Bought my FFH 11-7-12. Received the check yesterday. Now I can pay my auto insurance.

Looks like a 2016 Taurus. Thanks GS!

Make sure the EZ Exit is activated for the driver's seat. It makes it much easier to get in and out of the FFH. Set the left screen to Engage. I feel it gives the clearest info on the operation of the ICE/EV modes. Others will say EMPOWER is better. Keep one of the special cloths for cleaning electronic screens in the center console. Prepare a flashdrive with all your favorite music to plug into the USB port. Read the owner's manual, twice. Consider getting air struts for the engine hood. They are easy to install and add more "class" to the car, as does adding the illuminated door sills.

Speculation is that the photos are actually the new Taurus, which makes more sense. Like HB, I like the cupholder location better.

"If the price is not an issue, then everyone should get the PHEV" I personally don't have friends to whom, like me, price would not be an issue.. With the price of our electricity, the Energi doesn't make economic sense for me, and many others. Once the charge is used up, the Energi gets "only" 38 mpg. It will also be a heavier vehicle to pull behind a motorhome, which is an added cost compared to the FFH. Also, I think it is time to call a truce with ER.

"I'm not sure about the wheels though." The wheels that come on the 2015 Titanium (17" 10-spoke), in my opinion, are far superior in looks to the only ones that were available on the 2014. I really dislike the Hybrid-Unique Wheels that I feel degrade and cheapen the great looks of the Fusion. It is very strange (dumb) that for 2115 Ford only offers the 10-spoke wheels on the SE when you get fabric seats. Your only option is the Hybrid-Unique Wheels when you get the luxury package for the SE. For me, this makes the Titanium the only model I would consider now.

But even novice FFH drivers have never been F.O.R.D.

The Edmonds Tesla has had it drive train replaced four times since they started testing it. That's $15K each time. It has come out that many other owners have had the same problem. Tesla is now saying that the actual problem was not in the drive train and that a 50 cent shim in another area and some adjustment to the wiring fixes it. The drive trains were replaced as a quick way to please their customers.

If Ford sets up the FFH in the future so that the HVB can be trickle charged (and the coolant heated) at home, then EV+ will have a lot of value. I get about 8 mpg better mileage on morning commutes that start with a 80%+ SOC. The shorter your commute, the more advantage this would have.

Parked next to me this morning was a Mercedes CLS 550. It had the Mercedes equivalent of the White Platinum paint. When the CLS first appeared years ago, I loved it. If I had won the lottery, it probably would have been one of my first purchases. If I had one now, would I be a happier person? The answer is definitely NO! I paid less than $34K for my FFH. The CLS parked next to me is over $80K. The CLS seats four, the FFH seats five with more headroom, and can haul more stuff. Looks wise, we'll have to call it a draw. The CLS will do 0-60 mph in 5.1 seconds, but I would probably only use that power if I was trying to impress someone. Every morning I get on the freeway on a S-shaped on-ramp. My FFH has the handling and power to get me to 70 mph by the time I merge into traffic. Why would I need more power? The CLS gets 21 mpg, my FFH over 43 mpg. The choice between the two is a no-brainer in my mind, unless snob value is of primary importance.

Since several forum members are into scale modeling, this will be of interest: http://www.macsmotorcitygarage.com/2014/04/15/video-dreams-in-miniature/?utm_source=feedly&utm_reader=feedly&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=video-dreams-in-miniature

gf2020 - Since all your miles have been in June and July they very likely include a lot of A/C time. the overuse of which will keep your MPG below 40. As DirectorMan implied, keep the passenger's finger off the Max A/C control. On hot days, always use your key to have all the windows down before you get to the car. This is where the sunroof is most useful. It helps eliminate the hot air inside much faster. I've found using 72 degrees as a minimum A/C setting (I usually have it at 73 or 74) and manually controlling the fan speed decreases the lose in MPGs. My lifetime average after 9 months of ownership was under 38 mpg. Now at 21K miles, it sits at 42.2 mpg. My Engage display has 42.6, and the mileage for the past 4K miles has been 43.4 mpg. I usually drive 5 mph or more over the speed limit. Your brake score is also a significant factor for good MPG. Mine is at a 96% average.

When ever I see a new Fusion on the road and I can see that it doesn't have "Hybrid" on the back or side, my first thought is "Oh, they'd be so much happier if they had chosen the FFH". I've been amazed lately at the mileage I've been getting at speeds between 70-75 mph. I think it says a lot about how Ford got the aerodynamics close to optimum for a comfortable five-place vehicle, especially when you compare it to the C-Max that has the same drivetrain.

My trip last week from Central California to Oceanside, a distance of 306 miles, averaged 45.6 mpg at an average speed of 68 mph. Since I was traveling California highways and freeways, I spent a lot of time close to 75 mph to achieve this average speed. In my first 9 months of ownership, I never saw more than 38.5 mpg for this trip. Yesterday going to work, I got 51.6 mpg, my highest ever. There were times when I saw sub-35 mpg in the morning. My FFH just keeps getting better the older it gets.

The MKC was a disappointment. It drives great but the darned headrests were a show stopper for my wife. She prefers to sit with virtually no recline in the seat and, even set all the way back, the headrest pushed her head forward, making her very uncomfortable. Removing them eliminated the discomfort, but I don't consider that an option. The reduced cargo area compared to her RX, along with rear seats that are difficult to get out of, also struck the MKC off her list. The MKC's looks also do not make it stand out from the crowd. It's front and rear views are very good, but all others almost made me think KIA. For the extra money, the interior also didn't shout out luxury like I hoped it would. Now we'll probably wait for the new Edge, since the new MKX will probably be above $50K equipped the way my wife would want it.

The 18" Luxury wheels are no longer available for the SE, and since the 17" 10-spoke wheels are now available for the Ti (thank you Ford!), choosing the Titanium would be a no-brainer for me now. For about $1,700 more, you get cooled seats with the passenger's having a height adjustment, much better looking wheels, a spoiler, superior audio and ambient lighting.

The Fusion is #3. The Sonata had a large increase. The Mazda6 just can't seem to take off. It will be interesting to see how the 200 does next month with its new styling. Midsize sales for June Camry 40,664 Accord 32,329 Fusion 27,604 Altima 26,111 Sonata 25,195 Malibu 16,137 Optima 13,866 200 7,345 Passat 7,222 Avenger 5,344 Mazda6 4,793 Legacy 3,131

It's fixed now.

This explains a lot in clear, layman's terms: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20140618/CARNEWS01/140619839 This has the complete series: https://www.youtube.com/user/EngineeringExplained/featured

One of our Forum members, CombsAuthor, may have set a new record with his flight from Ontario, CA to Charleston, SC June 5-7. Congratulations Michael! http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=b819c462-59ff-4599-b63a-8d4084e4ffd7

The fact that the battery has to be replace every few months could be a showstopper. Also, no performance figures are given for the car. http://www.algemeiner.com/2014/06/17/israels-phinergy-tests-1100-mile-range-electric-car-aluminum-air-battery-system-video/

I'm one of the happiest FFH owners around, but I'm disappointed that Ford didn't have a system that would triple check the figures that were input to create their engineering models. I don't feel someone intentionally entered wrong data, but when the results created such great EPA numbers, they didn't want to verify if the initial numbers were correct. Ford states that the models "are validated through vehicle testing, including physical track tests ". Why didn't this produce a red flag back then? And why wasn't this error discovered back in March, 2013 when the EPA discrepancies were obvious. Someone at Ford must have said "we need to double check all our numbers", and those who missed the errors back then should see some consequences. The new EPA figures still would have put the 2013 FFH ahead of its main competition when it was introduced. I think Ford has learned a lot from this episode and has adjusted their culture, which is why I am now even more confident in Ford's long term future.

My lifetime mileage after 19 months reads out as 42.0 mpg, so mine is right at average, although I've been getting 43.5 mpg for the past two months. I hope that there were people at Ford that got demoted over this. When the Energi figures were released, they hit the magic number of 100 MPGe+ exactly. That was the goal, so now it's obvious some group manipulated the figures to reach it. This seems to be an example of the state of ethics in our modern world. I read a book about the making of the P-51 Mustang and it told the story of how North American Aviation made several different lighter versions with the goal of reaching 500 mph. The best they could do was 497 mph. The engineers involved knew that they could easily just fudge a few figures in their reports to say they achieved that milestone, but they didn't. How often do we find those ethics today?