What is your 'satisfaction quotient'?

[nv rick]

After posting in one of the other threads, I came to realize that my 'satisfaction quotient' is being met.

Let me explain:

When looking into getting my '14 MKZ-hybrid, the fuel efficiency numbers were 45/45 city/highway. They were later revised to 38/37.

Even before the revision, I felt that I would be happy if I would get 40mpg in everyday driving. Currently, my lifetime is at 39.3, but my trip 1 mpg at fill ups is now always in the low 40's, generally around 42-43mpg. So my 'satisfaction quotient' has been met.

I'm curious as to what others' expectations and 'satisfaction quotients' are and whether they have been met.

I know I'm an 'interloper' here, but I've exchanged many friendly posts with you folks, and the assurances I got persuaded me to take the plunge into the land of hybrid. As far as the car goes, I'm happier with this one than with the two previous MKS' that I had, and they set a pretty high bar.

I believe that Ford/Lincoln have set themselves on a positive path as far as innovation and design, as well as overall quality. I grew up in a Ford family, and over the years have drifted away to both foreign and domestic competitors, but for the past six years have been back in the Ford/Lincoln fold and been well satisfied with both product and (for the most part) service.

[Texasota]

After 9 months and 11,000 miles my satisfaction quotient for my 2015 FFH has far exceeded my expectations. My lifetime (hand calculation) is 43.99 MPG. Beyond routine oil changes and tire rotations I had the instrument cluster and PCM reprogrammed as a result of recall notices but neither of these issues manifested themselves in any external way. The only thing that I can point to as a minor (very minor) negative would be the wild variability and deviation in the trip computer MPG as compared to actual. But, I can easily live with that.

 

I have not had any visits to the service department for problems or adjustments. So far this has been a very trouble free car which I partially attribute to it being a FFH S which does not have many of the technology features that have been problematic. Thank you to all of the 2013 and 2014 early adopters that worked through the initial problems and smoothed the way for those of us that came to the party later. This is most likely the biggest reason my car has been trouble free. :salute:

Edited April 26, 2015 by Texasota

[Peter Davio]

Mine is pretty much peaking out. lifetime mileage over the 2 months I have had mine is at 40.5 with 135 miles of commuting every day.

[acdii]

For me it was getting between 38-43 MPG, and that has been met, and many times exceeded. OTOH when problems do crop up, that satisfaction has not been met recently. If the current issue goes unresolved after their master tech looks at it, then I most likely will switch to some other car company.

 

Ford designed a really nice car with the Fusion/MKZ, its just too bad their support of the car has been lacking.

[md13ffhguy]

My lifetime (hand calculation) is 43.99 MPG.

I think we'd all be comfortable with you rounding that calculation up! ;) Great job.

[GrySql]

We like our FFH, despite a number of 'big' warranty repairs and numerous little service issues. But my Dealer's Service Dept did everything possible to end those problems and it's been trouble free for a long time now (knock on wood, salt over shoulder). My mileage is in line with the new EPA numbers, the looks, comfort and ride are great.

I am very satisfied.

[Hybrider]

I too have been very satisfied with my 2014 FFH SE during the slightly greater than one year I have owned it.

 

It feels like this car was designed especially for me, since I wanted an American-made hybrid which looks sporty, gets great gas mileage, has a very good satellite radio and CD stereo, carries 4 adults comfortably, has a decent sized trunk, and which is very comfortable for my 50 minute (one-way) commutes every weekday. The icing on the cake is all of the information displays which I can choose from, the electric parking brake, the navigation system which works good for the most part, and the quiet ride.

 

I also have had almost zero issues with my FFH, and none of which required a visit to the dealer. I have had a few minor computer glitches along the way, the only major one being the one with the A/C blowing hot which I reported at the time in this post and which I was able to fix on my own by trying to reboot the A/C controller by turning the climate control and the car off at the same time and then firing everything back up.

 

I also attribute some of my having zero dealer visits to the fact that I don't have any of the fanciest features (Active Park Assist, Forward Sensing System, BLIS, Lane-Keeping System, auto high beams, rain-sensing windshield wipers, Push Button Start), which seem to be the more trouble-ridden features, since they were not available to me without me getting the leather seats.

 

I would say I am 100%, and then some more on top of that :), satisfied with my 2014 FFH. :love_shower:

 

Edit: And on top of all that, my FFH has taught me how to drive a hybrid, and all cars for that matter, in the most efficient way possible, and in the most relaxed way possible.

Edited April 26, 2015 by Hybrider

[CCalvinN]

My expectation was to get better gas mileage than my previous car (2012 Focus). It didn't meet that expectation initially, but it was only a few mpgs off. And since I was burning dinasaur juice with the remote start every day and always entered a warm toasty car, I'll call that a draw. For spring/summer driving it's exceeding those fuel efficiency expectations. If it keeps this up over the hot months (with AC and cooled seat usage) I'll call it a year over year gain.

 

Satisfaction though... that's a little harder to define. I wanted a more comfortable ride than I've had since my old '90 Town Car (that one was like driving on a cloud), and it's met that. I wanted a bigger car than my previous two (the Focus and a Lumina) and it's met that. I wanted a car with so many tech toys that it made other regular cars look broken and with the push button start, remote start, 7 inch infotainment screen, auto climate control, heated/cooled seats, heated steering wheel, BLIS, cross traffic warning, auto hi beams, auto windshield wipers, and of course hybrid technology, I think I can easily say it's met that.

 

The last thing I wanted for satisfaction was a car that stood out. My Focus wasn't a unique car by any means, but in it's bright Yellow Blaze paint, it certainly wasn't a wall flower. In my town a hatchback also stands out, so it was doubly blessed there. The Fusion though... well it's a common site. There wasn't a really 'WOW'; paint color to pick from (I considered both the Deep Impact Blue and the Bronze Fire, but neither directly appealed to me when I saw them up close) and I pass cars that at a glance looks just like mine all the time. Sure, none have been a HyTi, but a Ruby Red Fusion? wait a few minutes and one is sure to pass. Mine stands out a bit more because of the medium soft ceramic interior helps but that's an up close difference, not a 'driving down the road' difference. It took me a solid year before I had my YB Focus Titanium next to a similar one... I saw three Ruby Red Fusions while driving mine home from the dealer. I even had one park next to me today on a quick trip to the grocer this morning. If it wasn't for the difference in the exhaust pipes (his was a regular Titanium), I would have had to look at the licence plate or inside the cars to tell the difference.

 

But I can't really fault the car for that. I picked it out and knew how common it would be as compared to the Focus. It still sticks in my craw though, so I can't say I'm 100% satisfied. With everything else in it's favor (bigger, more techy, better fuel efficiency, more comfortable ride...), I'd call this a 'Satisfaction Met'.

[GrySql]

The last thing I wanted for satisfaction was a car that stood out.

In that case you missed the window by 2-1/2 years... They looked so good that they sold like hotcakes.

 

When I brought mine home on 12/12/12 it was a car that stood out and I was approached often and all the time by people who wanted to know "what is it?", "did it cost $50k?", "really, a Ford?".

Yep, I was soaked in 'Stood out' satisfaction and still get compliments. I got my money's worth of that right away and it felt good. :)

[Texasota]

I think we'd all be comfortable with you rounding that calculation up! ;) Great job.

Thats what my spread sheet says and I did not want to inflate it like the car does! ;)

[Hybrider]

I think another reason it may be easier for me to be so highly satisfied with my FFH is that I don't use the "phone thingies" or the sync "thingies" either. These phone features seem to garner their share of complaints and dissatisfaction amongst FFH owners. If you want to know more about what these "phone thingies" are, you can read this entire topic thread to find out more.

 

There are many reasons why I never paired up my phone with my FFH, including:

1. I consider my driving time to be my "me time".

2. I don't want to be distracted from my driving by phone interruptions.

3. I'd prefer my cars computers not to be able to link up to cell towers or to the internet:

a. One reason is to protect my privacy as much as possible.

b. Another reason is to make it just about impossible for anyone to hack into my car's computers.

 

I guess I am old-school in that I want my car to be my car, and I want my phone to be my phone. And I don't want the two to be combined in any way, shape, or form. The only desireable feature that I feel like I am missing out on is the vehicle health reports (VHR), but luckily so far I haven't needed a VHR for any reason. And if I ever do need one, I can pair my phone just long enough to run the VHR, and then quickly unpair my phone.

[FernMTL]

Had my 2014 FFH for almost a year now. Besides the look and overall style of the car that I really appreciate, I love the handling and smoothness of the ride (Thanks to the rear suspension!!!)

I don't get as much MPG as I should, but our winters over here are ''Russia cold''.

The only things that bugs me on the car:

-Rear brakes that are almost always rusty

-Some rattles all around, especially the front and rear passenger doors. Seems like I'll have to live with those.

 

Except for that, I LOVE that car!!

Edited April 27, 2015 by FernMTL

[hermans]

I rated my FFH at about a 6 in satisfaction and the MKZh a 10. The electronics in the MKZh ( the same as in the FFH have been pretty much trouble free. The FFH not so much and both are Job 1 cars.

[Waldo]

I think another reason it may be easier for me to be so highly satisfied with my FFH is that I don't use the "phone thingies" or the sync "thingies" either. These phone features seem to garner their share of complaints and dissatisfaction amongst FFH owners. If you want to know more about what these "phone thingies" are, you can read this entire topic thread to find out more.

 

There are many reasons why I never paired up my phone with my FFH, including:

1. I consider my driving time to be my "me time".

2. I don't want to be distracted from my driving by phone interruptions.

3. I'd prefer my cars computers not to be able to link up to cell towers or to the internet:

a. One reason is to protect my privacy as much as possible.

b. Another reason is to make it just about impossible for anyone to hack into my car's computers.

 

I guess I am old-school in that I want my car to be my car, and I want my phone to be my phone. And I don't want the two to be combined in any way, shape, or form. The only desireable feature that I feel like I am missing out on is the vehicle health reports (VHR), but luckily so far I haven't needed a VHR for any reason. And if I ever do need one, I can pair my phone just long enough to run the VHR, and then quickly unpair my phone.

 

My wife had the unfortunate need to test the 911 assist feature. After a car pulled out in front of her and she had a 35mph impact into the side of a minivan her first reaction was to run around to the back and get the kids out of the car. Meanwhile the 911 assist went to work and by the time the kids were at the side of the road, the paramedics had already arrived. For that reason I always make sure my phone is paired anytime I'm driving.

 

The odds of the 911 service helping you out are far greater than the odds of someone hacking into your car through the phone.

[acdii]

The time I needed 911 assist, it didn't work, not sure why, but the phone itself was the problem, The Flex kept trying to call until it eventually did connect.

 

 

 

Then again, if you think the Fusion is common now, at least you aren't driving one of these

[hybridbear]

Ford designed a really nice car with the Fusion/MKZ, its just too bad their support of the car has been lacking.

I agree with this completely! The service support has been awful. I think Ford rushed the new Fusion to market without working out all the bugs. That's why there have been so many recalls, TSBs & SSMs. Just check out those 3 threads to see how many issues affect 2013 Fusions, particularly Job 1 Fusions.

 

Our first FFH, the black one we special ordered in October 2012, got great MPG, Lifetime > 45 as you can see in Fuelly badge below, but had so many other problems. In the 11 months & 18,000 miles we had it the black FFH spent 28 nights at the dealer on 9 different occasions. The list of things that needed repair were in the dozens. We had many electrical issues with that car and ultimately Ford replaced the PCM but things were still goofy. I calculated what we would get if we successfully won a Lemon Law claim according to the MN formula and determined that it wasn't worth fighting a Lemon Law claim to potentially have less than $1000 extra in our pocket versus just trading it in. So we traded it in for the white FFH. We attribute many of the issues to the fact that it was an early Job 1 car. It was pretty basic, only the Luxury Package, moonroof & back up sensors for options. We didn't have MFT or any of the advanced safety features. Even without all the extra complication we still had nightmarish issues.

 

The white FFH got significantly worse MPG because it had the 18-inch tires. Because of this I was never satisfied with it. If I had known that the 18-inch tires would make such a difference I would not have gone for it. But, at that time, we hadn't yet figured out just how much worse the MPGs were with the 18-inch tires. The drop was >10%. While that didn't really turn into a whole lot more fuel consumption, it was still very frustrating. The white FFH had only one issue outside of things addressed by TSBs & SSMs, the 120V outlet in the rear seat came loose. This car was a Job 2 car.

 

Because of the MPG dissatisfaction I was never happy with the white FFH. That's why I was so happy to stumble across the Energi. In the end the swap of the white FFH for the white FFE didn't cost us anything after factoring in the tax credit. We are very happy with the Energi. It has no issues outside of items addressed by SSMs or TSBs. It was an early Job 2 Energi, no Energis were built in Job 1 except for special test cars used by Ford and later sold to the public as used vehicles. I currently have a list of 8 TSBs/SSMs that apply to our Energi and need to be applied to the car. Some will cancel each other out because they call for updating the same module to the latest calibration so it really isn't that many updates that need to be done. Only one calls for replacing parts and that is the trunk torsion bars (TSB 13-05-18). The only thing the Energi is lacking is the capacitive touch moonroof buttons which were eliminated after Job 1. We had them in the black FFH and loved them. We never had any issues with them like others did. I thought they were a very futuristic design in a futuristic car which made it all the more cool.

 

My wife questioned why we would ever get another Ford after all the Fusion issues and the answer was simple. The Fusion might have many more maintenance/repair issues than a Camry Hybrid or an Accord Hybrid but it also has better features and better looks and better value. You can't get as many features for an equivalent price in a Camry Hybrid or an Accord Hybrid. Specifically the Lane Keep Assist. Few other manufacturers offer a system that actually steers the car. This was a key factor for me. It's a shame that Ford didn't better promote the Fusion with these features when it was first released because when it came out in 2012 there was no other midsize sedan that offered active park assist, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, collision warning, auto high beams, rain sensing wipers, etc. Not the Camry, not the Accord, not the Altima, not the Sonata, none! But Ford stupidly never advertised these features.

 

Will the replacement for the Fusion be a Ford? Right now I'd put the odds at <10% chance. I have no loyalty to Ford or any other automotive brand. I will buy whatever brand of vehicle offers the best combination of features & value. I will definitely never go back to anything other than a BEV or PHEV. At this point, I would guess that we'll keep the Energi at least 8 years. The Focus is a lease and will go back next summer. If I had to choose today I think we'd probably end up with a Kia Soul EV to replace it, Nissan Leaf as second choice. While I love the Focus Electric and say that it is the best car I've ever owned, I would not get another one. Ford has not improved it since 2012 and now it's quite old compared to the other BEVs out there. I would not currently recommend the Fusion (gas/hybrid/Energi) to anyone either for that same reason. The Fusion is old technology now. Right now if someone is looking for a hybrid I'd recommend the Accord Hybrid or the new Malibu Hybrid, or a PHEV like the Volt. It's a shame that Ford has steadily removed data available to the driver from the displays of the FFH. This is another major reason why I would not recommend it.

 

I guess I kind of rambled here...And went off on a tangent or two...

 

Overall, I'm satisfied with the Fusion Energi, but I would not recommend that someone buy a new one at this point, only a used 2013.

[GrySql]

Many of us early adopters of the Job 1 2013 MY have paid a healthy price in the form of 'Service Dept' time at the Dealers and in general I have never owned a more troublesome car - at first.

It's also true that the two remaining Recalls can make it unsafe to drive. The sad part is that Ford is only fixing those that fail and don't have enough parts available to fix all the rest to make them reliable. An RCM failure can bring your vacation trip to a miserable end and the door popping open is not a pleasant thought either.

I have been a Ford fan for a long time but I doubt I'll buy another of these until the Ford engineers reevaluate what went wrong and bring out an updated version, then I sure won't buy Job 1.

Meanwhile, what I said above still stands, we like the car and are satisfied at the moment.

 

Edit: On the interesting side of things, look at how much some of us have learned about these cars. We're delving into the innermost engineering and discussing things that, prior to buying a FFH, had no interest to me at all. I've enjoyed that part, but if the cars were perfectly reliable, would we be doing this? Yin and Yang...

Edited April 28, 2015 by GrySql

[hermans]

Tomorrow, I'm ordering a 2016 Escape Titanium w/ AWD. The FFH will be trade material.

[FernMTL]

Many of us early adopters of the Job 1 2013 MY have paid a healthy price in the form of 'Service Dept' time at the Dealers and in general I have never owned a more troublesome car - at first.

It's also true that the two remaining Recalls can make it unsafe to drive. The sad part is that Ford is only fixing those that fail and don't have enough parts available to fix all the rest to make them reliable. An RCM failure can bring your vacation trip to a miserable end and the door popping open is not a pleasant thought either.

I have been a Ford fan for a long time but I doubt I'll buy another of these until the Ford engineers reevaluate what went wrong and bring out an updated version, then I sure won't buy Job 1.

Meanwhile, what I said above still stands, we like the car and are satisfied at the moment.

 

Edit: On the interesting side of things, look at how much some of us have learned about these cars. We're delving into the innermost engineering and discussing things that, prior to buying a FFH, had no interest to me at all. I've enjoyed that part, but if the cars were perfectly reliable, would we be doing this? Yin and Yang...

 

 

 

 

What were job 1 and 2 FFH build dates? As I understand, some issues have been fixed on jobs #2?

Edited April 28, 2015 by FernMTL

[TonyHzNV]

I have to say, that so far, after owning my 2014 FFH for about 10 months and putting almost 7000 miles on it, I REALLY love the car and it has been pretty much trouble free and met my expectations. I was tempted to buy a MY 13, but I've had problems with other Job 1 cars, so I decided to wait.

 

My MPG hasn't been way up there, but that's mostly because of how I drove the car for almost the first 6 mos (until I joined this forum) combined with the crazy summer heat here in Vegas requiring me to use the A/C for the first 3 or 4 months (I bought the car on July 3rd). I also have the 18" wheels/tires with the "Appearance Package" so that is another MPG factor as HB pointed out above. For about the last 4 months, the instantaneous MPG reading has been pretty consistently around 45. I'm not really a fanatic about the actual MPG since it's so much better than my 2012 4 cyl (gas) Fusion SEL

 

My MFT voice lady (Samantha?) has gone on vacation a couple times, but fortunately, I was prepared with my USB reboot stick (which I read about here in the forum), so I was able to bring her back without losing all my MFT settings. Other than that, I have had zero problems (knock on wood).

 

I love the way the car drives/rides and I find it to be very comfortable for me. I think it's cool how you can customize the MFT "Home" screen, I like the ANC, and the "Global" windows down is a very cool feature to have in Vegas. I haven't taken her on a long trip yet so I don't know how well suited the ICE is for highway driving/power, but I imagine it will be quite suitable.

 

As far as upgrades, I have installed factory style molded splash guards, a donut spare tire, cargo net, WeatherTech trunk mat, shark fin antenna, 3D MAXpider floor mats, Steeda hood struts & strut tower brace, Nushield AAA (MFT) screen protector, window tint, and a version A5 Nav Map card. Everything has fit/worked perfectly and adds a lot to the car. I really enjoy my time in the car and sometimes am even a little sad when my daily commute comes to an end. Of all the cars I have owned, this one is at the top of the list as far as favorites.

[Texasota]

I have a couple of thoughts (only my opinion) on why that brand new (and exciting) car purchase often results in low satisfaction:

 

1. Purchasing the first year of a new or completely redesigned model.
   
   I did that with my 2012 Focus and also a new car way back in 1984. Both were disasters and the most problem plagued vehicles I have ever owned. I will never do it again. Consumer Reports regularly/frequently recommends waiting 2-3 years before purchasing a new/redesigned model. I believe that is very sound advice.
   
2. Loading up a new car with lots of newly deployed technology.
   
   High tech is great when it works but very aggravating and troublesome when it does not.

Edited April 28, 2015 by Texasota

[DeeCee]

I must be the odd man out. My Job 1 FFH has been essentially trouble free, (knock on wood). All I have had done are the few recalls and TSB's , none of which required any overnight stay at the service department. In fact I was never at the dealer for service work more than three hours and usually less. My fuel mileage has been very satisfactory, currently the lifetime figure is 47.8 after 41,000 miles. So far for the month of April the car is reporting 52.5 MPG, (I reset the average MPG display at the beginning of each month). I realize this is the exception to the rule for a new model but sometimes you just get lucky.

[hybridbear]

I also have the 18" wheels/tires with the "Appearance Package" so that is another MPG factor as HB pointed out above.

I thought the Appearance Package had 17-inch rims... AFAIK only the 2013-2014 HyTi and FFH SE with optional 18-inch wheels have the larger rims and the Goodyear (or Crapyear as acdii calls them) tires. Starting with MY2015 all FFHs come with 17-inch rims and the LRR Michelin tires. The 2013-2014 Fusion Energi did not get the 18-inch rims, all Energis came with 17-inch rims and LRR Michelin tires.

[TonyHzNV]

I thought the Appearance Package had 17-inch rims...

For 2014 (which I have), the Appearance Package on FFH SE includes the decklid spoiler, leather wrapped steering wheel, fog lamps, 18" premium painted sport wheels, and charcoal cloth w/red stitched seats. For 2015, the 18" wheels were changed to "17 in. 10 spoke aluminum wheels". The rest is the same. See the order guides. Edited April 29, 2015 by TonyHzNV

[hybridbear]

For 2014 (which I have), the Appearance Package on FFH SE includes the decklid spoiler, leather wrapped steering wheel, fog lamps, 18" premium painted sport wheels, and charcoal cloth w/red stitched seats. For 2015, the 18" wheels were changed to "17 in. 10 spoke aluminum wheels". The rest is the same. See the order guides.

Interesting! The 2013 FFH with Appearance Package came with 17-inch 5-spoke rims. Which rims do you have? Your Fuelly badge picture looks like 5-spoke rims...