Code_Warrior

The one time I painted a car (a long time ago) there were two choices to make: 1) Lacquer or Enamel 2) Color Now I see they even have water based auto paint. And you can have any color you want. And with base, translucent, clear coats the results can be amazing.

I will check out Bioshock when I finish the new Tomb Raider. It will take me a while. My reaction times are not what they used to be. The recent game that impressed me the most is Journey. No instructions and no shooting.

Does this mean you made the trip in Reverse ?

I have tried to find the source of the clicking but failed. We get a lot of crickets here so maybe one was along for the ride. ;) Last year here was the hottest on record. It may be nice now but June through September will be brutal. I also know cold. I have been to Rochester Minn 6 times, all in winter. Likely, because, according to the locals, winter there is 46 weeks long.

That's more like it. I am only 5 hours from Vegas (if obeying the speed limits)

I think I understand it but I am not sure if I can explain it. But here is an attempt. When your car is going 40 MPH you have a 4 cylinder engine that is producing more power than is needed. You could go 40 MPH with a 1 cylinder engine. A 1 cylinder engine however would have poor acceleration so it would take a long time to get to 40 MPH, hence, a 4 cylinder engine is needed for the acceleration, not the steady state speed. So, when your 4 cylinder engine is driving the car at 40 MPH, you can put an electrical generator on it and produce electricity with very little additional fuel consumption because the engine is producing more energy than required to go 40 MPH. The critical factor in all this is gear ratio and the engineers seem to have this figured out with an amazing transmission.

I read somewhere the HVB has 76 cells connected in series which would output average about 290 volts. The problem with this configuration is that because they are in series, one bum cell can cause significant performance loss.

It's a real problem. When people see my car they want to know how much it cost. When I tell them less than 30 grand they don't believe me.

I guess I just got lucky. I do have the warm weather that seems to help. A/C season will reduce the mileage but right now I consistently get over 50 MPG on trips of 5 to 50 miles mostly city but an occasional 65 MPH stretch.

I put mine in. My average MPG is up to 49.1.

It appears that there are multiple R/C pilots posting in this forum. My problem with the Fusion is the small vertical size of the opening with the back seat folded down. I have aircraft that I do not remove the wing for transport and it is tight.

Just for fun, I went back to when I was 16 years old and got my first car (1953 Mercury) and counted up all the cars I have owned and until recently, maintained. Totals are Ford=9, GM=9, Chrysler=6, Foreign=6 for a total of 30 cars. Of all the cars, the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid is the best price performer of them all. That could change if I have problems, but for now it is the clear winner.

Hey guys, calm down. I am not in a hurry to get the money. I am saving a bunch on gasoline. ;-) I think I will take my future savings and go to a casino and turn it into a fortune.

Almost flat, temp 72 F and altitude 1500. I will as soon as I can do PMs (require more posts than I have done) No, I am not trying hard to get the 48+ Most of my driving is 'city' with 45 speed limit and lots of stops. Maybe 10 percent is 'highway' with 65 speed limit and no stops. Based on my casual observations during the challenge test drive, I did another test. 22 miles at 45 MPH on CC with only one stop to turn around at 11 miles. MPG for this test was 61.3.

12/18/2012

Here is my video of the mileage challenge. It is a bit dodgy but it is close to the specs. I covered up the microphone holes with my finger near the end of the video. The trip was 53.7 MPG. I don't expect the $100 but I DO expect that, in the future, I will not be accused of being less than honest about my MPG.

If he does not come up with the $100 bills, he is guilty of false advertising. Maybe a lawsuit is in order.

Consumer Reports April 2013 issue, page 5. 'We've tested more than 80 vehicles in the past 12 months, and here are the models that cruised to a top score.....It's notable that two midsized sedans earned the highest tallies, outpacing several luxury cars. Honda Accord is number one in list of five with 90 points. Ford Fusion Hybrid is number two with 87 points. BMW 328i number three with 86 points followed by two Mercedes with 86 and 85 points.

I ran your test the best I could. There were some stops which should reduce mileage. Starting with a blue thermometer (ICE cold) I got 51 MPG. What do you want the video to show ? The speedometer, the road, the smiling driver ?

AAA likes Fusion. In the latest issue of Highroads, the magazine of AAA, they state that 'The all-new Fusion is easily the best car Ford has ever built'. They rate it as a 'top model' for 2013.

Here is a nice page where I learned a few things about my car. https://owner.ford.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Owner/Page/OwnerVideoPage&year=2013&make=Ford&model=Fusion%20Hybrid

The fuel delivery may be spot on but if the ignition timing is late, you will get reduced power and fouled plugs.

Here is my 2 cents: I think you have a defective sensor causing the computer to generate late ignition timing.

I got the 'poor mans' model. Just a base car with only two options: Outrageously expensive floor mats and the red paint. I bought it off the dealers lot. If I had ordered it, I would probably not have paid the extra for the red paint. But every comment I get about the car is about the great paint job. I am getting fond of the Sirius satellite radio. Hope I can get a good price when it expires. I also love that I put all my favorite music on a USB memory stick and shuffle play it. The Sync hands off Bluetooth phone support works pretty good also. This base model car has a lot of good features included.

I have owned many cars since the EPA started requiring MPG estimates. I find it ironic that I have never achieved the published numbers until this car. The reason has to be that I am getting real-time feedback on how economical I am driving. That plus I don't live in a cold place. It may all go to pot when the A/C season is here.