What's your long term fuel economy

[Rex362]

I did a Chicago to Toronto run and thats 90% highway

and only did 33 mpg total trip back and forth

 

highways speed was steady 75mph

Edited January 6, 2010 by Rex362

[acdii]

I did a Chicago to Toronto run and thats 90% highway

and only did 33 mpg total trip back and forth

 

highways speed was steady 75mph

 

Yah did it wrong! lol Next time, try this little trick I discovered driving the Prius. Find a flatbed truck, preferably one with a low load on it like steel. Get behind it by 1 1/2 seconds, no less than that, 2 at the most, and keep speed with it. This works with non hybrids too. I was getting 65 MPG in the Prius, 45 MPG in the Camry. With any luck you may even see 50 MPG in the FFH, I see 32 in the Sport with the V6 doing this. Whats funny is the TCH got better highway MPG than city, damned car was assbackwards, no wonder I didn't like it.

[lolder]

I did a little 8.5 mile low speed tour around my town tonight and got 49.6 mpg at 41 F. This tour produced 60.3 mpg a few months ago at 70 F.

Edited January 10, 2010 by lolder

[Oman]

I have found that I get better cold weather mileage if I park the car with the HVB drained, rather than over 1/2, if I choose to warm the car up before starting out. This seems to be due to the fact that the FFH will charge the HVB and warm up at the same time. If the HVB is more than 3/4 or so it seems to have to waste some of that warmup energy. It also warms up faster if the HVB is low... I think it works the ICE harder to warm up faster if it knows that the energy is not going to waste.

 

Jon

 

 

I'm in the Commonwealth of Virginia as well, north of Charlottesville, so our weather experiences will be similar. We have lots of different questions at play here, some regarding mileage, some related to wear, and some related to sound ecological practices. I think the issue of warming up the FFH in the driveway, related to mpg issues anyway, may also be dependent upon what kind of initial driving environment starting up and driving it puts it in. For example, my initial driving situation will always be uphill for the first mile or so. Warming it up in the driveway might make more sense, getting it quickly to optimum operating heat range, because it will labor a bit uphill. On the other hand, from a mileage point of view, it might make more sense to at least be putting miles under my belt while warming it up. I have the option of warming up in the garage, which runs around 55 degrees so that might work if I don't kill myself in the process. :)

[ace43]

When the cold temperatures started here in Virginia, my mpg seemed to decline. However, it has only dropped 2 or 3 mpg, and on a trip yesterday, I still managed 40 mpg on a 50 mile trip. I did turn the heater off as the heated seats seemed to be enough. The outside temperature never got over 32. My overall mileage has only dropped from 39.7 to 38.2. Now I'm starting to wonder if the Spring and Summer might not bring much better mileage because I only picked up the FFH in November, and it hasn't been in temperatures over 70 yet. We'll see.

[lolder]

I have found that I get better cold weather mileage if I park the car with the HVB drained, rather than over 1/2, if I choose to warm the car up before starting out. This seems to be due to the fact that the FFH will charge the HVB and warm up at the same time. If the HVB is more than 3/4 or so it seems to have to waste some of that warmup energy. It also warms up faster if the HVB is low... I think it works the ICE harder to warm up faster if it knows that the energy is not going to waste.

 

Jon

In our first really cold weather in Florida (40 F.), I have seen all the behavior Northern Posters describe; long running engine warm-up, high battery charge amount, no regen braking (HVB SOC was high). At start up, the ICE wants to run mostly when cabin heat is called for. After it's first short run for checks and vacuum, it will still shut down if you slow below 12 mph and you aren't calling for heat. You can keep it in EV until the HVB low SOC calls for the ICE to run. Then turn the heat on. The computer seems to charge the HVB quite high to load the ICE more. When you see the charging arrow disappear, turn the heat off and the ICE will stop when you go below 12 mph again. I don't think warm-up in P is necessary. Everything is designed to keep the load on the ICE as high as possible when it's running. At 30 mph, you should see about 30-35 mpg on the instantaneous gauge. If it goes up to over 40 mpg, it's not running efficiently. Try to help it. While doing all this, you'll probably have an accident or freeze to death. This is a video game with real life consequences. Or put everything on "AUTO" and hit the Sirius.

 

Lee

[oldschool1962]

I have a whole laundry list of issues but I'm only going to focus on the mileage. Basically....at my last visit for many of the problems I have mentioned in other posts.....the Sales rep, service reps and techs have all told me to just drive the car. Don't try and massage mileage, try for that little extra MPG, force the car into EV mode or try to get the regen system to charge the battery. Exact words were....."Drive the car like you would the one you just traded in. Ignore it's a Hybrid"

 

Well....first off......I don't believe that is the purpose to the purchase but......I have been doing what they said. They said that was maybe a reason the car was acting funny or causing issues or at least that's what I perceived they meant by changing..........

 

Honestly.....on my soul................I don't drive like a maniac to begin with. Defensive but I also dont get caught in a jam or will do my best to get away from that proverbial "Wolf Pack". I always hover right around the Speed limit....maybe 2-3 mph over. I don't do "Jack-rabbit starts", even when I was driving the Odyssey, I kept the tach RPM's between 2000 and 2500 when driving from a stop. I don't race folks nor do I need to be first in line at the light but I'm not afraid to use the power if need be so........I really mean I'm a very consciences driver! Not just saying it to sound like a.............

 

Right now................My mileage sucks I mean outright sucks. On our trip I averaged around 42 +- for average and 40 +- for long-term and recently.....pre service appt.......it wasn't what was advertised when I was driving for MPG's but respectable.......37 average and 35 Long-term

But even with the driving the way I was told by Ford..........I still have some of the issues I mentioned in other posts but now I am getting a combined MPG of 33.7 and my Long term is around 32.

 

Funny thing though today..........at 52mph.....while accellerating (allbeit not hard but I had pressure on the pedal)...............the car turned off the ICE and went with the Electric motor only. I know this because both the HEV screen on the Nav and the power gauge in the "engage" setting showed only battery operating the vehicle. The only thing was the power gauge didn't register the EV Mode at the bottom. Per the manual and many other sources....this is not only an impossibility per design but another imposibility because of "damage caused to the ECVT" Now ya'll can explain that one.

 

 

I'm done trying to figure this car out. I appreciate the fact that some of ya'll have sent me ideas for diagnosing things but..........Being a consumer who just dropped 35 grand on a car.....it's not my job to figure out what;s wrong with it. If the Service Dept can't then Ford can have it back and diagnose to their hearts content.

it's not my job to do their job. I want the car that was sold to me through the sales ad's, articles, reviews and advertisments.............. not the one I have.

Edited January 11, 2010 by oldschool1962

[ace43]

I've only had mine two months and 1500 miles, and so far not even a hiccup. Maybe taking it back to the dealer will change all that, eh?

 

Regarding getting good mileage, and even hypermiling techniques, I can't see how such efforts would cause problems unless taken to extremes. As regards the dealer saying something like "just take it out and drive it", that seems to me just the typical irresponsible position dealers can take to redirect issues back at the customer. Driving passively, using EV mode judiciously, and attempting to increase mileage can't be a problem for a hybrid automobile unless there is a design flaw in the system.

[Grey]

5030 miles, 36.2 MPG, problems "0", satisfaction 100%. (Best MPG= 54.1 over 100 miles.) Last tank 34.5 MPG - below freezing for a week.

[skluck]

I guess I'll chime in with my experiences after 8000 miles. I drive the speed limit, 90% highway @ 70mph. I don't do any weird hypermiling things

 

50+ Degrees = 38-39mpg

30-40 Degrees = 35-37mpg

20-30 Degrees = 33-35mpg

0-20 Degrees 31-33mpg

 

Elevation seems to play a fair part as well. I noticed on my 50 mile commute (1 way) I was getting 41 on the way to work, but 39 on the way home. I went to the info screen on the nav and looked up the elevation gps info and my work is about 250 feet lower than my house.

[ctrcbob]

Don't get angered by what I'm posting below, as I hope to purchase a FFH in the near future. Thought about a Gen III Prius, but my wife hates the looks of the Prius, and as the saying goes, "Happy wife, happy life".

 

Last January, my best friend in Roswell NM won a Gen II Prius at the Billy the Kid Casino, in Ruidoso NM. He had to pick it up at the Toyota Dealer in Alamagordo NM. In the year he has owned the car, he has put on over 20,000 miles. He drives to Ruidoso two or three times a week, 140+ miles round trip. Also took one trip to Dallas and one trip to Phoenix. Other than that, he just drives it around Roswell. When I was there, I got tired of hearing how good his milage was, and asked him just how good is it tank to tank. He said that he sometimes calculates it, but mostly just reads the (instant) mpg. I then told him that the instand mpg does not mean a thing and that somewhere in his display, he has a "total" mpg display. He said he never saw it. So........ I started to push on the touch screen, and found a screen that shows his mpg for the last 10 miles, 20 miles, 30, 40 and 50 miles, PLUS the total avg mpg. I asked him when was the last time he reset it. He answered that he never reset it. Did not even know he had such a screen. OK, now I'm thinking that either the total avg mpg resets itself whenever he fills up with gas, or it only resets when he touches the correct place on the touch screen. After I returned to Florida, I talked with a guy who has the exact same car as my buddy, and he told me that the total mpg only resets when he touches the reset on the touch screen. OK, ready for this????

 

My buddys total mpg from the time he picked it up, until 20,000+ miles later read 49.5 mpg. I was impressed. 49.5 mpg for over 20K miles.

 

I still want a FFH, however I'm impressed with the Gen II Prius, and would love to try a Gen III Prius.

[lolder]

The Prius gets at least 10 mpg better than the FFH. It is a great car and the leader of the Hybrid revolution. It is not perfect. It is a hatchback and the rear seats fold down. For some that's a deciding factor. It has some gadgets that the FFH doesn't have and lacks others. The rear view is awful without the TV camera which is now pricey. The Prius is very avant-garde in appearance. I like it, some don't. It doesn't have BLIS and CTA. The FFH is 700 lbs. heavier and rides slightly smoother and quieter. The FFH is a little bit quicker in acceleration and slightly bigger inside and out. The design philosophies are almost exactly the same. Prius has an enviable reliability record. The Prius is made in Japan and the FFH in Mexico. I have six friends and relatives with Prius's. They love them. I bought a FFH and love it. Once you're getting about 40 mpg., additional mpg gains are difficult and the monetary savings are smaller. There's not a lot of difference in going from 20 to 40 mpg. or 20 to 50 mpg. Get the one your Wife wants or get one of each. There's still a small tax credit until Spring on the FFH. Similarly equipped they're very close in price. You're more noticeably a tree-hugger in the Prius so expect that. With either one you can have the most fun you've ever had in a car except in a Drive-In Movie.

 

Lee

[jeff_h]

Right now................My mileage sucks I mean outright sucks.

 

I've had my FFH for 7 months and 21,000 miles... before that I had a Prius for 3½ years and 128.000 miles. Every winter I found that the MPG would take a hit of about 10%, and the FFH is doing the same, and even more since we've had a bit of a cold snap.

 

Back in Sep my long term MPG had made it up to 42.3 at 9,000 miles... and I knew it would not last. Now with 21,000 and the cold weather, it is now at 37.8.

 

It will continue to take an MPG hit as long as the cold weather is in town. As the thermometer rises you will very likely see your MPG do the same.

[Howie411]

Its started to get warm in VA this week, (well warm I mean 45-50ish) compared to the 15-20 its been for the last month or so and I've noticed my MPG have gone up a good 5-8. I usually was hovering around 34-35 and now I'm hovering around 41-42

[ace43]

Same experience in Central Virginia. Temps had been in the 20s and 30s, now over 50 today. My long term had dropped into the 37s and today's trip netted a 41. It will be interesting to see what happens when the temps get back into the 70s. My FFH has only rarely seen those.

[Jamooche]

[Note: I have two fork mount Thule bike racks with a Thule fairlead. This decreases my MPG by about 2. ]

 

I live in MA and with the bike rack was getting about 36MPG in the warmer weather. Since it has been cold out, I'm averaging about 29-30MPG. My long term mileage is 32MPG.

 

I wish it was a lot more, but it's better than the non-hybrid, and I love this car for it's comfort, features, etc.

Edited January 20, 2010 by Jamooche

[junehhan]

Here is what I can summarize from my experiences so far. I've now put 4000 miles on it since taking delivery of it in October.

 

The Fusion Hybrid like other full hybrid vehicles on the market, hates cold weather and short trips. Short trips hurt fuel economy for obvious reasons as it doesn't have much of a chance to get into EV mode. Same for really cold weather. Here is what i'm finding

 

When the outside temperature is above 50 degrees, i'm getting 39-44mpg.

 

When the outside temperature is between 30 - 50 degrees, I usually get 34-37mpg.

 

When the outside temperature is below 30, I get around 31 - 33mpg. If I combine this with trips that are less than 10 miles long, I have gotten high 20's on VERY cold days.

[VonoreTn]

8K mile update on my full record of mpg since it was new is attached. My average keeps dropping. The dealer told me he has a friend at the gasoline distribution points and they are being told to use 15% ethanol, despite what the pump says. So I just filled up with 100% gas. The dealer said you can still find one 100% gas station in just about every town. A lot of older cars can't stand any ethanol.

 

By the way, if you are adding air to your tires to get better mileage, keep these two things in mind. In general if you go over 38 psi, you start to reduce the tire to the road patch size, making your emergency braking less effective, like longer distance to stop.

 

Secondly, you are also increasing the tire rolling radius, but your computer odometer just counts revolutions with a fixed rolling radius based on the specification air pressure. So you might want to check your odometer against marked mileage markers, like check it on a straight section of highway for at least 5 miles. You might find that your odometer is reading fewer miles by a percent or 2 than you actually went, which means you can increase your mpg calculation by that percentage.

 

 

Edited January 23, 2010 by VonoreTn

[Jamooche]

I guess I'll chime in with my experiences after 8000 miles. I drive the speed limit, 90% highway @ 70mph. I don't do any weird hypermiling things

 

50+ Degrees = 38-39mpg

30-40 Degrees = 35-37mpg

20-30 Degrees = 33-35mpg

0-20 Degrees 31-33mpg

 

Elevation seems to play a fair part as well. I noticed on my 50 mile commute (1 way) I was getting 41 on the way to work, but 39 on the way home. I went to the info screen on the nav and looked up the elevation gps info and my work is about 250 feet lower than my house.

 

Where are you located? No matter how I drive, I can't seem to get the average MPGs above 30. It's been in the 30s-40s in the past couple weeks and I'm averaging just under 30MPG.

[engratsea]

Where are you located? No matter how I drive, I can't seem to get the average MPGs above 30. It's been in the 30s-40s in the past couple weeks and I'm averaging just under 30MPG.

 

For me the largest factor while driving in the cold is the length of the drive. If you are only driving a few miles then the mileage is going to be low while the car warms up. How long are your normal commutes?

 

I took the car hiking at 10K+ feet yesterday in a wind chill of around -10; the entire drive was approx 30 miles each way. I averaged 28.8 on the way up and over 70 on the way down. There was one stretch of 9 miles when I stopped and recorded a 99.9; going down hill is great.

[Jamooche]

For me the largest factor while driving in the cold is the length of the drive. If you are only driving a few miles then the mileage is going to be low while the car warms up. How long are your normal commutes?

 

I took the car hiking at 10K+ feet yesterday in a wind chill of around -10; the entire drive was approx 30 miles each way. I averaged 28.8 on the way up and over 70 on the way down. There was one stretch of 9 miles when I stopped and recorded a 99.9; going down hill is great.

 

My normal commute is 30 miles and it's been a fairly mild winter. I'm still averaging around 29 MPG. I always use cruise control set around 70 MPH. There's usually a lot of traffic, forcing me to drive conservatively too.

 

In the last week it hasn't gone below freezing and I'm up averaging 30.2 MPG on the last 375 miles. It's still good, but not as great as I had hoped when I bought the car.

[VonoreTn]

My normal commute is 30 miles and it's been a fairly mild winter. I'm still averaging around 29 MPG. I always use cruise control set around 70 MPH. There's usually a lot of traffic, forcing me to drive conservatively too.

 

In the last week it hasn't gone below freezing and I'm up averaging 30.2 MPG on the last 375 miles. It's still good, but not as great as I had hoped when I bought the car.

 

If you want significantly better mileage, slow down to 60-65 and don't use speed control. I'm not recommending it, it might not be worth it for you to compromise travel time and the convenience of speed control. But you might zero your trip mpg and try it once, just as an experiment. Speed control aggressively accelerates on minor hills to maintain speed, enriching the fuel mixture unnecessarily. A steady foot on the pedal doesn't do that if you can deal with the speed variation.

[ace43]

Agreed! You can improve on the cruise control, especially in hilly terrains, by accelerating downhill and using that increased speed to get you up the next hill without having to use as much gas.

[Zacher]

Darn this cold weather. Mileage has dropped to an AVG of 8.8L/100Km Can't wait for summer :D

[jerrieric]

I live in Maine and it is cold. Like my motorcycle I assume car MPG goes down when the cold weather sets in. I just bought the Hybrid a week ago and have 560 miles on it. Back and forth to work, up and down hills and driving 55 on the turnpike I average 39. But I must say I have changed my driving habits significantly. I try to drive efficiently but as someone else has written, at times you cannot due to holding up traffic. I just did a 150 mile circuit today, all back roads to and from Mt Washington NH. Now there are allot of mountains but driving normally I still averaged 38.7. All I can say is " I love this car"! Traded an '02 Chevy Avalanche. Still have an Avalanche in the garage for those snowmobile trips to Canada. The only disappointment I have is with the GPS. I find it very difficult to set way points while driving. Any suggests would be appreciated.