plannersteve

Some lucky guy just bought my 2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid with 55,000 miles on it. I would have run the car to death, but we moved to snow country and really wanted an AWD SUV. We also put solar panels on the new house so I have some excess power. So we patiently waited for Ford to come out with the PHEV Escape, only to learn that it will only be front wheel drive. Ford is missing the mark, but I suspect they simply aren't ready to produce such a product. So I now own a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. So far so good. Some highlights of the 2012 FFH ownership experience. I tracked mileage from the first tank. Averaged 36.0 mpg over the 55K miles, approximately 50% city, 50% highway. Highway driving was a lot of 80 mph being in the Western US. Lowest maintenance cost vehicle I've owned. Had to replace 12V starter battery under warranty. Other than that it was just oil changes and the 30K recommended maintenance.

My 2012 FFH recently saw an approx. 5 mpg drop with recent cold weather here in Vancouver, WA. I decided to try grill blocking to see if I could improve my cold weather results. I've attached photos of how I did the blocking. Foam pipe insulation from Home Depot was used. I'm definitely seeing quicker times to EV mode from a cold start and getting better interior heating as well. Any ideas on how to monitor the ICE to determine when to take blocking out would be appreciated. For now I'll error on taking it off too soon. But as you can see, it is easy to take off and put back on.

Hi, Just picked up my 2012 FFH a few days ago. Really enjoying it so far. Appreciated all the info on the forum that helped me decide what to buy. Steve