md13ffhguy

Spring has sprung. Today's commute (~31 miles each way) 70.1 mpg going to work and 50.8 mpg getting back home. Pretty satisfying, I must say.

Says a guy with the choice... ;)

According to the manual, at a set speed of 62 MPH, 1 bar equals a 1 second gap. 2 bars is 1.4 seconds and 3 bars is 1.8 seconds. Personally, I choose either 3 or 4 at highway speeds, and reserve 1 and 2 for much slower situations.

Yep, filled up on Friday and got my first 600 this year, one month ahead of when I first accomplished it last year. Hopefully, this nicer weather sticks...

@70, and with the apparent need for wipers on, I'd say that looks a little close... especially while taking pictures...

I agree with her. ;)It's not a gas-only car, so don't sweat it. Keep on driving.

Where in MD are you? I can recommend Westminster Speed and Sound, if it's anywhere near you. Excellent workmanship. They did try to get me to go 20, but I just wanted 35. I went with their best after they ran a $100 off promotion last year -Geoshield DarkMatter.

I'm not opposed to "keeping up with the flow of traffic" on single-lane roads, within reason, of course. This is, unless you're expecting me to go more than 5-10 MPH over the posted limit. I feel like I'm a safer driver many times over since purchasing this car.

I have a rule, and it's very simple - don't impede others' progress. If there's more than one lane in my direction, chances are I'll be in it with ACC set at the speed limit. I've always used Eco cruise, too. If you don't care for the gentle acceleration after a braking event or an uphill climb, feel free to pass. Yes, I took advantage of a truck to get good mileage as described in my OP, but as stated, I would not have called it drafting. I simply put myself behind him, and if I ever slowed below the posted limit, it was to avoid running up on the truck. Trust me, my passenger seat alarm would have alerted me if I was following too close! ;)

I hope you've still been able to find your house! ;)

Yes, great job, Bob! I'll be going for my first 600 mile tank of the year tomorrow, or maybe Friday.

Here's what worked for me: Make sure the Empower display is selected and also ensure the charge/discharge arrows are activated above/below the battery icon. This seems to be most effective in the 60-70 MPH range. As you drive, look for a time when your battery is at a higher state of charge and it looks like EV might be ready to kick in. As traffic permits, push the accelerator pedal slightly to override the switch to EV, but not enough to drastically increase your speed. You want to make sure the pressure you apply is enough to keep the battery charging (arrow pointing up above the battery), but not so much that it switches to hybrid mode and begins to discharge (downward pointing arrow below the battery). As your battery charge increases, you'll notice the instantaneous MPGs will also increase. If you find you're beginning to take on too much speed, try lifting your foot slightly. If EV seems inevitable, I lift my foot completely and let the car charge a few seconds as it slows. For the record, do not try this when traffic is too heavy, stop-and-go, or otherwise not conducive. Close followers will not appreciate this type of driving, so be courteous and don't antagonize them. ;) It took some practice and patience to get this down. If you feel too distracted, don't do it.

I've never noted such a discrepancy in either of our cars. I think the more likely reason is related to people complaining about the discrepancy between the gallons reported used by the car and the amount shown on the pump to replace said amount.

I use Fuelly and I've learned to disregard where the gauge is after I fill up. A little above or below F? I don't care anymore - I just record the gallons pumped. I don't care about which pump at which station, or how many clicks I can squeeze in after the first. There's more value in the aggregate numbers anyhow. Looking at things tank by tank seems pointless. Looking at five or ten consecutive fills gives a better picture of how I've been doing. Looking at my individual tanks on a graph is like looking at the plans for a roller coaster - up one, down the next. Better to draw a nice trend line through the middle.

What would be nicer would be if it could be programmed into the logic that controls the whole hybrid system.

Good question. My starting (home) elevation is about 740', while my destination was around 1,360'. Using the google bicycling directions (a great way to approximate elevation changes, btw), showed the first half of my round trip being +11,358' and -10,732' for a net gain of 626'. So, not surprising that my return trip was better. Over that distance, and the winding roads we traveled, I think the differences between headwinds and tailwinds were negligible overall, however, it was quite windy at times, but in seemingly all different directions.

Absolutely. I've always considered the instantaneous MPG gauge to be representative of current performance, and not necessarily a precise reading. It's a pretty small scale for a wide range... and 60+ could be 61 or, as you mentioned, 128. Anyhow, this experience yesterday now gives me a greater feeling of mastery over this vehicle.

What I find most fascinating about this trip is my percentage of EV miles. Normally, on my regular commute, I average about 50% or even slightly more. For this highway trip, I was able to achieve 47 MPG while only running in EV 30% of the total miles. When I first became an FFH driver some 18 months ago, this concept was completely counter-intuitive to my thinking! I figured the only way to reap the benefits of this hybrid was to maximize EV usage - which, obviously, is not always true!

Took a long trip yesterday from central MD to southwest VA and back - approximately 300 miles each way. We took my wife's 2014 and it was 99% highway driving at highway speeds; not the normal stop-and-go commute I usually drive in my car. The trip out was a bit tedious, as it rained for a good part of the time, and we had three adults in the car, so I figured I would be at a disadvantage, as opposed to my normal commute numbers. Still, I was not entirely disappointed with 43.7 MPG, considering there was a lot of driving at 60-70 MPH. The return trip was another story, as I was able to employ the strategy of forcing a near-full charge to the HVB and keeping the ICE running at maximum efficiency. At one point, I settled in behind an 18-wheeler (not drafting, mind you) who escorted me for about 150 miles. His pace was perfect for this strategy - slowing slightly as we climbed and holding steady at 65-75 on level/downhill sections. I was amazed during one particular stretch as my instantaneous MPG never dropped below about 55 and was actually 60+ for several miles - all with the ICE running! Calculated MPG for our return trip was 52.1! :)

Every car I've owned since 1990 has had a moonroof, and I've never experienced a problem. I like them!

Are you sure that's not 3.6.1? Kind of an odd file naming scheme if it actually is 3.6.2, don't ya think??

Not that I don't believe you, but I'm struggling with that one. I don't believe that the MPG would be determined independently of the two metrics (distance and fuel used). Did you snap a pic? Because, you know what they say.... ;)

We have a 13 and a 14, and you are correct.

Awesome what it can do when the conditions are just so. Enjoy! :)

Try adjusting the volume at the same time as it's reading a text. It seems to work that way for me.