hybridbear

Here are some of the posts about the dirty back end and aerodynamics: http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/3129-tuft-testing-a-c-max/?p=39543 I think that your mud flaps are actually creating turbulence and increased drag and that's why the trunk stays cleaner on your car.

I just watched the video again to refresh my memory of it. There's a portion where the Ford engineer is talking about how the flow sticks close all the way to the back but the camera is only showing the front of the car... Grr... :rant2: :angry22: If you're interested in aerodynamics, check out this thread by a C-Max owner. It's very informative read.

Great explanation! Thank you for sharing the details of how different components serve to reduce Cd. The mudflaps change the airflow around the wheels. I believe having lot of dirt of the back of the car is a sign of good aerodynamics. We've had a Fusion without the spoiler and now the Energi with the spoiler and I can't see a measureable difference in the pattern of dirt on the back of the car. I would love to see the difference in a wind tunnel between a Fusion with the spoiler and one without.

I hope so. No one has brought an affordable plug-in SUV to the USA yet. Volvo & BMW are planning to soon release PHEV SUVs but they'll cost a lot. Mitsubishi has been making a PHEV Outlander for years, but they only sell it in Asia & Europe because they say they can't get enough parts to meet demand there and thus they can't sell it in the USA when demand is so high overseas. If Ford came out with an Edge PHEV which got 20 miles of EV range (like the Fusion/C-Max Energi) and maybe 30-35 MPG in hybrid mode I think they'd have a hit! The key would be to keep the price premium to only about $1-2k more than the gas Edge after the tax credit. Since the Edge battery would have to be larger than a C-Max/Fusion Energi battery to get the same range it would require more kWh of capacity which would increase the tax credit since it's based on kWh of capacity.

Not yet, but I emailed myself a link to that post so that I can do it eventually.

This issue is related to using Sync Services. After using Sync Services the voice command button acts up.

They had one of these at the Twin Cities Auto Show which was on the floor but locked. It looks great!

Yes. It burns more gallons per hour as lolder said.

Have you been to the dealer yet?

I like it too. Before we had a Titanium it didn't matter, but now that we have it I like it. I think the remaining 25% are either the Hybrid S or the HyTi.

I'm glad that users are noticing a difference. I hope to get this done soon on our car.

I looked through pages and pages of topics in this section and didn't see anyone complaining about door latch problems. It appears that some owners are having door issues and the NHTSA is investigating. http://driving.ca/ford/auto-news/news/nhtsa-investigating-ford-fusion-lincoln-mkz-over-door-latches

Ford makes the Focus Electric and C-Max Hybrid or Energi and Fusion Hybrid or Energi. A Focus Energi has been rumored but never made. Energi = PHEV. Electric = BEV. Cold affects the hybrid mode since cold prevents the ICE from turning off which is the advantage of the hybrid. The Fusion will require more energy than the Focus to move in almost every scenario (if not every scenario). If you're just measuring fuel used during idle, the Fusion should burn more grams per hour of gasoline than the Focus. When you sit and idle is the ICE on or off? If you have MFT you can pull up the "Power Flow" screen to see what is happening. Any time spent not moving with the ICE on will significantly lower MPG. While the Fusion will charge the HVB while idling, there are always losses in converting energy from gasoline to mechanical energy to electrical energy to charge the HVB. That energy must then be converted from electrical energy back to mechanical energy later on. There are losses in those conversions. The best use of the ICE is to drive the wheels, charging the HVB when the ICE output is greater than the wheel power requirement and discharging the HVB when the wheel power demand is greater than what the ICE is providing.

Our first FFH didn't have MFT. The Energi is a Titanium with MFT. Thanks for the link! I never had issues with the voice command button failing until updating to 3.6.2 a few weeks ago.

Correct. No response from Samantha. What is the USB stick reset? Usually restarting the car makes the voice commands work again.

http://www.hybridcars.com/february-2015-dashboard/ The FFH beat the Camry Hybrid in February! 3rd place behind the Prius Liftback & Prius C. Green Car Reports recently ran an article that Accord Hybrid sales are no longer constrained by a lack of supply, yet it still sells at only 25-30% of the volume of the FFH & Camry Hybrid. The Fusion Energi almost caught up and overtook the Volt for the best selling PHEV. The Volt should see low sales this year with the new model coming out soon. I wonder if Ford can get the Fusion Energi to overtake the Volt for the PHEV sales lead.

This was my thought exactly. Thanks Waldo for presenting us with a great perspective that we lack being outside the automotive industry.

You may want to see if this TSB applies to your car: http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/9352-technical-service-bulletins-tsbs/?p=88007

The previous max EV speed for the C-Max/Fusion Hybrid was 62 MPH. It was raised to 85 MPH back in summer 2013. The Fusion Energi/C-Max Energi had the 85 MPH max EV speed from the start. Note: you may want to 10-way power passenger seat then. That is offered with certain packages. There is no powertrain difference from 2013-2015. Since 2016 production starts soon it appears that 2016 will be the same. The rumors are that the 2017 Fusion will have a redesign and likely an improved hybrid powertrain. If you want the best highway MPGs look at a diesel. If you really like the idea of a hybrid check out the Accord Hybrid or a Prius. The Accord Hybrid has a powertrain setup which is better optimized for highway MPGs than the Ford design. The Prius gets better MPGs because it's a tin can and is very light and aerodynamic. Your overall lowest per mile cost may come from something like the new Volt though. With its increased EV range you would ultimately spend the least on fuel (gas & electric) with a plug-in hybrid. If you're a loyal Ford fan, check out the Fusion Energi. With the tax credit it usually doesn't cost any more than the FFH.

I don't think you'll be able to do it. As Jeff says the 2010-12 FFH has a much larger gas tank. At freeway speeds your 2013+ FFH will hardly use less fuel than the 2010-12 FFH.

And this is the issue. The window sticker MPG is not based on how you drive. It's based on the EPA test cycles. On the EPA test cycles the Fusion will use less fuel than the Focus. On your driving pattern the Fusion uses more gas than the Focus. Idling is why you're getting such low MPG out of the Fusion. Stop idling the car and your MPG will be way better than the Focus. The Fusion is much heavier than the Focus. This means it requires more energy to move it. At a sustained speed, say 75 MPH, the Fusion is going to require more energy to overcome aerodynamic drag & rolling resistance. The Focus will likely get better MPG at these speeds because it is smaller & lighter. The main advantage of a hybrid is being able to turn off the ICE at low speeds. But if you are cranking up the heat then the ICE is unable to turn off because it needs to burn fuel to heat the coolant to heat the cabin. The Fusion ICE burns fuel at idle at a high gallons per hour than the Focus. As lolder has explained many times before, the FFH Atkinson cycle ICE is designed to run at almost WOT all the time. This is how it becomes more efficient. It's also more efficient because it can work to keep the ICE in a narrowing operating range by using electric power to assist when there is a high power demand and by using the electric motors to store energy in the battery when power demand is low. However, when you spend a lot of time idling or at high speeds the benefit is negated. What's a Focus Hybrid? How would the C-Max Hybrid perform any differently from the Fusion in this scenario?

This is happening to us now. Only the voice command button stops working. All other steering wheel buttons continue to work. I'll check and see if there is a correlation between using Sync Services & having the button act up.

What did you have done? 14E02 (not the subject of this thread) causes the Lifetime Brake Score & Regen Miles to be reset. 14S21 is the replacement of the RCM. Right now there are not many parts so few owners are getting this part replaced.

It's also about space.

Perhaps your issues fit with the RCM recall? Have you looked into your local Lemon Law requirements?