cchaos

I wonder if any studies have been done to determine if there's actually an increase in accidents due to the quietness of hybrids. Even if the pedestrian is blind, the driver has the responsibility to avoid accidents with pedestrians. I suppose if the blind pedestrian is jaywalking, then there could be a problem, but then again the hybrid is only quiet at slow speeds, so there should be plenty of reaction time...

18 months here and I've had no mechanical problems whatsoever. I did have the dealer install the software update for the brakes, but everything else has been smooth.

I've had a FFH for well over a year now and love it. I really only have one gripe, and that is the fact that the gas engine kicks in after start-up whenever you put the vehicle in D or R for more than a few seconds. I'm taking about within 3-5 seconds normally, in mild weather, and even without applying any pressure to the gas pedal. For example, I frequently just take the car in or out of the garage or just back out of the driveway, where I am not driving for more than 20 or 30 feet. Regardless, the computer thinks it must warm up the engine, even though the battery has plenty of charge and the electric motor is plenty capable of slow-driving 30 feet. If I need to leave the house quietly, it'd be really nice if I could do so without the gas engine turning on until I'm on the street. Again, I love the car overall and this is a relatively minor gripe (maybe I'm being obsessive :) ), but it'd be nice if the computer could be programmed to not warm up until, say, 20 seconds of light driving. Thoughts?

No, you can just fill it up at any gas station and keep going. However, you'll be burning gas to power the electric engine instead of using pure electricity from the batteries. That's why I'm wondering what the mpg rating is when using the gas generator. I've heard some reports that it may only be around 30 mpg, which would mean the Volt is less efficient than the FFH once the initial battery charge is used up. If you use your car primarily for commuting and can plug it in every night, the Volt would be more fuel efficient; otherwise, the FFH may be more fuel efficient.

I think the Volt is a good idea that's in it's first iteration. The ability to drive purely on electric for 40 miles fits the commute cycle for many folks, and the 300-mile gas range extender means the Volt can serve as a person's only car, unlike range-limited electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf that are worthless for long road trips or emergencies when the battery is low. I would expect advances in battery technology will raise the electric mileage in the future. The downside is that it's considerably more expensive than the FFH, and the Volt is basically a compact commuter car instead of a premium sedan like the FFH. I'm also not entirely clear what the mpg rating is once the gas generator kicks in, which concerns me as I do a good deal of extended highway driving. If the FFH and Volt were the same price, I would have a tough time deciding between the two. As the prices are, the FFH is a much better value, but I'm still glad to see the Volt going to production and am interested to see where this technology goes.

Glad to see another hybrid too. I'm not so sure about the car itself -- it looks over-stylized and I think it will look tacky pretty quickly. The Fusion has a cleaner look that should hold up better over time. I do like the fact that it can stay in electric mode up to 62 mph. Also interesting is that the Hyundai has more horsepower than the Fusion Hybrid, but the Hyundai's 0-60 number is actually worse (9.2 vs. 8.5 for the FFH). And the Fusion still gets better gas mileage. Go figure. Nonetheless, it looks like a good alternative for folks who really want a Hyundai midsize sedan with better gas mileage, and it should help encourage Ford to keep innovating the FFH to stay ahead of the competition.

Mine works great. I live in Houston, and even on a hot day here my FFH's AC can get bone-shilling cold within a few minutes when running on high.

My highest mileage was 65 mpg over about 12 miles. My long-term fuel economy isn't nearly that good (38.5mpg). Over the winter, I made some road trips where I had to drive hours against strong winter headwinds and had fuel economy in the low 30's, so that dragged down the average. I also do a good amount of short-trip and stop-and-go driving that negatively affects the mileage, since I live in a warm semi-urban environment, where you catch a series of red lights. It's not so bad when it's cooler and I can often drive on the electric motor, but on a hot sunny day with the AC turned on, the ICE kicks in just to move from one light to the next. What's interesting to me is the effect the car's own temperature has on fuel economy. Now that it's summer, I find that if I leave my car parked in the garage, my fuel economy is considerably better (mid-40mpg) than if I leave it parked out in the driveway, which gets full sun (mid-30mpg). Needless to say, I try to park in shady spots as much as possible and watch the effect on fuel economy.

The maintenance on the FFH is really no different from a standard ICE vehicle; it's just that the warm-up period when first starting the vehicle affects the efficiency dynamic. The FFH is still more efficient than the standard FF for short trips, but the advantage isn't as great as it is for longer trips. Highway driving can be really efficient if you have the wind at your back or follow a good slipstream, but again, city/suburban driving is where hybrid efficiency really excels. The BMW's 17/26 mpg city is pretty bad, but with your usage it probably won't be much of a problem. I would have bought used for that kind of driving, but enjoy and good luck.

I've had my FFH for over a year now, but before that I was driving an Acura RSX. Different classes of cars, but it's amazing just what a step up the Fusion is. The Acura was severely punishing on all but the smoothest of roads, and unbearable on long-distance drives. With the FFH, I can actually drive long distances without feeling wrecked afterwards. The Sony stereo system, climate system, SYNC, and smooth quiet ride are incredible. And the mileage is more than 10 mpg better, even though it's a bigger vehicle with useable back seats.The only thing I occasionally miss is the large cargo area of the hatch. I would also like it if Ford offered some sportier styling options, particularly for the wheels on the FFH, but otherwise I've been much happier with it than I ever was with the Acura.

The recline is for safety reasons. During an impact, a recline greater than 45 degrees can allow the driver or passenger to slide off the seat to the back of the vehicle, even with a seat belt fastened. Hyundai recently lost a lawsuit because of this very issue where the driver slid off the seat and out the back window.

I had a hitch installed on mine. It was about $200. My thinking behind the hitch vs. roof rack is that the hitch has little to no aerodynamic impact, whereas a roof rack may decrease the mileage efficiency due to the additional drag. It also looks better IMO since it's pretty much out-of-sight.

Did you notice any drop in MPG with the new 18s? I've been thinking about replacing my FFS's rims too, but I'm wondering how much of a hit it will have on mileage.

I had a similar situation where someone rear ended my FFH. My vehicle had minor damage -- some scratches on the bumper and the bumper was slightly popped off one side (as it's designed to take the impact). But not a spec of damage to the sheet metal or frame. On the other hand, the Nissan Maxima that hit me had a severely bent front hood, mangled headlights, a turn light dangling from it's cord, as well as a badly bent front bumper. It was amazing how much more damaged the Nissan was. Needless to say, I feel really safe in my Fusion after that experience.

My issue is with scratches on the rims from parallel parking and scraping against the curb. Maybe it's just my imagination, but the rims on the hybrid seem to stick out more than on the others. Of course, I also used to drive a smaller car :). I'll probably try the fine-grit sandpaper and clear coat to see if I can remove the blemishes.

I agree. While I've never been in a Camry Hybrid, I have driven regular ICE Camrys and have found them to be way to cushy and boring. Ford made the right move by giving the FFH some fun-factor and a firmer ride. I think they found a good balance of comfort and handling, and I hope they don't ever change that.

It's not something you want to hear, but it doesn't sound that serious either. Until a fix can be had, just be aware that the brakes will still work if the situation ever arises; you may just have to press down harder. I've had my FFH since last April and have never had any issue with the brakes. Glad to see Ford is being proactive and promptly issuing a fix, rather than waiting years to admit that a problem exists. [edit - haha akirby, well I did type that at 2am :). Fixed. ].

I agree...I was quite surprised to see them rate the FFH as equal to the TCH. It's particularly surprising because EVERY other major media publication has rated the FFH considerably better than the TCH. This continues a tradition of CR favoring imports over domestics. CR has spent years recommending the TC even after the V6 Camry showed problematic reliability issues. It'll be interesting to see if they still praise Toyota after the recent recall of 2.3 million vehicles after finally figuring they couldn't cover up the issue any more.

I was having the same issue. I installed SYNC V3.1 (AR3T-14D544-AE) about a week ago and it hasn't prompted me for a VHR since. I'm hoping it solved the problem for good. The update also seems to have fixed an issue where my iPhone would automatically start playing over bluetooth anytime I started the car, regardless of what the stereo was set for.

Notice I wrote "maintain" and not 'slow down'. Maybe what I'm referring to isn't true pulse and glide, as I accelerate to the flow of traffic and then maintain that speed, oftentimes using solely EV power. So I'm going with the flow of traffic, not causing backups. There's simply too much traffic where I live to not follow a consistent speed. My other point is that there are dumb and annoying drivers of every stripe. In my experience, it's usually the economy car drivers who take 20 seconds to reach the speed limit, if even. That is far more annoying to me than someone who speeds up normally and then maintains that speed. Then there is the opposite end, the driver who must accelerate as fast as possible even though there's another stop sign or red light in just a couple seconds, at the next block, and they feel they must pass as many cars as possible to save that fraction of a second, and maximize their fuel consumption and vehicle wear and tear in the process.

This has nothing to do with driving a hybrid. Most of the people I see driving like that are in old Corollas or other econoboxes, not hybrids. And the thing about the FFH is that you can usually maintain your speed while driving in EV mode rather than just coasting for fuel economy. In fact, my biggest gripe now that I drive a FFH is getting stuck behind folks who accelerate too slowly. I try to use the "pulse-and-glide" technique as much as possible, where I speed up normally using the ICE to the cruising speed, and then I let off and maintain the speed in EV mode. Getting stuck behind someone who feathers the accelerator actually worsens my FFH fuel economy because it extends the time it takes to accelerate in ICE mode. I think I surprise some folks who think I'll be slow because I'm in a hybrid, until they see me accelerate and pass them.

Sorry to hear that. However, that is a definite exception case. Most of us have had zero problems or issues with our FFH's. Sorry that you happened to get one with an issue, but on the positive side, at least the dealer will take care of it right away instead of having this happen six months or a year down the road.

It sounds like a bug in the software. Mine does it periodically at random. One day last week it asked me and so I ran it. Literally 30 seconds after the VHR completed, the message popped up again asking if I wanted to run a VHR. Very aggravating. The message pops up at least a couple times each week and there's never any problem reported when I do run it.

That's hilarious! I'll have to give it a try.

Mine will occasionally start streaming music from my iphone over bluetooth right after I start the car for no reason. It only started to happen after the SYNC 3.0 update. I'm hoping the next update will fix it.