a little off. 50.9 to 48.7 is about 4%, not 10%. That is the discrepancy in my 2010 FFH but my odometer reads 2% low so the net discrepancy is about 2%, about 1 mpg. The Prii have traditionally been about 6% too optimistic.

 

Oops - You caught me fudging the numbers - or I was in a hurry and did a quick calc in my head and that's what fell out.

[ptjones]

If you're getting your MPG average from the in dash computer you're going to be even more disappointed. I already found out that this gauge average six more miles per gallon than that you're actually getting. If your dash average tells you that you're getting 39 MPG then you're actually getting 33 MPG. I filled up my tank all the way up (until I could not put any more fuel), recorded the mileage and reset my trip odometer and the MPG gauge. I drove from Savannah, Georgia to Fayetteville, North Carolina on a Saturday morning with hardly any traffic with the cruise control locked in eco mode @ 65 MPH. Once I arrived in Fayetteville I had less than a quarter of a tank left and I refilled again like the previous one and divided the trip miles by the total of fuel I put in. The in dash gauge was showing an average of 38.5 MPG but the manual calculation came up to 32.6 MPG. I repeated the procedure on the return back with the same result. During these two trips the vehicle never went in electric mode only after the software upgrade. I contacted Ford to voice my disappointment and pretty much they put the ball on EPA's court by saying that EPA is responsible for the computer programing. I guess they think I'm an idiot. Not only the Fusion doesn't meet the 47 MPG claim but Ford also rigged the MPG gauge to make you believe that it is not that bad. This is basically plain and simple FRAUD!!!!

El-conde I notice you live in Georgia and was wondering if you are ever in the Atlanta Area? I have a test loop on I-85 that I use to do my testing on, it would be interesting to try your FFH on it to see what you get. BTW I rented a 2014FFH for 4 weeks and got 45-52mpg with it. You can PM me if you are interested. :) Also the odometer is off by approx. 1.5% which would improve your mileage by about .5mpg., not big but an improvement.

 

Paul

Edited February 18, 2014 by ptjones

[hybridbear]

El-conde I notice you live in Georgia and was wondering if you are ever in the Atlanta Area? I have a test loop on I-85 that I use to do my testing on, it would be interesting to try your FFH on it to see what you get. BTW I rented a 2014FFH for 4 weeks and got 45-52mpg with it. You can PM me if you are interested. :) Also the odometer is off by approx. 1.5% which would improve your mileage by about .5mpg., not big but an improvement.

 

Paul

Since he says he drove from Savannah to NC perhaps he is from Savannah...I don't know where Savannah is related to where you live though...

Edited February 18, 2014 by hybridbear

[El_conde]

Hey Guys, I never said that EPA is responsible for the computer programing Ford customer relationship said that. Like I said before, Ford deceived customers by claiming 47 MPG and is no way I can get 40 MPG in the highway at 65 MPH. The best I could do is 35 MPG by manual calculation not by the stupid gauge in the dash!!!

[El_conde]

I'm in the Savannah area.

[Kcouture25]

The 47 mpg claims were claimed by the EPA, but they have nothing to do with the programming. New cars are tested by the EPA and given the mpg ratings to display on their window stickers. Some people report lower fuel economy, but from my reading, it almost always has to do with driving styles and weather, with the occasional mechanical issue mixed in. I believe consumer reports or car and driver did an article where they only got 40mpg, but they admitted that it was in a one week span and they needed to better train themselves on driving the hybrid.

[corncobs]

The closer your daily drive profile is to the EPA test cycle the closer you will get to EPA estimates. You can even exceed them if the profile favors hybrid driving style.

 

Both conditions have been proven over an over by members of this forum.

 

YMWV nothing more to say....

(that there are still cars out there that seem to have some mechanical / electrical issue is not in question)