1400 mile ramblings

[Scott Arnold]

I just wanted to post some observations on how my break-in period was coming along. I would like to know if your break-in period was similar or if I am way off the mark.

 

I drove a Prius for 3 years and believe I have a handle on how to drive a hybrid. By the way, in the Prius I could set the cruise on the interstate on 80, my tank average was 38-44 depending on the weather. I realize that the Fusion is a larger and more luxurious car, but the average gas mileage is pretty low. My last two tanks averaged 30-32. With that said, I'm glad I made the trade and like the Fusion a lot more. It is so much more of a car!

 

-Driving up any hill or any acceleration I get 20-22 MPG. (just trying to stay at 65 also).

-Interstate driving at 65 gets 33-35 MPG. One lucky day I got 45 MPG.

-The coach says I am doing good in all three areas. I can max them out and still get 30-35 MPG (???)

-It seems to get better mileage without ECO Cruise.

-EV+ kicks in about 1/2 mile from my house.

-Interesting thing is my phone (Samsung Mega) is not on the compatibility list for MFT, but after I upgraded my firmware it works great for phone functions. It does not work for media but that's ok because I don't use that feature.

 

The MPG has me a little shaken and I'm still trying to figure out how to improve it.

[acdii]

Wait until spring when temps are consistently in the 50+ range. The cold has a huge impact on these, especially when new. If however you are driving in 60-70* weather and still seeing low MPG, then you got one of "those" cars. It does drive different than a Prius though, you have to focus on your braking and get 100% as much as possible, where the Prius didn't really matter. The HSD is more of an EV assist than an EV all. The Fusion can sustain 85 MPH on pure EV, and is very reliant on battery levels, where the HSD(And Gen1 FFFH) was all ICE above 45 MPH. I have driven all 4 of them, Prius, TCH, FFH gen 1, and now the Gen 2 FFH. It takes some readjusting to this new mode of hybrid.

 

However once you get the hang of it, you would be surprised how well you would do in a Prius, or any other car for that matter.

[FordIVTteam]

...

-Interesting thing is my phone (Samsung Mega) is not on the compatibility list for MFT, but after I upgraded my firmware it works great for phone functions. It does not work for media but that's ok because I don't use that feature.

...

 

Hi Scott Arnold,

 

Thanks for sharing! I'm glad it's working for you. Make sure you test the media connection via USB and also Bluetooth audio. Sometimes one will work, and the other won't. I wouldn't want you to miss out on any features! Here are some troubleshooting steps to make sure everything runs smoothly: http://support.ford.com/sync-technology/troubleshooting-sync-myford-touch

 

Kim

[jeffo65]

Welcome!

 

With the cold weather now in Missouri, our last few tanks average just under 40 mpg. Know that the temps will warm up soon, we will be back in the 45mpg range. Temps definitely play with mpgs on the Fusion.

 

The ACC definitely helps the mpgs once you find the speed sweet spot for the car.

 

Where in Missouri are you?

[Brian Lewis]

Simiar crappy mileage... picked this car up last week friday highway was horrible... sitting at a shrinking 36.5(was 37 for a bit) avg. I am in Northern IL so temps have sucked still sub 400 miles on the car so far.... but hoping to see some improvements... I literaly don't use heat only the heated steering/seats in effort to improve gas mileage/decease ice use...

[acdii]

Simiar crappy mileage... picked this car up last week friday highway was horrible... sitting at a shrinking 36.5(was 37 for a bit) avg. I am in Northern IL so temps have sucked still sub 400 miles on the car so far.... but hoping to see some improvements... I literaly don't use heat only the heated steering/seats in effort to improve gas mileage/decease ice use...

Set it to auto and enjoy it. When the weather gets above 40 and you still see crappy like that, then be concerned. With temps like they are here, mid 30's is about normal, especially on the new ones that haven't had a chance to fully break in and get trained. A good road I found tyo see what kind of MPG you can get is Algonquin Road between route 59 and 53/290. Between 9 AM and 11 AM traffic moves at a good pace, so if you maintain between 45-50 and catch the lights, you should be mid 40's, maybe even 50. I take this often and going from 59 to 53 is where I see this, going the other way not so much, traffic flow going the other way is not the same.

 

I know my car can get mid 40's on my daily drive when temps are above 40, and with the temps being 10* and lower I am seeing 36 MPG on most trips. The wind and snow doesnt help either, so I dont bother anymore, I just set the heater to auto 73* and enjoy the car. When the weather warms up and the roads are better I know the car will do much better.

 

I had a Job1 FFH SE, fully loaded, Very nice car, but it had problems like you show, however, I am an experienced Hybrid driver, it was my 4th one, and I also had a 2010 FFH at the time. I had driven it down to Florida, and even in 70* weather I could not break 40 MPG in it. It had issues, it fouled the plugs at 4500 miles, totally abnormal, but Ford said, no problem found , we can get in the 40's in it(yeah after driving it up and down the same road for 4 hours and getting it fully warmed up). What made me convinced that the car did have an issue was that even under the right conditions, I still could not achieve expected MPG in the car, when the 2010 could get it. The 2010 was getting better gas mileage than the 2013. I have since gotten rid of that one and replaced it with a Job2 built HyTi and it is doing exactly what I expected it to. The more I drive it, the better it gets too.

 

So give it some time, turn up the heat, dont worry too much about the gas mileage at this time. When the weather gets better and you dont see an increase, then it will be time to worry.

[corncobs]

Simiar crappy mileage... picked this car up last week friday highway was horrible... sitting at a shrinking 36.5(was 37 for a bit) avg. I am in Northern IL so temps have sucked still sub 400 miles on the car so far.... but hoping to see some improvements... I literaly don't use heat only the heated steering/seats in effort to improve gas mileage/decease ice use...

I agree with acdii there isn't much that you can do right now with the cold weather. I filled up yesterday and I had the first below 40 MPG tank on my regular commute in almost a year. (The first tank was that low)

 

This morning I went down Randall Rd where I have been before and I got a whopping 32.6 MPG and I did the same drive with up to 50 MPG in warmer weather. Even if I would like to see 40+ all the time it's not practical in such a efficient car like the FFH which is taking a beating on cold weather.

 

I was thinking driving this morning that Ford should put a small electric heater in the FFH as well. I was driving around with a full SOC HVB not being able to take advantage of it. The electric heater would help out quite a bit and use the HVB while the ICE is trying to heat up.

[Brian Lewis]

Thanks for the reassurance acdii - some day our temps will be warmer here in these parts and I can see if its the weather or the car :P

[Toz]

I've got about 1200 miles on my 14 HyTi now. It's been chilly (about 25F) here, but I look a 140 mile round trip this weekend with hills and a mountain pass and 5 people in the car and got 40 MPG. Speeds between 60 and 65 Very happy with that.

[doc2spok]

I have had my 2012 for about 8 months and it has never gotten close to the advertised 42.1 mpg in the city regardless of how hard I've tried. It seems to be a struggle to get to 34 now as of the past month or so. Anyone have any suggestions?

[lolder]

If it's warmer now and if the car is heat soaked and you have short trips with the AC on, that's the reason. In a heat soaked car, open all the windows for a few blocks before you turn the AC on. If you're only going a mile or so, the AC will not even cool the car as much as open windows. AC can cost as little as 1 mpg with outside temperatures in the 80's and a stabilized inside temperature or more than 10 mpg on short trips with heat soaked cars. Park in the shade, use a windshield sun screen, crack the windows and the moonroof when possible.

Edited April 22, 2015 by lolder