Took first long trip

[mwr]

I drove from the San Francisco Bay Area down I-5 to Idyllwild, California (5,400 feet up in the San Jacinto mountains), then down to Palm Desert, then to Palm Springs, then back on I-5. Cruise Control was standard, not Eco or Adaptive (don't have that).

- Lots of 75 mph driving on I-5, some 70 mph, some 50-60 mph, some congested slowdowns, some local/suburban driving, spirited uphill mountain driving from Hemet to the top of CA-74 (about 5,000 feet up), steep downhill mountain driving with its own challenges (separately posted: http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/9828-mountain-downhill-driving)

- Total miles 1148, 26.95 gallons, 42.6 mpg.

The car performed very very well, including during the spirited uphill mountain driving :-)

Edited February 18, 2015 by mwr

[acdii]

Cool, it likes that route.

[mwr]

Cool, it likes that route.

Yes it did. There was also some 50-60 mph driving in southern California on the way down because of the route I took to Idyllwild, so that helped the mpg. I'll add that to the original post.

[hybridbear]

I love Idyllwild. Here's a pic of our first FFH there.

[mwr]

Yes, Idyllwild is a great small mountain town. Some people from the LA area don't know about it even through it's in their back yard. For those who don't know about it and might be interested, here's a pic of downtown Idyllwild.

 

[GrySql]

here's a pic of downtown Idyllwild.

 

Yes, and if you keep going up that exact road for 1/4 mile there is a great little Bistro called Cafe Aroma that has pretty good food.

I live about about 1 hour west of there.

[corncobs]

Damn it's going to take me another 3 days to get out there. ;)

[mwr]

Yes, and if you keep going up that exact road for 1/4 mile there is a great little Bistro called Cafe Aroma that has pretty good food.

I live about about 1 hour west of there.

Cafe Aroma is where I eat dinner every time I go there. I sit at the bar and get to talk to the locals.

[mwr]

I did (almost) the same trip last week, except for (1) taking more freeway to get to Idyllwild via Banning with more 75 mpg driving than last year (where there were slower roads to get to Hemet) and (2) came back on 101 instead of I-5. I didn't record the gallons (I've stopped doing that) but the displayed mpg for the almost-1200 mile trip was 43.5. Experience has shown that the actual mpg would be about 2 mpg less. Still very happy with the car and mpg at 20K miles.

[mwr]

Almost same trip as last year. Down I-5 (mostly 75 mph), then across the LA basin to Banning, then to Idyllwild, then to Palm Desert and then Palm Springs. Some local driving. Back via 101. 1200 miles, 28 gallons, 42.8 mpg. I couldn't have asked for a better-performing car or one any more comfortable (SE Luxury Package, leather seats).

 

We drove up the steep road in Palm Springs to the tramway up the mountain. My BMW-driving friend in the back seat said this car seems to be effortless up this grade. I then floored it to show the power in reserve even up the steep grade. He was impressed :-)

[mwr]

Just came back from my fourth (annual) trip down there with the 2015 FFH. Down I-5 (mostly 75 mph), then across the LA basin to Banning, then to Idyllwild (in the mountains), then to Palm Desert and then Palm Springs. Some local driving. Back via 101 (less 75 mph driving than on I-5). 1150 miles, 42.5 displayed mpg (actual would be about 2 mpg less). I noticed the mpg during the trip back was significantly less than I was used to seeing, less mpg than on the faster-driving trip down. It was very windy on the way back and, if it was a head wind, that certainly would result in that. Also, I always use Chevron gas, but for the trip back filled up with Shell. Any experience with Shell getting less mpg than Chevron (I doubt it)?

Edited February 21, 2018 by mwr

[lolder]

Headwinds cost 3 mpg per 10 mph headwind and vice versa.

[mwr]

Just got back from my fifth (annual) trip down there with the 2015 FFH. Down I-5 (mostly 75 mph), then across the LA basin to Banning, then to Idyllwild (5,000 feet up in the mountains), then down to Palm Desert and then Palm Springs. Some local driving. Back via 101 (mostly 70 mph, small amount of 75). 1150 miles, 44.4 displayed mpg (actual would be about 2 mpg less). Still running great and getting great mpg.

Edited February 18, 2019 by mwr

[Texasota]

It is an amazing car. I am driving around in Florida right now (all city streets and 45 MPH parkways) and after ~375 miles my Trip1 readout shows 55.8 MPG. The FFH loves flat roads and warm temperatures.

Edited February 12, 2019 by Texasota

[mwr]

The FFH loves flat roads and warm temperatures.

And 45 mph :)

[Texasota]

And 45 mph :)

Yes! It would not be possible because of the road rage that would result, but it would be fascinating to do a long road trip (like yours) at a max speed of 45 MPH and see what MPGs would result.

[clariden19]

Nice trip, I love that place.

[mwr]

Just got back from my sixth (annual) trip down to Palm Springs (via Idyllwild) with the 2015 FFH. Down I-5 (mostly 75 mph), then across the LA basin to Banning (lots of slow congested driving), then to Idyllwild (5,000 feet up in the mountains), then down to Palm Desert and then Palm Springs. Small amount of local driving. Back via 101 (mostly 70 mph). 1,118 miles, 45.2 displayed mpg (actual would be about 2 mpg less). Still love this car!

Edited February 20, 2020 by mwr