I'm in!

[vangonebuy]

Just joined. Looks like a pretty lively forum.

 

Looking for tips and Idea's to tweak up the MPG.

 

2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid

It's our 1st Hybrid and were very proud parents.

 

So far, It beats the crap out of my old Chrysler minivan which averages about 15MPG around town.

 

Anyway, Just wanted to say Hi.

[SteveB_TX]

Hi back at ya! Welcome!

[rjent]

Hey vang!

 

Yeah, great car! Keep it 55 and below if you can, 64 eco cruise on Interstates if you can. Use the back roads.

 

That is my advice. I have about 1200 miles on now, leaving on a 3000 miler in July using all US highways and scenic routes and don't care how long it takes.

 

The amazing thing about this car, is that is has transformed me into a responsible adult .... who knew?????

 

I accelerate easy, brake easy, all the while playing the MPG video game on the left dash. What a blast. This is coming from a died in the wool Hotrodder with Corvettes and hotrod pickups in the barn. I arrive relaxed, can drive it all day and not really be tired.

 

Enjoy the ride! :)

[jeff_h]

I accelerate easy, brake easy, all the while playing the MPG video game on the left dash. What a blast. This is coming from a died in the wool Hotrodder with Corvettes and hotrod pickups in the barn. I arrive relaxed, can drive it all day and not really be tired.

 

I agree, be 'smooth' and reduce the speed by a few MPH -- and when you do, you might come to notice that those who are still weaving between lanes and trying to get as far ahead as quickly as possible look like a bunch of hyperactive kids racing for a candy bar. At least that's what comes to mind for me when I see it on a daily basis... I used to be one of them, now it's more fun to watch and smoothly keep pace with them as they race from one stop light to another.

[acdii]

Best advice, Driver Smarter, not Faster!

 

Takes a special kind of StUpId to race to a red light! :)

 

 

These two simple sentences pretty much cover what the other posters said.

[neod192]

Welcome! :)

[hybridbear]

Welcome! Enjoy your new car!! One of the things I have most appreciated about this Forum is the advice in the Appearance section about taking car of the car with clay bar, polish, wax, etc.

The amazing thing about this car, is that is has transformed me into a responsible adult .... who knew?????

 

I accelerate easy, brake easy, all the while playing the MPG video game on the left dash. What a blast. This is coming from a died in the wool Hotrodder with Corvettes and hotrod pickups in the barn. I arrive relaxed, can drive it all day and not really be tired.

Great comments! I agree, it's relaxing to drive the FFH

 

I agree, be 'smooth' and reduce the speed by a few MPH -- and when you do, you might come to notice that those who are still weaving between lanes and trying to get as far ahead as quickly as possible look like a bunch of hyperactive kids racing for a candy bar. At least that's what comes to mind for me when I see it on a daily basis... I used to be one of them, now it's more fun to watch and smoothly keep pace with them as they race from one stop light to another.

I used to do that too, although I was cognizant about not racing from one light to another. But now I watch and see so many ppl race away from red lights just to stop at the next one while I accelerate gently and don't have to touch the brake because the next light turns green as I arrive and I pass all the ppl who stopped at it.

 

Best advice, Driver Smarter, not Faster!

 

Takes a special kind of StupId to race to a red light! :)

 

These two simple sentences pretty much cover what the other posters said.

Exactly! The three comments above are the best tips to improve your MPGs. You can get into advanced hypermiling techniques if you want, but the comments above are more practical than any hypermiling techniques. Hypermiling also requires a lot of focus, the comments above will become natural to you with time and then you'll find yourself enjoying the car more and enjoying driving more. I imagine that New York driving can be stressful with all the traffic and people. Hopefully the FFH will help to ease that stress since it's such an enjoyable car to drive

[hybridbear]

Just joined. Looks like a pretty lively forum.

 

Looking for tips and Idea's to tweak up the MPG.

 

2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid

It's our 1st Hybrid and were very proud parents.

 

So far, It beats the crap out of my old Chrysler minivan which averages about 15MPG around town.

 

Anyway, Just wanted to say Hi.

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/6816-useful-information-for-all-new-forum-users/

 

The topic above might be helpful to you as there we have tried to summarize some of the most requested information for new owners

[bcrisp]

What a gold mine of info over there; thanks HB!

 

I put 800 miles on my FFH since last Tuesday night (28 May) and am only seeing 35 mpg so far. I'll study the high speed mileage link you provided to get smart on that. I'm not one that weaves in/out of traffic but I work in Northern Virginia and live in SW VA. I travel I-81, then I-66 all the time; both of which have a 70 mph speed limit. Thus, I can't stay under 65 mph, unless I want to get rear-ended or invoke road rage. I do seem to get better mileage when I'm driving in the NoVA stop/go traffic but those few miles don't make a significant dent overall. The other problem with driving 200+ miles one-way on I-81 is that it's rather hilly and has to adjust to uphill climbs often, which is a mileage killer. I'm always trying to get that EV mode to engage during lower-speed driving but it doesn't seem to take much at all to leave it, despite gentle acceleration.

 

I thought my '05 Camry was the most comfortable car I've ever owned but this FFH surpasses that in comfort easily. Absolutely love the safety technology, too. Due to my significant highway driving, the adaptive cruise control is such a beautiful thing. I do not have to touch any pedals to keep from closing in on the one in front of me and it adjusts by itself when the gap widens. It seems that this FFH achieves better mileage on cruise control than my manual driving, which is directly opposite my experience with the gas Camry. There's a sweet spot on this Fusion to maintain high mpg and I'm still working on it but I'll figure it out. I did turn off the auto-sensing high beams, as that was annoying. It was taking too long to recognize there was traffic in the same direction up ahead, and I do not want to high beam people from behind.

[acdii]

For Highway driving, it took me a while to figure it out, but when over the EV threshold of 62, its good to have the battery charge up around 80% and keep it there, then the ICE is much more controllable as far as feathering to stay above 40. The cruise will only net you around 36-38 at those speeds, but with patience and practice eventually you can find its sweet spot. Key is to have a nearly full battery when on Interstate over 65. Wish I knew that when I drove to FL, maybe it would have done better, maybe.

[Garbageman]

I'm new here as well.

The only thing I've found that improved my mileage was to switch to Redline oil. I researched it well and was still skeptical. Then I drove from Chicago to Baltimore and saw real gains of almost 10%. One thing though, use a high capacity oil filter. Do your research. I used a Bosch the first time and was a bit unsatisfied. I now use Microgreen. When I change the oil again I'll let ya know. Cheers!

[vangonebuy]

WELCOME Garbageman.

 

Well its been a year since I joined.

I hope your enjoying your Fusion. :rating: As much as I enjoy mine.

Great group of people.

Plenty to learn here.

 

Ask questions and get involved.

 

Again, Welcome.

[ceilidhdog]

Pay attention to your braking. Braking charges the battery. You want to keep the battery as fully charged as possible, and that'll let you stay in EV mode longer.