The 6 1/2 hr drive home in the snow

[Howie411]

So I'm pretty impressed, just drove home from work (took 6 1/2 hrs) because of a snow storm we had in the middle of the day and my FFH handled very well. Only 2 times ever did my car get stuck (once on a high hill, and i was able to quickly rock it off) and once pulling into my drive way through a huge pile of snow. I saw numerous cars spun out all over the place. So nevertheless I'm impressed with how well it handled. Though I'm sad to report my average MPG for that drive was about 15 (for 22 miles)

 

 

I did smell some burnt rubber a few times, hopefully I didn't ruin my tires.

[CometFlash]

So I'm pretty impressed, just drove home from work (took 6 1/2 hrs) because of a snow storm we had in the middle of the day and my FFH handled very well. Only 2 times ever did my car get stuck (once on a high hill, and i was able to quickly rock it off) and once pulling into my drive way through a huge pile of snow. I saw numerous cars spun out all over the place. So nevertheless I'm impressed with how well it handled. Though I'm sad to report my average MPG for that drive was about 15 (for 22 miles)

 

 

I did smell some burnt rubber a few times, hopefully I didn't ruin my tires.

 

Thanks for the info, been looking for winter driving impressions with the FFH. Do you have the stock FFH tires on your car, or do you have a set of Winter tires on?

[Howie411]

Thanks for the info, been looking for winter driving impressions with the FFH. Do you have the stock FFH tires on your car, or do you have a set of Winter tires on?

 

 

Still using the stock tires with about 12k miles on them.

Edited January 27, 2011 by Howie411

[georgeny]

I also thank you for your information as I am considering possible purchase of FFH or more probably the Lincoln version somewhere in the future. In meantime living in northeast I am very interested in how they handle winter weather.

 

Can't really complain about gas mileage in such conditions, they would be expected to be really skewed like any car in comparable situation.

 

Thanks again

George in NY

[dogo88]

I also thank you for your information as I am considering possible purchase of FFH or more probably the Lincoln version somewhere in the future. In meantime living in northeast I am very interested in how they handle winter weather.

 

Can't really complain about gas mileage in such conditions, they would be expected to be really skewed like any car in comparable situation.

 

Thanks again

George in NY

 

Hey George. Here in Central NJ you know we've been hammered with snow this season. I've had my FFH since May 2009 with 18k miles and two winters under our belt. No snow issues at all. Stock tires and the traction control run well on snow.

 

Dan

[Milan_OH]

So I'm pretty impressed, just drove home from work (took 6 1/2 hrs) because of a snow storm we had in the middle of the day and my FFH handled very well. Only 2 times ever did my car get stuck (once on a high hill, and i was able to quickly rock it off) and once pulling into my drive way through a huge pile of snow. I saw numerous cars spun out all over the place. So nevertheless I'm impressed with how well it handled. Though I'm sad to report my average MPG for that drive was about 15 (for 22 miles)

 

 

I did smell some burnt rubber a few times, hopefully I didn't ruin my tires.

 

 

'burnt rubber' smell. That surprises me, you must have had the traction control off since it prevents the tires from excessive spinning. Good thing they didn't catch fire like the guy in Atlanta a couple weeks ago. That was hilarious.

 

Otherwise, I think the vehicle handles the snow/slippery roads adequately...not great for a front wheel drive sedan. I think the low rolling resistance (LRR) tire are largely to blame. They must be a harder durometer rubber compound to achieve the LRR, so the trade-off should be expected. My next set of tires will be something different.

 

 

MMH - 26K miles

 

Jack in Ohio

[Jaradel]

Hey Howie, I drove home in that mess last night too - though I camped out at my office until midnight before I decided to take my chances. I was pleased with how my FFH handled as well. I did spend most of the time going about 15 - 20 mph, so my trip MPG ended up being around 33; I think I was in EV mode for a good portion of the trip. It was brutal last night!

[Blue Oval]

I've been very pleased with my FFH's handling in the snow also, using stock tires/rims and driving in northern NJ where we are having record-breaking amounts of snow as well. One time, though, I couldn't make it out of my friend's driveway where he has an extremely steep incline. Finally after 10 minutes of numerous failed attempts I turned off the traction control and, although there was a lot of tire spin and burning smell to deal with, the car surprisingly climbed the ice & snow-covered hill as if it had 4-wheel-drive. I don't understand why Ford doesn't make the Fusion Hybrid available with AWD when it is an option on the Escape Hybrid.

[EGFP]

The vehicle handles very well in the winter. It is quite heavy (at almost 4,000 lbs.) for a hybrid. It has a low center of gravity. The only thing is that there is a big drop in mileage when it is very cold.

[CometFlash]

The MPG drop is to be expected, of course. Anyone running on Winter tires, and if so, what kind? Thinking it's prob a good idea to snag a set for NE winters.

[lolder]

I've been very pleased with my FFH's handling in the snow also, using stock tires/rims and driving in northern NJ where we are having record-breaking amounts of snow as well. One time, though, I couldn't make it out of my friend's driveway where he has an extremely steep incline. Finally after 10 minutes of numerous failed attempts I turned off the traction control and, although there was a lot of tire spin and burning smell to deal with, the car surprisingly climbed the ice & snow-covered hill as if it had 4-wheel-drive. I don't understand why Ford doesn't make the Fusion Hybrid available with AWD when it is an option on the Escape Hybrid.

The FEH AWD takes a 4 mpg hit over the FWD and they wanted the FFH to beat the TCH by a lot. Hardly anybody needs AWD anyway ( what's "snow" ? ).

[georgeny]

Hey George. Here in Central NJ you know we've been hammered with snow this season. I've had my FFH since May 2009 with 18k miles and two winters under our belt. No snow issues at all. Stock tires and the traction control run well on snow.

 

Dan

 

Hi Dan, Thanks for the additional information, yes we have all been hammered this year. I am 35 miles north of NYC starting to look like canyons of snow here. Running out of places to push it. I also travel near you I would think, Somerville, every two weeks or so. On another thread there was a report of a heat / defrost problem by one person. Seems that no one else is reporting that, can I presume you also have no such issues. If I were to wind up stuck in traffic for hours I would really like to be nice and warm at least.

 

If you have no problems in central Jersey this year I can't see that I would have any either.

 

George in nY

Edited January 28, 2011 by georgeny

[dogo88]

Hi Dan, Thanks for the additional information, yes we have all been hammered this year. I am 35 miles north of NYC starting to look like canyons of snow here. Running out of places to push it. I also travel near you I would think, Somerville, every two weeks or so. On another thread there was a report of a heat / defrost problem by one person. Seems that no one else is reporting that, can I presume you also have no such issues. If I were to wind up stuck in traffic for hours I would really like to be nice and warm at least.

 

If you have no problems in central Jersey this year I can't see that I would have any either.

 

George in nY

 

George, Nope, no heat or any problems with my FFH.

 

Dan

[irishapple21]

I live in Central New Jersey and we've been hit by the most snow that we've had in 62 years. I have owned a 2010 FFH for about two weeks. So far, the FFH has handled winter weather well. I haven't had any problems with traction. Of course, I have kept the speed down in the bad weather, but I've averaged 33 mpg overall and up to 41.8 mpg in city driving with the heater and radio on. The only tire problem I had was when I struck hidden debris on the New Jersey Turnpike and had to replace a tire. Unfortunately, Michelin doesn't offer a warranty against road hazard damage even for the first few thousand miles, unlike some other brands.

[Eugr]

The MPG drop is to be expected, of course. Anyone running on Winter tires, and if so, what kind? Thinking it's prob a good idea to snag a set for NE winters.

 

WInter tires make a lot of difference, really! Doesn't really matter which ones, I prefer Michelin X-Ice. Completely different driving experience.

I don't understand why people use so called "all-season" tires in snowy places...

[Myron Graessle]

Living in Maine with a long commute and the potential for heavy snow, I replaced the stock tires with Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 snow tires. I drive from Portland to Augusta, Maine most days. This is a 90% freeway drive. The Blizzaks are awesome in all snow and ice conditions, and don't add a lot of road noise on the highway when it's dry.

 

The only time that I ever had a snow challenge was after a blowing snowstorm added a 20" drift in the front of my car. After brushing off 8" of snow off the top of car, I decided to see if I could push my way over the drift without shoveling. I rocked back and forth a three or four times and pushed through the drift to the plowed section and off I went.

 

The Maine highway folks do a good job of keeping the freeways plowed, so mostly I end up driving in slush or snow pack. While I don't drive much over 45 mph in these conditions, I have complete confidence in my Fusion / Blizzak combination. At 45 mph, my Fusion switched between gas and electric as I mushed along the freeway. I ended up around 38 mpg for that trip.

 

There has been a big dropoff in mileage since the warm months when I was averaging about 38 mpg. Now, it's down to about 32. My last refuel was 30.8, but the temperatures have been really cold, between -5F and 10F. I haven't noticed a significant drop in gas mileage with the snow tires. If you want to see the graph, look here... Fuelly

 

All in all, I have no reservations about buying a Fusion and adding snow tires if you are in snowy climates.

 

Myron

Edited January 29, 2011 by _8253

[runutzzzzz]

I too was stuck in that crap last week, luckly I was in my Yukon Hybrid! my 35 mile commute took over 4 hours.

 

Here's a post I made on facebook:

 

"4+ hours to get home last night, from jumping curbs and medians, in the train of cars going up the wrong side of Sunset Hills, venturing down dark unplowed streets alone with 8" of snow, downed trees in the middle of the road where myself and 5 other drivers use a hand saw to cut the tree and playing dodge the cars stuck on the hill, The GMC Yukon Hybrid was still able to deliver 17MPG - Eat your heart out Prius."

 

LOL

 

I actually got 17.9 MPG. One of the most annoying things of that night was the fact that people do not know how to drive in the snow! If you are going up a hill and start losing traction, DON'T STOP!!!! Idiots!

[AptosDriver]

I am mulling over whether to buy an FFH for my wife later this year, to replace her '00 Volvo S70 GLT SE which will soon be heading north of 115,000 miles. Still no problem on a Volvo, and I'm not interested in replacing it with any other ICE-powered car, but I'm thinking a hybrid would be a good idea at this point. I'm glad to hear that your cars have all performed well in the snow and that the heaters work well. :yahoo: We only get rain and some frost during what passes for winter where we live, so snow's never a problem for us. :shades: (And if we ever wanted to "go to the snow" in the Sierra Nevada, we'd take our six-cylinder, AWD '07 RAV4.) Anyway, it's encouraging to read these positive real-world reviews of the FFH. The other hybrid I've been seriously considering is the Toyota Camry hybrid. And now there's a new car in my mix -- the Kia Optima hybrid with lithium-ion battery technology. (There's no Hyundai dealer near us, but Kia is using the same drive train as the one in Hyundai's Sonata hybrid.) From everything I read lately, lithium-ion batteries are the wave of the future for hybrid cars. The question I have about the Kia is whether it's to soon to start surfing this wave. I'm not the early-adopter sort. (That's also why I have hesitations about the FFH, which is just now in its second model year.) On the other hand, Kia offers a hell of a warranty. Decisions, decisions ... :baby:

[CometFlash]

I am mulling over whether to buy an FFH for my wife later this year, to replace her '00 Volvo S70 GLT SE which will soon be heading north of 115,000 miles. Still no problem on a Volvo, and I'm not interested in replacing it with any other ICE-powered car, but I'm thinking a hybrid would be a good idea at this point. I'm glad to hear that your cars have all performed well in the snow and that the heaters work well. :yahoo: We only get rain and some frost during what passes for winter where we live, so snow's never a problem for us. :shades: (And if we ever wanted to "go to the snow" in the Sierra Nevada, we'd take our six-cylinder, AWD '07 RAV4.) Anyway, it's encouraging to read these positive real-world reviews of the FFH. The other hybrid I've been seriously considering is the Toyota Camry hybrid. And now there's a new car in my mix -- the Kia Optima hybrid with lithium-ion battery technology. (There's no Hyundai dealer near us, but Kia is using the same drive train as the one in Hyundai's Sonata hybrid.) From everything I read lately, lithium-ion batteries are the wave of the future for hybrid cars. The question I have about the Kia is whether it's to soon to start surfing this wave. I'm not the early-adopter sort. (That's also why I have hesitations about the FFH, which is just now in its second model year.) On the other hand, Kia offers a hell of a warranty. Decisions, decisions ... :baby:

 

For what it's worth, my father has worked as the assistant auto manager for Sears for well over 35 years, and he says Kia's have to be the worst pieces of metal on the road he's ever seen. He refers to them as the "throw-away camera" of automobiles. No reason you have to trust him, but I do. Just thought I'd throw that tidbit out there. Like myself, he won't ever buy a toyota; but doesn't have anything particularly bad to say about them. But the Kia's... :unsure:

 

Just starting to get the hang of some of the FFH driver info stuff on mine. I got her to a 33 avg MPG drive today. Not bad considering the heater seems to keep the ICE going most of the time in this weather.

[AptosDriver]

For what it's worth, my father has worked as the assistant auto manager for Sears for well over 35 years, and he says Kia's have to be the worst pieces of metal on the road he's ever seen. He refers to them as the "throw-away camera" of automobiles. No reason you have to trust him, but I do. Just thought I'd throw that tidbit out there. Like myself, he won't ever buy a toyota; but doesn't have anything particularly bad to say about them. But the Kia's... :unsure:

 

Just starting to get the hang of some of the FFH driver info stuff on mine. I got her to a 33 avg MPG drive today. Not bad considering the heater seems to keep the ICE going most of the time in this weather.

Well, that's certainly a cautionary note. Clearly, he doesn't think they've improved any. You sure he wasn't talking about Yugos? :shift:

[Jaradel]

I am mulling over whether to buy an FFH for my wife later this year, to replace her '00 Volvo S70 GLT SE which will soon be heading north of 115,000 miles. Still no problem on a Volvo, and I'm not interested in replacing it with any other ICE-powered car, but I'm thinking a hybrid would be a good idea at this point. I'm glad to hear that your cars have all performed well in the snow and that the heaters work well. :yahoo: We only get rain and some frost during what passes for winter where we live, so snow's never a problem for us. :shades: (And if we ever wanted to "go to the snow" in the Sierra Nevada, we'd take our six-cylinder, AWD '07 RAV4.) Anyway, it's encouraging to read these positive real-world reviews of the FFH. The other hybrid I've been seriously considering is the Toyota Camry hybrid. And now there's a new car in my mix -- the Kia Optima hybrid with lithium-ion battery technology. (There's no Hyundai dealer near us, but Kia is using the same drive train as the one in Hyundai's Sonata hybrid.) From everything I read lately, lithium-ion batteries are the wave of the future for hybrid cars. The question I have about the Kia is whether it's to soon to start surfing this wave. I'm not the early-adopter sort. (That's also why I have hesitations about the FFH, which is just now in its second model year.) On the other hand, Kia offers a hell of a warranty. Decisions, decisions ... :baby:

 

I have a friend who traded in a fairly new Camry Hybrid because it was in the shop more than it was out, and replaced it with a Fusion Hybrid. Haven't heard her complain about her car since. As for me, I've put 3500 miles on my FFH and I'm loving every minute of driving it.

[runutzzzzz]

I have a friend who traded in a fairly new Camry Hybrid because it was in the shop more than it was out, and replaced it with a Fusion Hybrid. Haven't heard her complain about her car since. As for me, I've put 3500 miles on my FFH and I'm loving every minute of driving it.

 

 

I'm glad she got smart, I've said it 100 times, the Camry Hybrid is a big POS. I had one for two years and after getting the FFH, I can't believe that people still buy that POS! FFH's hybrid technology is far better than Toyotas! Build quality is much better also.

 

As far as a Hyundai / Kia, the major issue is "status" granted, saying I drive a Ford doesn't seem like a big deal but telling someone you drive a Hyundai or a Kia? No thank you, at least not YET. I truly believe that Hyundai will eventually be a "normal" class car company but until then... I'd still love to test drive the Sonata Hybrid to see how it drives, I'm concerned that since it does not have a CVT, it would be difficult to get as good mileage as the FFH. The City MPG is rated at 35? I do like the fact that you can run in EV for up to 62MPH and the fact that there will be a plug-in soon.

Edited February 4, 2011 by runutzzzzz

[AptosDriver]

As far as a Hyundai / Kia, the major issue is "status" granted, saying I drive a Ford doesn't seem like a big deal but telling someone you drive a Hyundai or a Kia? No thank you, at least not YET.

I don't much care about what other people think about what cars I drive. All I care about is performance, reliability and comfort. The reason I am considering the FFH is that it has been so highly rated by Consumer Reports. It indicates to me what a lot of other people think about the cars that they drive. I figure that if a lot of people like a car, it's because it meets those three criteria well. I'm impressed that a lot of people on this forum like the FFH and I don't see many complaints about it. I will be looking to see what the next CR car issue has to say about Kias. And I'll also look for a similar forum to see if Kia owners are happy with their cars or are mostly complaining about them.

[runutzzzzz]

I don't much care about what other people think about what cars I drive. All I care about is performance, reliability and comfort. The reason I am considering the FFH is that it has been so highly rated by Consumer Reports. It indicates to me what a lot of other people think about the cars that they drive. I figure that if a lot of people like a car, it's because it meets those three criteria well. I'm impressed that a lot of people on this forum like the FFH and I don't see many complaints about it. I will be looking to see what the next CR car issue has to say about Kias. And I'll also look for a similar forum to see if Kia owners are happy with their cars or are mostly complaining about them.

 

You're a better person that I am then... I'd be a embarrassed to say I drive a Kia. Give it 5-10 years, then I'm sure most people will be over it and it will be no different than a Mazda.

[AptosDriver]

You're a better person that I am then... I'd be a embarrassed to say I drive a Kia. Give it 5-10 years, then I'm sure most people will be over it and it will be no different than a Mazda.

Well, I've never considered a car that I drive to be a reflection on me. That said, however, I do sometimes think that the cars people drive and especially the way the drive them do reflect them. For example, from the way they drive, I often get the feeling that people who drive really big vehicles like monster trucks or outsize SUVs are by nature aggressive and pushy (or maybe it's just when they get into their road-tanks). :rant: When I see somebody in a really expensive sedan like a BMW, Mercedes or Lexus blowing by me on a freeway at 15-20 miles per hour above the speed limit, I think they must be pretty arrogant in other venues. :drool: And of course, I think any motorcyclist who drives/rides as if he/she were bullet-proof, weaving in and out of traffic at top speed, or just going at 80-plus miles an hour, is certifiably nuts. :bike: For that matter, I think that anybody who drives any kind of vehicle as if the laws of physics -- not to speak of traffic ordinances -- don't apply to them is a bit crazy and not very bright. :headscratch: But do I worry about how people in general might judge me because of the car I'm driving when I'm minding my P's and Q's, as it were? Absolutely not. All that matters to me is whether whatever car I choose, be it a Kia, or a Hyundai, or a Toyota, or a Ford, or even a Lincoln or Lexus (unlikely), makes sense for me in terms of value, reliability, comfort and performance.