2014 FFH Titanium 1 Week Review

[Eddie Sessum]

Richard, a few things I did on mine to get it up from 32mpg when I first got it.

 

 

Ride around and get a pretty good state of charge, go into a parking lot and put it in park with the AC off and hold the gas pedal to the floor. When it says it has stopped charging your good. The reset didnt help me none and others have mixed reviews. Im pretty sure forcing a full charge at a stop makes the car realize how much can be stored in the battery.

 

 

I also found my car had 30.5psi in the tires but you already put yours at 37. Bump it up to 39.5, Max cold pressure is 44 and that leaves alot of room for the PSI to go up when the tires warm up (if they do in your current weather conditions)

 

Final thing, how many GAS miles do you have on the car? I found after 1500 gas miles my mpg got a little better.

 

On a side note I lost a front tire to a sidewall nail and replaced both my fronts with another brand tire thats rated at 54psi max cold. Ive read with this particular tire at 46psi is the best road contact from non ice conditons. I dont know what tires your car came with but you may be able to find the best non-ice psi for stability and daily driving. Best of luck and remember your titanium has some extra weight compared to the regular SE's you see alot of on here. I would guess a TI vs standard SE is about the same weight difference as my car is from the TI (MKZh) I will steadily get around 3mpg less just because of that.

 

 

I didnt read the whole thing to see what else you said. But on the highway what speed do you go? Also when you take off do you take off slow or with traffic?

[Richard Goodwin]

Just checking back in! Haven't gotten to tire pressure just yet.

To answer some other questions:

- About 2600 miles

- I drive on roads almost exclusively 65mpg speed limit, average 72, high 85

- I've been watching the Empower screen, pulsing and gliding, and keeping the kw threshold below the 2nd mark as much as possible. I see now how keeping it there allows the battery to "catch up" from what I can see, and take over for some periods.

- Still getting about 35%-40% EV miles per trip.

- My best trip since check in, not counting stop and go traffic, on my normal routes has been about 37mpg with all my tricks in place.

- Did my first fuelly. Anxiously awaiting the next, excepting that it means I have to burn miles to get there ;)

- I take off with traffic; I can't really go much slower when there are cars behind me on just about every entrance I make. I mean, i CAN go slower, but I'm refusing on grounds that if a Prius can pass me on onramps, I shouldn't have to putter along ;) Different car style, etc, but again the car wasn't sold as "you have to go as slowly as possible in as many situations as possible to reach our advertised miles".

- Didn't get to take it into service just yet, too much going on.

- Understand again that everyone's regional roads and driving needs/styles are different; but still unhappy that the car was sold to me, in my region, with everyone there fully aware of the kinds of roads and traffic we have. Not even a warning.

- Once I have a good Fuelly I'll embed it here.

Not fuel related:

 

- The %#%@$# rear backup camera keeps getting stuck in that mode. Sometimes 5 seconds after I'm in Drive, sometimes 30sec to a minute. Once I've even had to stop the car, shift to park, and shift back to D. Going to N or L didn't do a thing. I stand by my complaints that the software is buggy as hell.

- In the time since I've last posted, I've had to hear "The Bluetooth audio device that was previously connected is no longer connected. Sync is attempting to connect to the previously connected device" about 6 times when switching from FM/Sirius back to BT (when in FM/Sirius mode when starting the car). Again, even if it says the phone is connected right on the screen. Seriously, "Reconnecting" wouldn't do? Or even "Switching". We aren't toddlers that need paragraphs of explanations! (Advanced mode on, prompts off). I suspect what they're doing is keeping open a handsfree profile constantly then doing a costly time switch to reconnect to the device in audio mode. Never seen this in BT electronics before, they just fire up the right connection silently (and quickly) when needed.

 

Not sure how to engage Ford on this and get them to admit to the problems.

[hybridbear]

- I take off with traffic; I can't really go much slower when there are cars behind me on just about every entrance I make. I mean, i CAN go slower, but I'm refusing on grounds that if a Prius can pass me on onramps, I shouldn't have to putter along ;) Different car style, etc, but again the car wasn't sold as "you have to go as slowly as possible in as many situations as possible to reach our advertised miles".

 

- The %#%@$# rear backup camera keeps getting stuck in that mode. Sometimes 5 seconds after I'm in Drive, sometimes 30sec to a minute. Once I've even had to stop the car, shift to park, and shift back to D. Going to N or L didn't do a thing. I stand by my complaints that the software is buggy as hell.

As far as acceleration, check out this thread. The key with acceleration from an efficiency perspective is that you want to accelerate quickly enough to make the ICE turn on, but not quickly enough that the ICE doesn't charge the battery. If the power demand is too high the ICE won't charge the battery but will instead be supplemented by electric power. A big part of highway fuel economy is manipulating the computer to run the ICE more efficiently than it would on its own.

[Eddie Sessum]

As far as acceleration, check out this thread. The key with acceleration from an efficiency perspective is that you want to accelerate quickly enough to make the ICE turn on, but not quickly enough that the ICE doesn't charge the battery. If the power demand is too high the ICE won't charge the battery but will instead be supplemented by electric power. A big part of highway fuel economy is manipulating the computer to run the ICE more efficiently than it would on its own.

 

 

I completely agree with this one. But it doesnt note that if the SOC is pretty high it will give you elec assist to lower the battery so on your next stop you will get as much regen as you can.

[HenryVIII]

Congrats! One thing that people tend to overlook regard the Active Park Assist feature, is the ability to use the front sensors full time.

 

This is great for just garage parking or close quarters parking in general. Since you're in the Northern VA area, I'm sure you're familiar with close quarters parking and tight garage parking spaces.

[acdii]

Congrats! One thing that people tend to overlook regard the Active Park Assist feature, is the ability to use the front sensors full time.

 

This is great for just garage parking or close quarters parking in general. Since you're in the Northern VA area, I'm sure you're familiar with close quarters parking and tight garage parking spaces.

I did like that feature, but not when in traffic as it would go off all the time, even when there was plenty of space in front. Whats strange is my Flex has APA, but no front sensors.

[Toz]

I did like that feature, but not when in traffic as it would go off all the time, even when there was plenty of space in front. Whats strange is my Flex has APA, but no front sensors.

can you disable them so they don't bug you in stop and go traffic?

[Eddie Sessum]

You can turn it off but its not simple to turn right back on... Squeaky brakes and belts will set them off. Also most 2 stroke dirt bikes and snow mobiles. There radar based and certain sounds set them off.

[jsolan]

I did like that feature, but not when in traffic as it would go off all the time, even when there was plenty of space in front. Whats strange is my Flex has APA, but no front sensors.

 

Mine almost never goes off in traffic unless I approach too quickly. I always leave enough space for a person to walk between the cars and don't really have trouble with sensors going off. They seem to be speed sensitive, so if you inch up on someone they don't go off until you get "too close" IMO. They are AMAZING for parking though, especially after first buying the car and not knowing for sure how much the front end sticks out.

[Waldo]

Congrats! One thing that people tend to overlook regard the Active Park Assist feature, is the ability to use the front sensors full time.

 

The front proximity sensors are not the same as the Active Park Assist sensors and they work independently from each other. They are only packaged together so that Ford only has to make 2 different front fascias instead of 4.

[Waldo]

You can turn it off but its not simple to turn right back on... Squeaky brakes and belts will set them off. Also most 2 stroke dirt bikes and snow mobiles. There radar based and certain sounds set them off.

 

They are sonar based, not radar.

[hybridbear]

The front proximity sensors are not the same as the Active Park Assist sensors and they work independently from each other. They are only packaged together so that Ford only has to make 2 different front fascias instead of 4.

Which package adds the front proximity sensors that beep when you're pulling into a parking space?

[HenryVIII]

Which package adds the front proximity sensors that beep when you're pulling into a parking space?

 

 

Exactly. You HAVE to get the Active Park Assist option to get the front sensors.

 

To be more accurate and go way beyond what I was trying to say, and to satisfy Waldo's inherit use of specifics, adding the Active Park Assist OPTION allows one to utilize the front sensors for other things besides parallel- park assist.

 

Examples of using the front sensors are front-parking garage parking (Hey no more tennis balls hanging from your garage!), driving in tight spaces such as parking garages, alley ways, cities in general, etc.

 

 

I'm just trying to help a fellow Fusion member out and show them what the options that they paid for can do to help provide value and usefulness.

 

A $1000 option that appears to be only useful when parallel parking seems almost like a total waste. However, a $1000 option that provide parallel parking assist AND allows you to utilize the included front sensors for other driving scenarios makes the option that much more appealing.

Edited December 12, 2013 by HenryVIII

[timf]

I am thus far unimpressed with the forward parking sensors. I was planning on skipping them if I went with the Fusion, but they were included as part of the Technology Package on the MKZ. They seem to pick up stuff on the side of my garage and go to a steady beep when I still have several inches left that I could pull into my garage. The one time I did have my recycle bin positioned in front of my car, it was too low to be picked up by the sensors and I proceeded to crush it with the lower part of the bumper. My guess is the sensors are useful when you have a car or a wall in front of you, but for smaller objects they are less than ideal.

Edited December 12, 2013 by timf

[hybridbear]

 

 

Exactly. You HAVE to get the Active Park Assist option to get the front sensors.

 

To be more accurate and go way beyond what I was trying to say, and to satisfy Waldo's inherit use of specifics, adding the Active Park Assist OPTION allows one to utilize the front sensors for other things besides parallel- park assist.

 

Examples of using the front sensors are front-parking garage parking (Hey no more tennis balls hanging from your garage!), driving in tight spaces such as parking garages, alley ways, cities in general, etc.

 

 

I'm just trying to help a fellow Fusion member out and show them what the options that they paid for can do to help provide value and usefulness.

 

A $1000 option that appears to be only useful when parallel parking seems almost like a total waste. However, a $1000 option that provide parallel parking assist AND allows you to utilize the included front sensors for other driving scenarios makes the option that much more appealing.

 

I am thus far unimpressed with the forward parking sensors. I was planning on skipping them if I went with the Fusion, but they were included as part of the Technology Package on the MKZ. They seem to pick up stuff on the side of my garage and go to a steady beep when I still have several inches left that I could pull into my garage. The one time I did have my recycle bin positioned in front of my car, it was too low to be picked up by the sensors and I proceeded to crush it with the lower part of the bumper. My guess is the sensors are useful when you have a car or a wall in front of you, but for smaller objects they are less than ideal.

Let's not hijack this thread to talk about Parking Sensors. There's one here where I posted a couple questions in response to what you both were saying.

[Richard Goodwin]

My .02 on packages: I had to buy the expensive moonroof package to get the chintzy little garage door opener...that really chapped my hide :)

 

An update on me: I haven't been driving too much the past couple of days. The trips I've made have still been in the 36mph with the Coaches all 90%+. Service still wants to bring it in, but they have pushed back as we've had some icing so they don't want to take it early morning. Maybe Friday. I got a call from both someone related to the social media team, and spoke with the "In-Vehicle Tech" team, who could only offer Master Reset as an option. Though they suggested seeing if the dealer would replace the whole "module/computer" as well as do a fuel consumption test.

 

I don't expect much to change there, but trying to be open minded. So far I'm 75%/25% in favor of pushing to make them take it back/sell it, or keep it. There's a lot I love but too much $$ I sacrificed to go to the hybrid model, with little realized return. Unless they upgraded me to an Energi, where I think I'd have a bit less to complain about ;)

Edited December 12, 2013 by Richard Goodwin

[B25Nut]

Most of us here saw MPG numbers in the 30s last winter. Three weeks ago I got 43 mpg on my morning commutes. This week has been 36 mpg. This is just a fact of life with a hybrid. If you didn't know that before buying the FFH, you didn't do much research. Relying on a car salesman for information is a formula for disappointment.

[Richard Goodwin]

Relying on a car salesman for information is a formula for disappointment.

This is truth! I did research and the few sites I found on the 2014, including ExtremeTech (there were limited details on the 2014) suggested a much smoother experience.

 

In the end, you're right: I'm responsible for making the decisions I had with the information available/given to me. Wish I had found this site first!

[Gigi]

Richard,

A question, it seems to me, is whether it is possible for you to recoup the difference in cost for your Fusion Hybrid Titanium vs. buying a gas Fusion Titanium, a difference of about $3,000, I believe.

Looking at Fuelly, there are 20 drivers reporting an average of 28.2 mpg for 2014 Ford Fusions. 5 of these 20 are driving hybrids and their mileage should not be reported among the regular Fusions, so their scores need to be disregarded. Of the 15 gas Fusion drivers, their average (averaging the individual scores, not the total miles and gallons) is 24.75 mpg. (The 2013 average is similarly skewed by an abundance of hybrid owners reporting in the regular Fusion category.)

Although your FFH is not getting the 40+ mpg you had hoped, your first picture showed that you were getting 36.9 mpg at 2,049.4 miles, which is pretty good. Consider how much better that is than 24.75 mpg for a gas Fusion. You are getting 50% better gas mileage. Gas today in my neighborhood is $3.099. A $3,000 difference in vehicle price could be made up by using 968 fewer gallons of gasoline. Comparing your average mpg with that of the 15 gas FF drivers on Fuelly, my math puts your break-even point at a little over 71,000 miles. If your gas prices per gallon are higher, your break-even point will be lower and vice versa.

I regularly drive cars for 200,000+ miles, so a 71,000 mile break-even point seems reasonable enough for me. If you trade cars before 71,000, you may not make up the premium you paid for the hybrid, but anything over 71,000 should result in a savings. Something to consider too is the cost of brake jobs. I have a friend who has driven his Prius more than 200,000 miles without needing a brake job. For him, utilizing regenerative braking means that he has yet to wear out a set of brake pads, not to mention having to replace a set of rotors. Having an electric motor providing some of your power should mean less wear on your ICE resulting in fewer engine repairs and longer intervals for regular maintenance.

On the interstates where I live, drivers exceed the speed limit anytime the traffic isn’t at a standstill and there is open space ahead. I understand what you’re saying about keeping up with traffic. The frontal area and the wind resistance are the same between the FF and FFH. It is going to be just as hard to push a FF through the air at 75 mph as it is to push a FFH with a similar loss in fuel economy. I have better fuel economy results on our Fusion Energi than my wife does. The main reason is that for the last several years, I’ve been driving an F-150 with the 5.4L engine. In order to get decent gas mileage, I imagine driving with an egg between my foot and the accelerator pedal. That kind of driving translates into great fuel economy in a hybrid.

You had mentioned the possibility of moving up to a FFEnergi. You are talking about an even steeper premium there. It sounds like your commute is long enough that driving the first 21 miles on electricity might not make that much difference. If you do a lot of short trips around home and have ample opportunities for charging without having to pay more than your home electric rate, the Energi makes sense, but if not, the hybrid might be more economical.

I’m sorry that you have been unhappy with your FFH. Perhaps, doing some math on your fuel savings could help you to feel a little better.

[Richard Goodwin]

Gigi,

 

You have some excellent points. The current MPG is nothing to sneeze at, but it's just a far shot from how it's being advertised, and that drives dissatisfaction.

It's also different from how (for example) the Accord 2014 has a mode to "force" ECO driving to make sure you get the best mileage w/o having to operate your car like a touchy airplane with eyes on all screens. I kid you not, my fiancé almost refuses to ride in the car with me with all of the attention I have to pay to the screens, engine feel, etc. It drives her insane (and you know what they say, unhappy fiancé...something something).

 

I've been holding off posting until I have a few Fuelly's under my belt to start giving a more accurate picture. What's a little disappointing is I'm using all of the tactics and getting some good runs (as long as I don't drive anywhere at the speeds I want ;) ) but still not being reflected in the overall MPG. I think I just added my Fuelly signature, let's see if it posts.

[Gigi]

I see your Fuelly signature. Ouch! What kind of mpg were you getting with your previous vehicle?

 

Our previous car was a Honda Odyssey which averaged 20 mpg at best. We haven't done much extended highway driving with the FFEnergi such as what it sounds like you do daily. Rush hour commuting around here is painfully slow, so that's good for Energi mpg. The last leg of our one road trip with no plug-in time and mostly 70+ mph driving was 37.1 mpg - nothing to write home about.

 

Have you tried setting the Eco-Cruise and just forgetting about looking at the heads-down displays. I've read that hitting "resume" when in eco-cruise allows the computer to choose the most efficient way to get you back up to speed and that eco-cruise actually does what it's designed to do. I wonder if that might help your mpg.

 

You're right. 33.7 is far from what's advertized. The Fuelly group average of 37.7 is less than what I would expect too.

 

Part of what you're up against may be that wall of air in front of your vehicle that, in effect, gets thicker and harder the faster you drive. Long ago, I used to drive a red sportscar energized by all of the "Type-A" characteristics that make that kind of driving fun. Driving a hybrid helps me to remember to drive more economically in a way that a red sports car didn't.

[acdii]

Two things go against this car from the very start. Short trips(under 7 miles) and speeds above 65 MPH. Either one of these will kill gas mileage. This is especially true for one that hasn't even broken in yet. One of the most important things we discovered here on the forum is that you need to "train" the car to get good MPG. GrySql did just that after a hard reset. His car was acting just like yours did, and he has been getting much better results after his training session.

 

Every car has a sweet spot, and the FFH is right around 65 MPH for best interstate MPG. Highway MPG is right around 50 MPH. City I find if you can cruise around 40 MPH, you can exceed EPA.

 

Note that there are actually 3 different types of driving, City, highway and interstate. EPA only tests for city and highway. In the EPA definition of highway, they are referring to rural highways of 55 MPH. When driven on these roads, your average MPH does come out to roughly 45 MPH as their tests indicate. This is part of the reason why most of us dont see EPA at "highway" speeds in this car. If you drive them at EPA highway, the car can get 47 MPG, I have done it myself when conditions were perfect for it many times. Add in wind, hills, and temps above and below the "sweet" spot, and YMMV.

 

Some may argue that I am wrong with the 3 types, but think about it, other than a major city, where do you see an Interstate under 65 MPH? Where do you see a rural highway over 55 MPH? I am pretty certain that if the EPA changes its highway to be more realistic to Interstate speeds, then you will be seeing much lower highway numbers across the board.

[Richard Goodwin]

Gigi: with my TL before, if I drove like crap (i.e. like a normal sporty sedan), probably 18-19MPG; if I used techniques similar to those taught here (many of which just make sense, like coasting, better braking, etc.) I could get closer to 30. So it's an improvement to be sure, just not what I'd hoped ;)

 

acdii: I'm sure you're sick of me by now ;)

 

I do agree that the EPA changing their rules would have made this car look very different on the sticker; that said it's not in their or Ford's interest to do so, given all of the push around more fuel efficient cars and higher mileage. (Which I support btw, we need pushing to make this happen, but fiddling with the numbers is not the way to go...)

 

For me, bottom line, every single road (except for the short drive into the neighborhood where I live, or to pick up my daughter), has primary segments from 65-75. Heck the toll road I use to get from Austin to San Antonio is primarily 85MPH! I don't know if it's that we're a major city so much, but rather that we have large open roads here that accommodate/encourage those speeds. I just can't go 40MPH, or even 50MPH, on them w/o obstructing the flow of traffic.

 

So you've successfully taught me that it wasn't Ford that explicitly was misleading, nor the EPA (per their own guidelines) being explicitly misleading: it's a combination of both of their policies, added to the area where you live. Unfortunately that still doesn't make the car get more MPG :)

 

I'll keep driving it for a while longer, and HOPE AGAINST HOPE that they release some software to fix the audaciously buggy first MFT/Sync release. Taking it to the dealer to look at does really nothing; we need a direct line to the software team at Ford.

 

Chances are that if they don't do that, and if the car doesn't break in dramatically better, I'll just have to sell it and move to something else. I know I'll take a $$ hit, and I was silly to buy a brand new one and incur the costs there, but I wanted the 2014 "improvements".

 

Thanks for the continued discussion, and I'll keep updating Fuelly each time so you guys know I'm not just making up numbers :) Well, I could be, but trust me I want this thing to succeed as much as anyone!

Edited January 10, 2014 by Richard Goodwin

[Richard Goodwin]

Oops Gigi, forgot to answer another of your questions.

 

I try to use the ECO Cruise w/Adaptive as much as possible. However, unless I'm in slow-and-go traffic, I find that I can easily "out perform" the computer. (i.e. better use of electric, regen, etc.)

 

My barely thought out theory is that I, as a human with eyes, can look further ahead to hills and valleys and prepare myself to brake/accel/coast better than the car can because it can only adjust to conditions as it approaches them.

 

I haven't tried much turning off the adaptive (if it can be done?) because, well I paid for it, and due to my theory above thinking it wouldn't matter anyway :)

[acdii]

 

 

acdii: I'm sure you're sick of me by now ;)

 

Nope, I was much more vocal here when I was having issues with my first FFH. I'm surprised I didn't get lynched by fellow members. Now I just am hoping I can pass along what I found with my first one to help others with what I learned. My first one had issues, but Ford wouldn't acknowledge them. When all 4 spark plugs foul, at 4500 miles, and the car has always gotten lousy gas mileage, something isnt right with it, but they patted me on the head, now run along son, nothing wrong here, and sent me on my way. That just ticked me off further. I even offered for them to take the car to one of their test facilities and find out why it does so bad, even if it took them a month or two, but they wanted nothing of it. Thankfully my dealer understood my frustration and helped me out greatly. They gave me a fair deal on replacing it, and now the one I have I LOVE! It is getting exactly what I expected it would get summer and winter, and is a joy to drive. The only thing that I am not in love with are the seats, but I can change that at some point with a softer seat cushion from an SE Luxury model if I come across a wrecked one.

 

I for one DO understand your frustration, I have been there and done that. It sours you to the car, and though the first one was a joy to drive and very comfortable, the fact that Ford gave me the shaft without a smile or lube, made me hate the car. Now I can throw it back in their face and say SEE I TOLD YOU SO, but since it would serve no purpose, why bother, they wont reimburse me the money I lost.