'12 Volt to '16 FFH

[beejaycee]

Yesterday I picked up my new TiH (I think that means Titatinium Hybrid :)) and am overwhelmed! On the way home, we stopped at a restaurant and when the car parallel-parked itself on a busy street, I fell hopelessly in love! I really, really liked my Volt but any misgivings about giving it up are mostly gone after that.

 

What I liked about my Volt:

• Lifetime 94 MPG. I only used gas to go out of town.
• Electric motor smoothness. The Fusion is quiet but not on the same scale.
• Size. Perfect for a 1-2 person commuter car.
• Bluetooth interface. Once hooked up to my phone, the screen allowed direct access to phone apps like Stitcher, Pandora, etc. (I think the next MFT will have this but, come on! My Volt has had this for 3 years! Plus cheaper Ford sound systems have it.)
• Hatchback.
• On-Star phone app. Allowed me to start my car from my phone and it was nice & cool long before I got to it. Of course, it did other stuff but I am a big fan of not sweating my face off.
• Auto-locking doors when walking away from the car with the fob. Maybe the FFH does this but I haven't found it yet.
• One pedal driving. I would put the transmission in L and the car would use aggressive regen so I seldom had to touch the brake pedal unless I was coming to a complete stop.
• Charge port in a cubby the on top of the dash. Great for when I mounted my phone on the dash for navigation.
• Numeric psi tire pressure monitor. I could tell you the pressure on any tire. With the number of times I've picked up nails in my tires, I think this will be the feature I will miss the most.

What I like about my FFH (so far):

• Size. I don't have to pull the front seats forward to fit adults in the back seats.
• Power seats.
• Heated steering wheel (I think this is an option on Volts now); this may not be as big a deal as I think since I will no longer be dependent on a mediocre electric heater on cold mornings.
• Cooled seats. 94 degrees yesterday with humidity > 70%. You do the math.
• Self-parking. When I am ruler of the universe, this will be mandatory!
• Adaptive cruise control. Not as flashy as the self-parking but still awesome!
• Stay in lane assist.
• Center console buttons. Volts, like pre-'16 FFHs had capacitive buttons for a/c and misc. stuff. Um, no. Cool idea, looks great, but in the real world... um, no.

I'm sure there are more things that I'll remember that I'll miss about the Volt and new things I'll love about my FFH but I've only had 1/2 a day with it. I was so pushed for time that I didn't even have time for the full new car orientation with my salesman yet. I'll have to go back next week.

 

Things I am still looking for:

1. Is there a more aggressive regen braking option? I liked one-pedal driving plus it was more economical.
2. Is there an option to have the doors automatically lock when I walk away with the key fob?

BryanC

[CCalvinN]

Hey beejaycee, welcome to the forum and to your new HyTi (Hybrid Titanium).

 

A buddy of mine has a Volt and we'll often talk about how mixing the features of our two vehicles would produce one of the best cars ever. To answer you questions, so far as I know there is no 'more aggressive' regen braking option. Where the Volt's system is desgined to get you the most return on your regen, the FFH was designed to mimic the feeling of a regular automatic transmission. To get the most out of your regen you'll actually have to use the pedal. And I don't believe there is an option to have the doors automatically lock when you walk away. You'll have to tap the door handle to lock the doors on your way away from your car.

 

Enjoy your new ride!

[Waldo]

The 2016 already has a more aggressive regen than the earlier models, but a light touch on the brake pedal will produce more regen without using the friction brakes, so you get the same economy as if there was more aggressive regen on throttle-off. Learn to use the brake score monitor to help you find that sweet spot.

 

And no you can't walk away from the car and have it lock, I actually thought GM had discontinued that feature since it gave a lot of trouble. But as CCalviN notes, you just have to touch the little "button" on the top of the door handles to lock it. You should also learn how to use the keypad - change it to your own number, coordinate it with your memory seat settings (along with the keyfobs) and learn how to use it to lock your keys inside the car for those times when you don't want to carry them around.

[hybridbear]

Things I am still looking for:

1. Is there a more aggressive regen braking option? I liked one-pedal driving plus it was more economical.
2. Is there an option to have the doors automatically lock when I walk away with the key fob?

Welcome Bryan! I'm surprised that you would go from a PHEV to a hybrid. Did you look at the Fusion Energi? The Fusion Energi can achieve the one-pedal driving you're looking for by shifting to L. In the hybrid this doesn't work.

 

You can get an OBDII Bluetooth scanner and download FORScan to view individual tire pressures and all sorts of other data about the car. There is no way to just walk away & have the doors lock. Waldo's suggestion about the keypad is an excellent idea. This is what I do often.

 

A buddy of mine has a Volt and we'll often talk about how mixing the features of our two vehicles would produce one of the best cars ever.

I agree! I wish we could have an Energi with the 40+ mile EV range like the Volt.

[beejaycee]

Thanks for all of the input. I got spoiled with one pedal driving but the ACC makes up for losing it. And I'll just have to get it down to a reflex to lock the doors. Again, I got spoiled by the Volt and keep walking away from my F250 without locking it.

 

I thought about the Energi and that would have been my preferred solution but it seems that no one in my area services them, much less the dealer I wanted to use. It wasn't easy getting good service on the Volt and I am very thankful it was the most trouble free care I have ever owned (although the last Chevy dealer I found to be very good). I bought the FFH from this particular Ford dealer because the service on my F250 is excellent.

[billford]

The 2016 already has a more aggressive regen than the earlier models, but a light touch on the brake pedal will produce more regen without using the friction brakes, so you get the same economy as if there was more aggressive regen on throttle-off.

Which earlier models? Was there a design change between 2013-2015 vs 2016?

[beejaycee]

A buddy of mine has a Volt and we'll often talk about how mixing the features of our two vehicles would produce one of the best cars ever.

Oh, mama! Would that be an awesome car! The comfort of my HyTi with the range of my Volt! It would completely eliminate any residual lust I have for a Tesla.

 

On a side note, my first full day with the FFH we had to take a 500 mile road trip for a family emergency. With 528 miles on the car (95% highway), the lifetime MPG is 39.7! Not too shabby at all with speeds up to 75 MPH.

 

I wish there was an indicator on the dash to tell me when I am using regen braking vs. friction. The volt has an indicator to tell most efficient operation while accelerating or braking. The FFH 'coach' tells me after I stop; too late! But my numbers are good EXCEPT when I have an unexpected stop and my acceleration is good except in rush hour stop&go traffic. But ECO mode ACC is the stuff of dreams!

[machoman1337]

Congratulations. I almost bought a Volt myself but wasn't able to qualify for the provincial tax rebate of $8,500 because of a minimum residency requirement.

 

Do you find the infotainment system (MFT or MyFord Touch) of the FFH to be a step down from the Volt? In terms of features, MFT is superb, but its raw performance has always left something to be desired - even Toyota/Lexus touchscreen navs from 10 years ago have faster response times.

 

You know what would be the best combination of the Volt and the FFH/Energi?

 

Just picture hybrid or Energi badges on that thing... you'd get awesome mileage without sacrificing the trunk.

[beejaycee]

Do you find the infotainment system (MFT or MyFord Touch) of the FFH to be a step down from the Volt? In terms of features, MFT is superb, but its raw performance has always left something to be desired

Hardware-wise, the MFT screen definitely feels like an older (resistive maybe?) touchscreen compared to the Volt (definitely capacitive). It does not feel as responsive or as quick. I've pressed somethings twice because it took so long to respond to the first press. Still, it is better than the one on my 2010 F250.

Software-wise, not having ANY apps on a sound system in a car this advanced boggles my mind! I parallel park maybe once a week but I listen to Stitcher daily. I'll use Pandora more frequently than I'll need the car to park itself. I don't know if I'd say which system is more advanced, especially since I got Navigation on the FFH but not on the Volt, but it seems the Volt had a few options I definitely will miss.

 

Just for fun, I tried to get the navigation to direct me to 'Tchoupitoulas St' using voice commands. I was halfway there before I gave up and Googled it with my phone. Tchoupitoulas = chop-a-tool-us. Not a fair test but now I know. It didn't do any better as a POI for 'Couchon' Restaurant, (koo-shawn).

[ls97]

Just for fun, I tried to get the navigation to direct me to 'Tchoupitoulas St' using voice commands. I was halfway there before I gave up and Googled it with my phone. Tchoupitoulas = chop-a-tool-us. Not a fair test but now I know. It didn't do any better as a POI for 'Couchon' Restaurant, (koo-shawn).

 

Are you familiar with the Ford Sync Services? Both my Ford Edge and Ford C-Max Energi came with the service which I registered for. The Edge had 3 years of free services, with 20 operator assisted calls per year. When I traded the Edge in on the C-Max, the remaining free calls rolled over to the C-Max.

 

I have used the services for business searches, locating a POI when the factory navigation unit couldn't find it, and to have it send directions directly to the car while I was driving. It also includes traffic, weather, sports, and a few other things. After the 3 years of free service, I think on the Ford it costs around $60.00 per year. Much better than On Star in my opinion, and a lot less expensive. I think On Star includes only a 6 month trial period?

[hybridbear]

Are you familiar with the Ford Sync Services? Both my Ford Edge and Ford C-Max Energi came with the service which I registered for. The Edge had 3 years of free services, with 20 operator assisted calls per year. When I traded the Edge in on the C-Max, the remaining free calls rolled over to the C-Max.

Besides that, you can also use Sync Destinations for those hard to speak names.

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/8759-sync-destinations-app/

[machoman1337]

Hardware-wise, the MFT screen definitely feels like an older (resistive maybe?) touchscreen compared to the Volt (definitely capacitive). It does not feel as responsive or as quick. I've pressed somethings twice because it took so long to respond to the first press. Still, it is better than the one on my 2010 F250.

Software-wise, not having ANY apps on a sound system in a car this advanced boggles my mind! I parallel park maybe once a week but I listen to Stitcher daily. I'll use Pandora more frequently than I'll need the car to park itself. I don't know if I'd say which system is more advanced, especially since I got Navigation on the FFH but not on the Volt, but it seems the Volt had a few options I definitely will miss.

 

Just for fun, I tried to get the navigation to direct me to 'Tchoupitoulas St' using voice commands. I was halfway there before I gave up and Googled it with my phone. Tchoupitoulas = chop-a-tool-us. Not a fair test but now I know. It didn't do any better as a POI for 'Couchon' Restaurant, (koo-shawn).

 

Try to pronounce it like an "idiot" would.

 

Csaba Csere of Car and Driver tested the system by calling himself - he told the MFT to call "cuh-sa-ba cuh-ser-reh", even though the pronunciation is more like "cha-ba che-reh". It worked.

[GrySql]

 

Try to pronounce it like an "idiot" would.

Ah, finally - an explanation I can understand!

:hi5: ;)

[hybridbear]

 

Try to pronounce it like an "idiot" would.

 

Csaba Csere of Car and Driver tested the system by calling himself - he told the MFT to call "cuh-sa-ba cuh-ser-reh", even though the pronunciation is more like "cha-ba che-reh". It worked.

You have to pronounce any foreign words like the letters would go in English. If I want MFT to call someone from my contacts with a Hispanic name I have to say the name with an English accent. The funniest is when I get texts in Spanish & have MFT read them. Sometimes I can figure out what the text says, sometimes I can't, but it always makes me laugh hearing MFT fail at reading Spanish lol

[corncobs]

You have to pronounce any foreign words like the letters would go in English. If I want MFT to call someone from my contacts with a Hispanic name I have to say the name with an English accent. The funniest is when I get texts in Spanish & have MFT read them. Sometimes I can figure out what the text says, sometimes I can't, but it always makes me laugh hearing MFT fail at reading Spanish lol

I would guess it sounds equally funny as German or any foreign language but at least she tries.

[hybridbear]

I would guess it sounds equally funny as German or any foreign language but at least she tries.

The system also cannot read emojis like Siri will. So if you get texts with emojis they are just skipped by MFT. I imagine it would sound hilarious in German...

[Waldo]

You have to pronounce any foreign words like the letters would go in English. If I want MFT to call someone from my contacts with a Hispanic name I have to say the name with an English accent. The funniest is when I get texts in Spanish & have MFT read them. Sometimes I can figure out what the text says, sometimes I can't, but it always makes me laugh hearing MFT fail at reading Spanish lol

 

In earlier versions of Sync you had to pronouce "Juanes" (properly Wa-nez) as Jew-anes. Ironically though Juanes was actually a spokesperson for the Sync system and did a few Hispanic commercials. So now it's been fixed and you can say Wa-nez even if you're in the English setting.