Highway MPG

[My2cents]

I'm considering a 2014 FFH for my next vehicle. As I travel a lot, highway mileage is more important to me than city MPG. If fact, I live in a small town and seldom drive in stop and go big city traffic. What MPG can I reasonably expect if I'm on a long trip cruising on the Interstate with the cruise control set on 75 MPH. And/or if I start with a full tank of gas how far can I go with the cruise control set on 75 MPH before I'd run out of gas?

[Ted Swing]

Consumer Reports testing got 36 MPG at 75 MPH in the FFH. You'd likely get about 432 miles per tank at that rate (assuming 12 gallons per refill, which is fairly typical).

 

It's not an ideal driving situation for the car, but other hybrids would tend to perform similarly in that situation. Really only a diesel would be significantly better for that type of driving.

[acdii]

With 5 passengers(3 adults and 2 little ones), expect to get 35 MPG at 80 MPH and 42 MPG @ 65 MPH. Doing 70-75 would place you right in the middle, with fewer passengers you could see slightly higher. But of course YMMV. This was based on my road trip last July with temps between 70 and 90*, AC on. With slightly lower temps, and no AC use, it can go a bit higher too.

 

In any case, you can't find another car like this that will do this well on the highway. You can find lessor cars that do better. The 2010 FFH I had did up to 65 MPG on the highway @ 65 MPH, but that was an extreme case and traffic weather and wind helped a LOT that day. A Prius can do as well as 75 MPG @ 65 MPH, but is a far cry from the Fusion. Camry, Forgetaboutit, that one did not do well at 65 MPH, 35 was about it.

 

Compare feature to feature to any other midsize sedan, and the Fusion is pretty much tops when it comes to this. The Honda might do better on the highway but it does not have what the Fusion has to offer. From what I read, you would not like it either with how it operates at highway speeds, Clunky jerky ICE interaction.

[milleron]

The Honda might do better on the highway but it does not have what the Fusion has to offer. From what I read, you would not like it either with how it operates at highway speeds, Clunky jerky ICE interaction.

 

I'm a Honda fan; I still have my 2003 V6 coupe, and it still gets 33 mpg at 65 MPH on the freeway. I'd have loved to have been able to carry that loyalty to the purchase of the new Accord Hybrid, but here's the deal breaker for me: Honda does not offer true blind-spot warning systems. They have a sensor that displays on the nav screen a live picture from a rear-facing camera mounted on the right exterior mirror when someone enters the passenger-side blind spot-- that's all. There's nothing at all for the driver's side which is, after all, the side that most needs that system, and the TV is inferior to the orange warning signals that display in the rear-view mirrors on GM and FoMoCo cars. It's my belief that these warning systems will eventually become mandatory -- like turn signals, seat belts, air bags, and tire monitoring systems eventually did -- and I, personally, will never drive another car without this important safety feature.

That said, the omission of the ability to use SYNC apps on MFT-equipped FFHs is fully as stupid, more stupid, in fact, but it's not nearly as important -- its absence won't get you into an accident.

[IraF]

Highway Driving ~ 70mph with 2 adults

 

 

[acdii]

booo

[GrySql]

Consumer Reports testing got 36 MPG at 75 MPH in the FFH. You'd likely get about 432 miles per tank at that rate (assuming 12 gallons per refill, which is fairly typical).

 

It's not an ideal driving situation for the car, but other hybrids would tend to perform similarly in that situation. Really only a diesel would be significantly better for that type of driving.

Last Fall my brother and I made a 2,000 round trip from southern CA to Oregon. He drove his smaller '13 VW Golf TDI with wife aboard, my wife and I were in our '13 FFH.

We took the same route, encountered the same weather, flatlands and mountain terrain and we both drove as fast as the law allowed, a lot of 70-80mph.

When we returned home we compared notes on our fuel mileage, he won the contest by a couple of mpg's.

With that experience behind me I can say that in the overall travel experience my FFH won the contest when all factors are considered. The FFH's quiet, comfortable, stable ride along with the good mpg's makes it a terrific package.

 

Focusing on a few miles per gallon loses sight of the net result from traveling in these cars.

Mine is called 'The Time Machine' because we can get in, drive for long distances and get out refreshed and without the road fatigue we have had with past vehicles.

 

Four days ago we took them out to lunch and as we were driving through Palm Springs my brother commented about how quiet the FFH was. It is too, especially compared to his Golf TDI.

 

Edited April 19, 2014 by GrySql

[corncobs]

Highway Driving ~ 70mph with 2 adults

 

 

That result I would like to match but I can't drive downhill all the time. ;)

 

How did you manage to get that much EV miles @ 70 MPH? I saw around 80 EV miles at a total interstate miles of around 400.

Edited April 19, 2014 by corncobs

[Ted Swing]

I agree with you guys about the FFH's features and quietness. I didn't mean to sell it short. I think it's reasonable to weigh those above small differences in MPG in highway driving.

[My2cents]

..........When we returned home we compared notes on our fuel mileage, he won the contest by a couple of mpg's.......Focusing on a few miles per gallon loses sight of the net result from traveling in these cars.

Mine is called 'The Time Machine' because we can get in, drive for long distances and get out refreshed and without the road fatigue we have had with past vehicles.

 

Four days ago we took them out to lunch and as we were driving through Palm Springs my brother commented about how quiet the FFH was. It is too, especially compared to his Golf TDI.

 

What were the respective MPG? Golf TDI vs FFH for the whole trip?

[My2cents]

Highway Driving ~ 70mph with 2 adults

 

 

What would the MPG have been if you drove 447 miles at a constant 70 MPH? Thanks for trying though!

[My2cents]

Thanks for the responses! BTW I don't need to be sold on the merits of owning a Ford Fusion. I had a 2008 Fusion (AWD) and it was definitely a great riding/ handling car. My daughter has it now and it continues to be a reliable daily driver.

 

I'm interested in real world MPG @posted Interstate speed limits not general impressions of what a great ride the FFH provides. My decision is between a hybrid or non hybrid Fusion. Also I know not to expect EPA highway numbers @75 MPH with a Ford Ecoboost engine.

[corncobs]

Hybrid will do better no question.

 

On a recent road trip to FL on I-65, 24, 75 with speed limit 70 MPH (73 MPH on ACC) MPG# came back between 35 and 39 MPG. That's with 2 adults, 1 child and the trunk full of stuff.

 

Here is one example from the way back.

 

Edited April 19, 2014 by corncobs

[Da0ne]

here are some from pics of my wife birthday getaway from NYC to Charlotte NC back in Sept 13

 

This is straight down I95 doing 70 - 80 MPH

 

This is thru back roads from Roanoke VA to Charlotte NC speed limit varied from 55 - 70 MPH

 

 

trip returning back to NYC mostly 70 MPH but thru the mountains of VA killed the mpg

[My2cents]

Hybrid will do better no question.

On a recent road trip to FL on I-65, 24, 75 with speed limit 70 MPH (73 MPH on ACC) MPG# came back between 35 and 39 MPG. That's with 2 adults, 1 child and the trunk full of stuff.

Here is one example from the way back.

Thanks this gives me a good real world data point. Hence my dilemma, the non hybrid Fusion with the 1.6L is rated 37 MPG highway (I'm aware the ecoboost won't get highway mpg @70 - I'd expect about a 10% derate). Hence my dilemma - I'm comparing a non hybrid @about 33 MPG to a FFH @about 37 MPG. I'm thinking the hybrid isn't worth the extra $$$ given where I live and how I drive. BTW I'm around the lake from you in SW MI.

[My2cents]

here are some from pics of my wife birthday getaway from NYC to Charlotte NC back in Sept 13

 

This is straight down I95 doing 70 - 80 MPH

 

This is thru back roads from Roanoke VA to Charlotte NC speed limit varied from 55 - 70 MPH

 

Getting better!

 

 

trip returning back to NYC mostly 70 MPH but thru the mountains of VA killed the mpg

[GrySql]

What were the respective MPG? Golf TDI vs FFH for the whole trip?

We both had fierce headwinds for almost 400 miles on the first leg going north to OR, and that killed the trip averages - he got 28mpg, I got 27mpg that tank.

In addition, this was not just flat terrain on I-5, there are two mountain ranges up to 7,000' as well.

Overall the numbers were 37 and 39mpg.

 

I doubt an 1.6L Ecoboost would have gotten anywhere close to that on that trip. But I do agree that a simple, uncomplicated straight gas engine might sound tempting.

But before you decide read the Fuelly mpg averages for gas Fusions. (Use the filter to select the correct engine)

[acdii]

First, The 1.6 is manual only, so good luck finding one unless you order it. The 1.5 is the automatic version, and it is rated at 36 Highway. These also limit you on what options you can get(why Ford does this, don't know). If you wanted the Adaptive Cruise, it is only available on the Hybrid SE and HyTi, or the 2.0 Ecoboost. If you do a lot of highway, it is an awesome option and well worth it. If you drive a LOT of miles like I do, in the long run the Hybrid option does pay for itself. On average the non Hybrids I had, got 22 MPG tops, even at 35 MPG that is a substantial savings. In reality you will probably get about 30 in the non Hybrid if all you do is highway driving, and once you go Hybrid, you will find yourself playing the MPG game and eventually will lock on to that perfect speed setting and not worry about how fast you are going.

 

Those numbers I posted above are real world numbers over a 400 mile trip, 65 MPH getting 42 MPG is pretty damned good.

[hybridbear]

On our trip to Winnipeg we've seen 39 MPG so far with our speed being 65 MPH on adaptive cruise the whole way. Temps were cold (20-45F) and we were driving into a 10-20 MPH wind. I'm hoping to see 42-45 MPG going home in a few days with the wind behind us and slightly warmer temps (30-65F forecasted).

[GrySql]

On our trip to Winnipeg we've seen 39 MPG so far with our speed being 65 MPH on adaptive cruise the whole way. Temps were cold (20-45F) and we were driving into a 10-20 MPH wind. I'm hoping to see 42-45 MPG going home in a few days with the wind behind us and slightly warmer temps (30-65F forecasted).

Tailwinds, warm weather and downhill are my favorite driving conditions! :)

[IraF]

On that trip where I achieved 49.1mpg for a 47.1mile trip that was done on mainly flat land with very few hills (Central Kentucky) and constant monitoring of EV threshold. There was some pulse and glide, but ii tried to keep everything constant.

Just recently i made the trip from PigeonForge, TN to Cherokee, NC and for those that have made the trip ,those are winding hills and speed if you are lucky you get 45mph and in some area"s it's 35mph The uphill from the TN side of the Smokies was around 37~38mpg, until i reached the top. The North Carolina Side was all down hill and the mpg was around 120mpg.

Reverse trip was 36~37 to the top and top back to Gatlinburg was around 115mpg.

[inco]

So what could possibly bring you to Winnipeg? Better still, why would you want to leave, now that you are there. The coldest intersection in all of Canada is right there for your enjoyment - Portage & Main and if you don't like the weather - wait five minutes! :drop: Thank you for your tourist support - our economy thanks you too.

Edited April 20, 2014 by inco

[snowmonster]

I picked up my 2014 HyTi just over 1 month ago and took my first trip on state highways and Interstates today. I have already been impressed with the in-town MPG but today was cool. I initially went the state highway route to stay around a constant 60 mph. On the way home, I added in a 15 mile stretch of Interstate at 75-78 mph and it didn't seem to adversely affect my mpg. I got 41.7 mpg on the state highways going there and got 41.2 mpg on the way back in 75 degree temps with the A/C set to about 71/72 degrees. I really thought the Interstate miles would have killed the average but it wasn't bad. It should be noted that I used to drive a 4.4 liter V8 BMW 750Li so this mileage was considerably better than the 16-17 mpg I would have gotten.

 

The best part was the adaptive cruise control. Easter weekend (or Sundays in general) from Indianapolis towards Chicago isn't fun to drive in at times. The ACC did a fantastic job of keeping reasonable following distances and varying speeds as needed. I just kept my foot over the brake (just in case) and everything was much less stressful than normal.

[acdii]

Sounds about right. Thats about what I get in that kind of driving, which it pretty much my daily drive without the Interstate.

[hybridbear]

So what could possibly bring you to Winnipeg? Better still, why would you want to leave, now that you are there. The coldest intersection in all of Canada is right there for your enjoyment - Portage & Main and if you don't like the weather - wait five minutes! :drop: Thank you for your tourist support - our economy thanks you too.

Visiting family. My wife is from Winnipeg originally.

 

Today coming home with warmer weather and winds mostly behind us were seeing about 46-47 MPG for today doing 65-70 MPH.