Consumer Reports covers the PCM software update

[Texasota]

Maybe they need to hire a Hybrid driver for their tests now that there are more models out.

 

 

 

If CR were to implement your suggestion and reported 47 (or higher) MPG while testing the FFH I wonder what the reaction would be from CR's readers for which the vast majority will never achieve those results from their FFHs? This forum is full of threads and discussions from FFH owners who are trying all kinds of tricks and techniques to achieve better MPG but are falling far short of the EPA numbers. I suspect CR would lose trust and credibility with their readers if they were to implement your suggestions and it would also result in the same kind of controversy as the FFH's EPA ratings have created.

 

Maybe I am not interpreting your posts as you intended, but it seems like you are suggesting there are only two kinds of driving styles. The first being the "Drive it like you stole it" crowd which you stated is how you see most people driving. The second being the "pulse and glide" crowd as folks here drive (I assume you mean this forum's members). I don't believe the majority of drivers fall into either one of those camps. In my experiences the majority of drivers practice driving styles that fall somewhere halfway between those two extremes and I consider myself one of them.

 

I suspect most people do not have the time nor the desire to learn/apply all of the extreme (perhaps advanced is a better term) hybrid driving techniques and tricks. There is nothing wrong with that just as there is nothing wrong with hybrid enthusiasts that want to learn and apply every hypermiling technique. I'm planning to purchase a 2015 FFH but I intend to drive it in a mostly conventional style that I suspect will improve over time with the coaching software. I hope to enjoy this car's comfort and excellent MPG but I do not intend to obsess about applying every technique and trick to achieve the highest possible MPG. For me, the pleasure of driving a fine car such as the Fusion would be lost if I were to obsess over the MPG.

 

I hope I am not making any enemies here as I enjoy this forum and reading all of these interesting posts.

Edited January 4, 2014 by Texasota

[corncobs]

Once again I agree with your post Texasota but it's very easy to get obsessed with MPG in a car as perfect as FFH at least for me and if they are working right.

 

I'm not sure which categorie I would fall under but I enjoy my driving style very much and I haven't changed much in resent years.

 

Driving a diesel helped me to get very lazy because of the amount of torque at low RPM but you need to be gentle when accelerating. With a good engine and transmission you can ride a diesel all the way from 35 - 120 MPH in just in 5th (maybe 6th) gear.

[hybridbear]

It's hard to provide something really useful on a window sticker. One alternative would be to create an online calculator that estimates, based on your MPG in your current car, what you would get in a FFH (or any other car, for that matter). It could also indicate what you would get with driving habits that put you at the 50th, 75th and 90th percentile, for example.

A company already does this, MyCarma. They will create a personalized window sticker for you based on your driving habits as analyzed they their device.

 

Exactly! All the hybrids reward you with careful driving, the Fusion just happens to slap you down if you don't! The Fusion is also a new breed of hybrid, no other Hybrid works like it does, and we here on this forum have it figured out, but CR drivers most likely would not even bother to even attempt to figure it out.

These Ford hybrids are more sensitive. In the Prius my wife has been getting ~41-43 MPG in this frigid cold we've had for the last month. If I had been driving the Prius all the miles that she drove I could probably have gotten 45 MPG for those tanks. The Prius has a higher floor for your MPG if you don't try, but also has a much lower ceiling for how high you can get the MPG. The difference in MPG between her driving and mine in the FFH was often 10-15 MPG (I'd get 50-55 MPG and she'd get 38-42 MPG on the same trips in the same weather). The FFH has a much lower floor if you drive inefficiently (reports of owners only averaging 30-35 MPG), but also a higher ceiling if you learn how it works (like my 55 MPG tanks this summer).

 

If CR were to implement your suggestion and reported 47 (or higher) MPG while testing the FFH I wonder what the reaction would be from CR's readers for which the vast majority will never achieve those results from their FFHs? This forum is full of threads and discussions from FFH owners who are trying all kind of tricks and techniques to achieve better MPG but are falling far short of the EPA numbers. I suspect CR would lose trust and credibility with their readers if they were to implement your suggestions and it would also result in the same kind of controversy as the FFH's EPA ratings have created.

 

I suspect most people do not have the time nor the desire to learn/apply all of the extreme (perhaps advanced is a better term) hybrid driving techniques and tricks. There is nothing wrong with that just as there is nothing wrong with hybrid enthusiasts that want to learn and apply every hypermiling technique. I'm planning to purchase a 2015 FFH but I intend to drive it in a mostly conventional style that I suspect will improve over time with the coaching software. I hope to enjoy this car's comfort and excellent MPG but I do not intend to obsess about applying every technique and trick to achieve the highest possible MPG. For me, the pleasure of driving a find car such as the Fusion would be lost if I were to obsess over the MPG.

 

I hope I am not making any enemies here as I enjoy this forum and reading all of these interesting posts.

I agree that it's a no-win situation for fuel economy and predicting real world results...you'll never be able to come up with a real world number that pleases everyone.

 

I also agree that most people don't care to learn how to maximize their car's potential, but like corncobs says, it's addicting!

 

You also aren't making any enemies. Your comments are well thought out and aren't mean or hurtful. There's nothing wrong with expressing different opinions.

 

Once again I agree with your post Texasota but it's very easy to get obsessed with MPG in a car as perfect as FFH at least for me and if they are working right.

Are you saying we're obsessed?? ;)

Edited January 3, 2014 by hybridbear

[B25Nut]

+1 Texasota!

I'm confident you have not made any enemies here, although that is usually the result when someone speaks the whole truth. To get that extra 10% of MPG I think you have to have a higher order of OCD (I'm probably mid-level OCD). Getting good mileage can be an enjoyable game, and the chances are you'll get hooked to some degree. When you discover that letting off the gas and losing 1-2 mph can put you into all electric mode, you'll see what we mean.

[corncobs]

Are you saying we're obsessed?? ;)

Maybe some of us are a little bit. :) I think it's just the combination of technology and savings that can get you just like B25Nut said play with it and see direct improvement.

[Texasota]

Group therapy would still seem to be an option and B25Nut is predicting that I may also need to join the group after taking possession of a 2015 FFH. ;)

Edited January 4, 2014 by Texasota

[B25Nut]

Group therapy would still seem to be an option and B25Nut is predicting that I may also need to join the group after taking possession of a 2015 FFH. ;)

 

My wife is threatening to enroll me in that therapy group. She thinks I've gone full OCD.

[acdii]

 

 

 

If CR were to implement your suggestion and reported 47 (or higher) MPG while testing the FFH I wonder what the reaction would be from CR's readers for which the vast majority will never achieve those results from their FFHs? This forum is full of threads and discussions from FFH owners who are trying all kinds of tricks and techniques to achieve better MPG but are falling far short of the EPA numbers. I suspect CR would lose trust and credibility with their readers if they were to implement your suggestions and it would also result in the same kind of controversy as the FFH's EPA ratings have created.

 

Maybe I am not interpreting your posts as you intended, but it seems like you are suggesting there are only two kinds of driving styles. The first being the "Drive it like you stole it" crowd which you stated is how you see most people driving. The second being the "pulse and glide" crowd as folks here drive (I assume you mean this forum's members). I don't believe the majority of drivers fall into either one of those camps. In my experiences the majority of drivers practice driving styles that fall somewhere halfway between those two extremes and I consider myself one of them.

 

I suspect most people do not have the time nor the desire to learn/apply all of the extreme (perhaps advanced is a better term) hybrid driving techniques and tricks. There is nothing wrong with that just as there is nothing wrong with hybrid enthusiasts that want to learn and apply every hypermiling technique. I'm planning to purchase a 2015 FFH but I intend to drive it in a mostly conventional style that I suspect will improve over time with the coaching software. I hope to enjoy this car's comfort and excellent MPG but I do not intend to obsess about applying every technique and trick to achieve the highest possible MPG. For me, the pleasure of driving a fine car such as the Fusion would be lost if I were to obsess over the MPG.

 

I hope I am not making any enemies here as I enjoy this forum and reading all of these interesting posts.

What I meant by the two styles is you take one car, have the DILYSI drive it, record the MPG, then have the hybrid driver drive it, and record the results, then average the two. Now you would be much closer to the real world numbers that most people would fall into. Just reporting the results from the hybrid driver would be unrealistic for most drivers, as are the reports they do now. It would be more of a fair approach to reporting on how well the car does. How well does the car do with an average driver, it does this, how well can it do if driven like a Hybrid, it does this. If a Hybrid driver can only get 40 MPG, now you have a legit case to give poor marks.

 

They lost my faith a while back when their reports on the reliability were based mainly on the MFT and peoples inability to use it. That is an unrealistic approach on vehicle dependability. Engine failures, transmission failures, Windows that fall down and dont go back up, and things that break are reliability statistics I look for, not for whether or not the touchscreen is difficult to understand. Thankfully Ford has worked out most of the bugs in the latest version, have not had any problems in either car with the 3.6.2 update.

Edited January 7, 2014 by acdii