Mileage and the short commute

[jeff_h]

I think you need this part as well:

 

http://www.fordparts.com/Commerce/PartDetail.aspx?n=XXbjA1B1gfhp8OXwLp7ORg%3d%3d&id=230408010&m=2&search=true&year=2013&make=Ford&model=Fusion

 

OK, added that on the right side, thanks.

 

[jgilliam1955]

I read in here the car takes awhile to warm up? Is this true? Are all hybreds like this? I drive a VW TDI ( Diesel ) and it will not warm up unless you drive it awhile. I take a ferry to work & sit & let the heater run for about a hour sometimes. Will I lose heat in the winter? I was looking forward to getting in a warm car again.

[jeff_h]

I read in here the car takes awhile to warm up? Is this true? Are all hybreds like this? I drive a VW TDI ( Diesel ) and it will not warm up unless you drive it awhile. I take a ferry to work & sit & let the heater run for about a hour sometimes. Will I lose heat in the winter? I was looking forward to getting in a warm car again.

 

Based on my experience with owning a Prius and then a 2010 FFH and now a 2013 FFH, I see very little difference in the amount of time it takes to warm up and to start using EV.

[acdii]

Based on my experience with owning a Prius and then a 2010 FFH and now a 2013 FFH, I see very little difference in the amount of time it takes to warm up and to start using EV.

Same here, including the Camry H. The 10 does heat up quicker, mainly because its a larger engine. The 13 however has a much more effective cooling system so in the colder zones it looks like having a grill cover is a must if you want to stay warm. I saw a huge increase in temps when I added one, went from hovering around 160 at 55 MPH to 182 consistent, and cool down is now only 10* when on EV. My other cars didnt need a grill cover to keep warm, the 10 gets up to about 198 and stays there.

[jeff_h]

Same here, including the Camry H. The 10 does heat up quicker, mainly because its a larger engine.

 

The first 1½ miles of my daily commute are level or downhill... then have a steady approx 5% uphill that is about 3/4 mile long... so in either car by the time I would get to the top of the hill there in a 45 mph zone, the EV would jump in -- so if the 2010 is quicker I wouldn't know it, as the long uphill makes either one hold off until reaching the top.

[acdii]

Leaving my house is right at 55 MPH, living in the country, we aint got no stinking side streets, just highways! Because of that, the 10 is all ICE until I reach the first slow road of 35, which is about 20 miles or so. I cant say when it would go into EV on that trip, but my trip home is on 25 MPH roads for about 2 miles, then up to 45 uphill like yours, and depending on the temp it usually will kick into EV by then. The 13 is hit or miss, it can go right into EV out of the parking lot if I turn the HVAC off, or it will stay on ICE up until it hits 150* then will cycle. That can happen anywhere along the trip depending on ambient. I have found that within 3 miles from leaving the house in the morning, it will go into EV with the covers on, where it would be 5 miles before it would without them.

[hybridbear]

I read in here the car takes awhile to warm up? Is this true? Are all hybreds like this? I drive a VW TDI ( Diesel ) and it will not warm up unless you drive it awhile. I take a ferry to work & sit & let the heater run for about a hour sometimes. Will I lose heat in the winter? I was looking forward to getting in a warm car again.

 

Based on my experience with owning a Prius and then a 2010 FFH and now a 2013 FFH, I see very little difference in the amount of time it takes to warm up and to start using EV.

 

It does take awhile to heat up. Below 20 degrees in the city the car never warms up enough to have the heat set higher than the lowest setting without forcing the ICE to run extra to make heat and thus lowering MPGs.

 

One route we drive a few times a week is about 1.5 miles on city streets leaving our apartment, then 6 miles freeway and then another .5 mile on city streets. With a warm engine we'll get over 50 MPG on that route, with a cold engine and temperatures below 20 degrees we see 35-38 MPG. Unfortunately we're stuck in bitter cold here, we haven't even seen 40 yet this spring!! Normally by this point we're seeing average highs above 40 right now, instead we're seeing lows in the single digits and temps in the 20s only!! That really hurts the gas mileage

[acdii]

Same here, been too cold this winter. mid 20's this morning. What rain we had, then snow, then warm snap now cold again, I have 4" of ice surrounding my house.

[jgilliam1955]

So starting the car in the driveway to warm up is out of the question? Are all Hybrid's like this?

[expresspotato]

So starting the car in the driveway to warm up is out of the question? Are all Hybrid's like this?

I do believe the Prius performs better when in cold weather.

- It uses exhaust gas recirculation to return some of the unburnt fuel back into the chamber improving economy and probably heating the engine sooner

- It has an insulated engine coolant reservoir to keep engine coolant warm for almost two days

- It has a positive coefficient heater to heat the engine radiator using electricity

 

I don't think the Fusion Hybrid has any of these designed in... Although I do love mine and wouldn't trade it for that glorified golf cart any day :)

Edited March 15, 2013 by expresspotato

[ace8726872]

I don't think the Fusion Hybrid has any of these designed in... Although I do love mine and wouldn't trade it for that glorified golf cart any day :)

I can't agree more that the Prius is one fugly car! It looks to me like a refrigerator with gas oven welded on with wheels!

Edited March 15, 2013 by ace8726872

[elle]

I don't miss my Prius. I was happy when I bought it, but it didn't really do much for me in the long term. I saw a guy driving one today in my neighborhood and it looked like he was in a toy car. Funny how perspectives change. But I always did call the Prius a "flea" because that's how it's shaped. It looks like a flea to me.

[acdii]

Sooooo

You went from a Flea

 

 

To a Catfish

 

Thats moving on up! :)

 

Definitely an improvement.

[jeff_h]

I don't miss my Prius. I was happy when I bought it, but it didn't really do much for me in the long term. I saw a guy driving one today in my neighborhood and it looked like he was in a toy car. Funny how perspectives change. But I always did call the Prius a "flea" because that's how it's shaped. It looks like a flea to me.

 

My Prius was 'driftwood' which I guess is a nice name for beige... we used to called it "The Taco" as it looked like a taco shell driving down the road.

[GrySql]

I bought my FFH too soon, could have had the ultimate Prius.

Boy, talk about looking good from all angles, who could resist.

Imagine a windy day on a slippery incline, no worries - just park it and have a wienie roast.

For those that want it all for a family of four and all the gear.... what a beauty!

Hypermiling might be a required for getting the EPA numbers.

 

Edited March 15, 2013 by GrySql

[HenryVIII]

I don't miss my Prius. I was happy when I bought it, but it didn't really do much for me in the long term. I saw a guy driving one today in my neighborhood and it looked like he was in a toy car. Funny how perspectives change. But I always did call the Prius a "flea" because that's how it's shaped. It looks like a flea to me.

 

I'm glad you don't. When I see a guy driving one, I feel pity for them. They just seem so emasculating now. There's only so much I would do in the name of mpg. The new Fusion (even the last gen Fusion) Hybrid has changed that.

 

Not to mention that the new FFH are more eco-conscious than even the Prius is, especially if you drive a FFH with cloth seating!

 

In my limited driving experience I will say that the FFH left me in a more relaxed state and frame of mind than I can recall driving a car. I felt rewarded. That's what a car (especially a Hybrid) should do. Hmmm maybe if I roll the FFH with the 19 in h-spoke wheels... :confused:

Edited March 15, 2013 by HenryVIII

[GrySql]

In my limited driving experience I will say that the FFH left me in a more relaxed state and frame of mind than I can recall driving a car. I felt rewarded.

A few of us have been mentioning that since we got out FFH's, my wife was just saying that today as we motored along, less stress.

I was talking to the Fleet Sales Mgr at a 5-star dealership last week and he says he hears that comment a lot from FFH buyers.

The noise canceling, well bolstered seats, ride quality, cabin comforts and entertainment all make for an easy drive.

With 4,700 miles on it in 3 months it's a great car for us right now. The good mpg's are icing on the cake.

[hybridbear]

A few of us have been mentioning that since we got out FFH's, my wife was just saying that today as we motored along, less stress.

I was talking to the Fleet Sales Mgr at a 5-star dealership last week and he says he hears that comment a lot from FFH buyers.

The noise canceling, well bolstered seats, ride quality, cabin comforts and entertainment all make for an easy drive.

With 4,700 miles on it in 3 months it's a great car for us right now. The good mpg's are icing on the cake.

 

The FFH is a very comfortable car. I just rode with my boss on a business trip out to Wisconsin and I was so uncomfortable in his pickup. The seats in the Fusion are super comfortable!!

 

I rode 3.5 hrs to Wisc in his Chevy Silverado and my back hurt so bad, but driving 10-12 hrs a day going to Cali in the Fusion and I felt great.

Edited March 15, 2013 by hybridbear

[GrySql]

I rode 3.5 hrs to Wisc in his Chevy Silverado and my back hurt so bad, but driving 10-12 hrs a day going to Cali in the Fusion and I felt great

Last summer I rented a Dodge Avenger for a trip from here (CA) to MO & KY and back. It is comparable to a Fusion in size and market segment.

It got up to 34mpg but by the time we reached MO I was sick of it, the seats were terrible!

We stopped in MO at a fabric store and bought 18" squares of 2" thick foam to sit on, never been in a worse seated car, ever.

The metal hood could be seen to wave up and down as we drove, the trunk lid would not close unless we lowered it smoothly because the hinges were so weak it'd get off track.

I could add several more sad details but that ended any desire of mine to purchase a car from that manufacturer.

 

A lot of careful thought went into the design and cabin comfort of this FFH so that we look forward to traveling in it, the seats are great.

Sure, there are some areas that could stand a tweak or improvement but for a new design it is amazingly well done.

Active noise canceling? What other car has that???

[Scott029]

My wife has a 2.5 mile commute to work so round trip is around 5 miles. She has been plugging in the car

most of the time at home this winter. She averages about 24 mpg on her daily commutes. I don't think the engine

heater is helping much since the engine still is not getting warm enough in 2.5 miles to operate even close to efficently.

Our lifetime mileage is 31.8 with almost 4,000 miles driven. Short trips in cold weather will kill mileage in any car.

She got around the same MPG's on her work route in her previous 2010 Fusion (non hybrid) 2.4 liter. We also are getting

about 34-36 MPG's on interstate (70-75mph) which is very close to what we were getting in her old car.

Edited March 16, 2013 by Scott029

[acdii]

Wait until it warms up. It will improve some. At least its better than the EB models are getting, you would be seeing it in the teens.

[BatCat]

My wife also has a short commute to work of about 7 miles with an average of 38.8 with about 800 miles logged. We haven't taken a trip yet to see what it can do on the interstate.

[acdii]

38.8 is pretty good for short trips.

[tombarker13ffh]

I drove 65mph on cruise on the interstate and got 43mpg over 160 miles. And that was on feb 14. I dont see how people are getting so much worse at 70 mph. I think we need to see some videos of trips from people getting bad mpg's.

[acdii]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=506827049359434

 

 

This is how mine has to be driven to get 40, drive it any other way and its below 40. If I can get the battery fully charged and stay above 60 and not use any EV I can get it above 40.