Can't get above 42 MPG

[jholt26]

Tried driving in many different ways and can't get above 42mpg. Anyone else having difficulty

[corncobs]

That's a pretty broad question. Yes there are a few members that have issues car or driving conditions related is still a question with lower MPGs.

 

To be honest you are actually doing pretty well with 42 MPG. Now my question would be are the 42 MPG average for lifetime, for a tank or just one a single trip?

 

The next question would be: What are your driving conditions? What's your average speed on trips (commute)?

[Rosskk80]

Do you play around with the temperature? Do you have passengers? Do you let your car warm up for 10min prior to driving... Maybe the driving is fine and something else is causing you not to get better mpg...

[acdii]

I know my car can exceed 47 MPG, trouble is my daily trip to and from work is loaded with hills, and at least 3/4 of the drive is at 55 MPH. That alone cuts into the MPG greatly. The new Fusion is more affected by hills and high speeds than the previous generation, but if you can drive it in suburban traffic where the speeds are 35-45 MPH, and catch lights so you rarely have to stop, you can easily get 47 MPG or better. A lot also depends on how well you regen with braking. A low brake score mean you wasted a lot of energy that the ICE needs to make up.

 

After driving over 11,000 miles in the new Fusion, I am finding it rather easy to get mid 40's and above, sometimes surprising myself with higher than expected trips. It just takes time and patience(and a good working one) to get in the mid 40's, which is about where most of these will fall under average driving conditions.

[Rosskk80]

I'm getting better than 50mpg on my 34km trip to work 25 km highway driving. I have to make sure I don't go over 103km/h EV threshold. I do when I am in a hurry though. I am extremely satisfied with this vehicle. :)

[djminfll]

acdii summed it up well in his comment above. For me, resisting the temptation to drive 70+mph on the highway has helped improve my fuel economy, and taking surface streets where lights are consistently green has given me 55mpg on trips of 20-25 miles.

[acdii]

My daily drive has been climbing now that I have the kinks worked out, got in with 46.8 MPG, and a 99% brake score. Would have been 100 if it wasnt for a short yellow light that netted a whopping 60%! That right there cost me the other .2 MPG for a perfect 47. It's all in how you drive the car, and when traffic and lights are in your favor, you can get exceptional gas mileage.

[hybridbear]

Tried driving in many different ways and can't get above 42mpg. Anyone else having difficulty

Can you share some info about how many miles on the car, when did you buy it, when was it built. Being in Rockford, IL you're rather close to some other Forum Members. It's possible that you have a lemon. Acdii had a lemon for his first car but now has a properly performing Fusion. I'm sure he'd be able to tell in a few minutes of driving your car if yours is defective. You'd also likely be able to tell in a few minutes of driving his if yours is defective.

[MidnightX]

Do you let your car warm up for 10min prior to driving...

 

So, it's okay to warm up the car? Here's from the owner's manual.

 

There are also some things you may want to avoid doing because they reduce your fuel economy:

• Avoid sudden or hard accelerations.
• Avoid revving the engine before turning off the car.
• Avoid long idle periods.
• Do not warm up your vehicle on cold mornings.
• Reduce the use of air conditioning and heat.
• Avoid using speed control in hilly terrain.
• etc.

[djminfll]

 

 

So, it's okay to warm up the car? Here's from the owner's manual.

 

There are also some things you may want to avoid doing because they reduce your fuel economy:

• Avoid sudden or hard accelerations.
• Avoid revving the engine before turning off the car.
• Avoid long idle periods.
• Do not warm up your vehicle on cold mornings.
• Reduce the use of air conditioning and heat.
• Avoid using speed control in hilly terrain.
• etc.

 

I think he meant that as something you SHOULDN'T be doing. He asked if he had multiple passengers or was letting the car warm up.

[acdii]

Turn off the AC, and open the windows. Makes a HUGE difference in mine. I see about a 4 MPG difference between driving windows down and windows up and AC on, just the opposite of my other car. When doing 65 MPH though AC on has little impact because the ICE can make up the difference of power draw when on EV.

 

If you live in rockford, try this. Go to 173 and Perryville and head east. Take that to Capron and do the speed limit and try doing as much EV as possible, with windows down. Keep battery between 25 and 75% charge for your EV cycles. let the ICE charge up while trying to maintain speed and keeping the instant above 20. This will take a lot of pedal practice, and alertness, but if you do it right, you should be getting between 46 and 50 MPG on this route in either direction. On Sunday I got 48 MPG going to Home Depot on this route, I took a different route back and got 46, mainly because of the hills on 76. Going south on 76 from 173 gets me about 46 too.

 

 

One other thing I can suggest, if you were to follow me and match what I do while accelerating, match my braking, then we could compare the results, which should help determine if there is a problem with the car.

 

Note, I should point out, my Fuelly only shows 41.8, yet my last tank was 45 MPG. With 2 drivers, I think the car is doing very well. Our trip to MN last week knocked it down a bit.

Edited July 16, 2013 by acdii

[mikejoconnor]

I have a 55-57 mile drive to work, depending on which route I take. I really struggled to break 40mpg consistently during the first 5,000 miles. Once the engine broke in, and as I learned a few tips / tricks, I've found my milage has greatly improved. I have a regular FFH, not the energi.

 

First and foremost, focus on using the ICE for the heavy lifting. In most cases, I use the ICE going up hill, and EV mode going down hill. Since I drive so much on the freeway, I prefer to use eco mode cruise. When using cruise, you can tap the accelerator to enter ICE mode. You can tap cancel then resume to enter EV mode. By focusing on using the ICE for heavy lifting, you can maximize the distance your traveling in EV mode.

 

Along the same lines, when traveling in the city, I always accelerate in ICE mode, and maintain speed in EV mode. Follow the same hill advice.

 

When you have time, keep the car under 63mph. Aside from saving energy due to drag, it allows the car to enter EV mode when under light load(no grade, or down grade). Personally I find that due to traffic I have a hard time averaging much over 65-70mph on my drive home when I attempt to drive 75. Driving 62 is much more relaxing, and over my 56 mile commute, it makes a different of about 5 minutes, but 7-10mpg.

 

When possible, follow a pack of traffic. Personally I normally follow a very safe distance behind 2 or more semi trucks. I don't really consider it drafting, considering I'm normally about 100-200ft or more behind the truck. However I've noticed that 2+ trucks seem to create a bit of airflow. If you've ever watched a piece of plastic, you've seen this effect.

 

Minor items

When weather is good, I run a few PSI extra in my tires. In snowy weather I drop down to factory recommended. The car does handle slightly better at factory PSI.

Avoid climate control unless it's needed. If it's 75 outside I crack the windows.

What are the results? Well when I'm taking my time on the way to work(driving 62mph), I can hit 50-57mpg on my way to work, and 45-54 on the way home. The prevailing wind helps me on the way to work.