gas mileage

[donsdinr]

I am new here. I have purchased a 2013 Fusion Hybrid two months ago and now have about 2500 miles on it. I have owned two previous hybrids (Civic and Prius) and know how to drive for maximum mileage. I seldom drive over 65 mph and always accelerate gradually. I am not getting anything above 37 mpg on this car. It is cold here in northern Iowa, but was expecting something closer to the 47 mpg stated on the sticker. Is the problem me or the car? I like the car but am disappointed in the gas mileage.

[marklally]

The cold weather could certainly be a factor, especially if you make short trips from a cold start. I purchased a used 2013 fusion hybrid with 17 k miles on the odometer a month ago, the car had achieved an average of about 37 point something mpg's when I bought the car, I reset the mileage when I left the dealership, to date, my average is 44.0 mpg so far, I certainly expect the mileage to go up as the spring weather rolls around; also, no one would ever accuse me of being a slow driver .

These cars are very sensitive to driving style though, there are many driving tips on this forum describing how to best take advantage of the cars unique capabilities, just know upfront that you do NOT have to drive like a granny to achieve great gas mileage.

Edited March 12, 2014 by marklally

[murphy]

I am new here. I have purchased a 2013 Fusion Hybrid two months ago and now have about 2500 miles on it. I have owned two previous hybrids (Civic and Prius) and know how to drive for maximum mileage. I seldom drive over 65 mph and always accelerate gradually. I am not getting anything above 37 mpg on this car. It is cold here in northern Iowa, but was expecting something closer to the 47 mpg stated on the sticker. Is the problem me or the car? I like the car but am disappointed in the gas mileage.

Use the engine to accelerate to cruising speed from a stop and then release and reapply the accelerator to let it switch to electric drive.

[ptjones]

I am new here. I have purchased a 2013 Fusion Hybrid two months ago and now have about 2500 miles on it. I have owned two previous hybrids (Civic and Prius) and know how to drive for maximum mileage. I seldom drive over 65 mph and always accelerate gradually. I am not getting anything above 37 mpg on this car. It is cold here in northern Iowa, but was expecting something closer to the 47 mpg stated on the sticker. Is the problem me or the car? I like the car but am disappointed in the gas mileage.

Look up threads on cold weather driving and Grill Covers. :)

 

Paul

[acdii]

There are many threads regarding this particular issue. There are a lot of stickies that have techniques we use to achieve better fuel economy.

 

In short, this isnt your average Hybrid, it is nothing like a Prius, or first gen FFH. Some of those techniques no longer apply to this model. Once you get the hang of it though, you will see 40's. You may never see 47 in this car on average, but mid 40's is quite doable. It also takes a long time for the car to break in before it returns high MPG consistently.

 

That said, it doesnt mean there isnt a problem, however you are seeing 37, which in cold weather is not too bad, if you were seeing 34 all the time, that could be an issue. Been there, done that, and a few others here also have, some still do. When you are driving in temps above 50 and dont see 40's, even after following the tips on this site, then I would be concerned.

 

One test you can do, drive it for about 5 miles, park, shut it off and wait about 10 minutes, then drive it somewhere else for about 10 miles, and see what your MPG is. The first trip could be 30, but the second trip could be mid 40's.

[hybridbear]

I am new here. I have purchased a 2013 Fusion Hybrid two months ago and now have about 2500 miles on it. I have owned two previous hybrids (Civic and Prius) and know how to drive for maximum mileage. I seldom drive over 65 mph and always accelerate gradually. I am not getting anything above 37 mpg on this car. It is cold here in northern Iowa, but was expecting something closer to the 47 mpg stated on the sticker. Is the problem me or the car? I like the car but am disappointed in the gas mileage.

How long are your trips? Short trips in the winter are really bad for fuel economy.

 

The FFH is very different from a Civic Hybrid or a Prius. What kind of MPG did you get in the Prius? What about in the Civic? What years were those cars?

 

Check out the tips in this thread.

 

This thread has info about why the car is so inefficient when cold and also a way that you can make it warm up more quickly.

 

This thread talks about maximizing MPG in winter.

 

This thread contains detailed technical analysis of the hybrid powertrain in the FFH. If you're at all familiar with the Prius and Civic powertrains then this would be an excellent read so that you can see the differences and thus learn to maximize the FFH system.