2012 FFH - What do you miss? What don't you miss?

[Gigi]

Budget constraints have me looking at a low mileage 2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid for a company car driving 35,000+ miles per year. Are there things about the 2012 FFH that you miss? Are there things that were problems that you don't miss and that you think I should avoid?

 

The car I have in mind has 18,000 miles, is fully loaded, tan interior, and black exterior. My first preference would be white exterior, but I haven't been able to find one with low mileage and all the bells and whistles. Black is my #2 color choice.

 

One concern I have is maintaining the HVB in a black car. How badly would the sun and heat in the Southeastern US affect the HVB? Should black be avoided? Should I hold out for a white vehicle for lower interior temperature since it will be parked or driving outside most of the time?

[inco]

All cars get hot parked in the sun and the colour doesn't really matter. If it's hot outside, it's hot inside. Black also looks the sharpest when the car is all cleaned up and I would not hesitate to opt for it. Black really is beautiful you know. You can minimize the heat inside by cracking a window and get those side shades to keep the water out just in case. If you have a sunroof you can do the same thing.

[acdii]

Not much difference between the 10 and 12, other than maybe a few options that were added. There are features in the 2013 that I really liked, and also the way it drove, which is the only reason I traded my 2010 for one. The one feature I do miss is the graph on the right side dash. It was very helpful. A 2012 is a good car, and you can't go wrong with one. While it doesn't handle as well or have the styling of the 13, it is still a very good car, much better than any Camry, even the new ones. They are very reliable, and once you get the hang of it, they are very consistent in MPG. I do recommend getting one with a sunroof though, it helps to vent the car on a hot day, and in temps of 70-80, you would be surprised how well venting it and lowering the two rear windows a 1/2" can keep you cool without the wind whipping through the car. You wont need AC on those days, even in a dark colored car, mine was Atlantis Green, which kept getting mistaken for black. Inside it looked black, only under direct sunlight can you tell it was green, sort of like the new Dark Side.

 

Have it checked out well, and if all checks out, go for it, I think you will be pleased with it.

[Gigi]

A 2012 is a good car, and you can't go wrong with one.

 

Have it checked out well, and if all checks out, go for it, I think you will be pleased with it.

I put it on order - free transfer from another Carmax in my region. I can check it out before signing on the dotted line. Anything in particular I should have checked?

 

This one has about everything - navigation, leather, moonroof, Sony sound, BLIS, rearview camera and sensors, auto-dimming mirrors, etc. Given a choice between a new smaller economy car with cloth seats and a low mileage used car with all the comforts I am used to in my personal cars, I am hoping the 2012 FFH will be the better choice.

[acdii]

Oh it will be, sounds like a nice car. When you test drive it, see how well it performs in EV under 45 MPH. If you can maintain a nice steady speed without much pedal and go at least a mile like this, then the EV system is performing well. If you can get an Oasis history from Ford on it, that would be very helpful. All you need is the VIN and a dealer who can look it up for you. It will tell you if the car has been maintained by a Ford dealer, as well as what was done at each visit, and if any updates have been applied, or any TSB, or recalls performed, or if there are any outstanding ones that need to be done. A Carfax may or may not show all this since not all dealers report it.

 

Another thing to check on a test drive, if you can get up to 55 MPH, with the battery showing at least 1/2 full, holding a steady speed and real light pedal, see if you can get it above 40 MPG and maintain it. If you can, then the car was trained well, and should give you some really good MPG. If it struggles to get to 40 with a really light pedal on a level road at 55MPH, then it most likely was driven like any other car, and while not a bad thing, can make a new owner think something is wrong. Nothing a reset and retraining can't fix, much easier to do on the 10-12 cars.

 

On the 2010 I had, when driving along this one stretch of road, I would get it up to 55 MPH, and barely touch the gas pedal to maintain the speed, and the instant gauge showed it above 40 MPG the entire stretch.

 

As for the rest of the car, give it a good once over, inside and out, look for anything that may be out of place, like in the trunk, the lining along the sides and battery shelf, if it all looks nice and neat, then chances are there were no major repairs done, like battery removal and such. Same thing under the hood, look at the wire looms and make sure everything looks like it is wrapped nice and tight and not repaired. Check the oil, should be nice and clear.

 

Good luck.

[hybridbear]

So no new FFH for the company car? Too expensive?

[Gigi]

So no new FFH for the company car? Too expensive?

 

Yep. Budgets, policies, etc. I'm disappointed, but It's okay. At least I won't have to drive a compact or a Prius - a couple of the other options - and I won't have the mess of taking an auto allowance and having to keep track of mileage and taking depreciation in order to drive my personal car. I am hoping that this 17,000 mile fully loaded 2012 FFH can be the next best thing to a new FFH and in a couple of ways, it might even be better.

 

When we bought our 2013 FFEnergi, I was disappointed that the audio system in the SE was not nearly as good as the Sony in the Titanium. It looks like the Sony in the fully loaded 2012 FFH should be better than what I have in the SE. One challenge will be getting used to the instrument and control layout in the 2012. It took long enough to learn the 2013. I really like switching between driving our Energi and our Electric because nearly everything is in the same place. The instruments and controls in the 2012 all seem to do the same things, only they're different. It looks like the 2012 FFH has Applink, which I really wish the 2013 MFT had. I like Pandora and I hate having to pick up the phone to control it. Using Applink and Sync to control that and other phone apps makes so much sense.

 

Gas mileage in the 2012 isn't rated as high as in the 13-14, but so long as I can drive as economically as a Cruze Eco, I'll be doing my part to hold the budget line. I'm really thankful that I got to choose my own car rather than just being assigned a company Prius. I took one of those things on a test drive and found that it had NO torque. No wonder you call yours "The Appliance."

 

I feel fortunate to have found a car with such low mileage, all the options I wanted, and within the budget I had to work with. I wasn't going to be able to have a new car as nice as this one. The car is supposed to arrive Wednesday, so I'll post an update then.

Edited April 20, 2014 by Gigi

[Gigi]

. . . When you test drive it . . .

.

Thanks all your the good advice, acdii. I'll follow it. Fortunately, with only 17,000 miles, it still has half of its bumper to bumper warranty left - mileage wise, so if there's anything mechanical, electrical, or electronic that's out of whack, I should be able to get it tracked down and fixed by the dealer sometime in the next 17,000 miles or so.

Edited April 20, 2014 by Gigi

[acdii]

As far as MPG, it will get what the sticker says, unless its really cold out, then it can lose a few, but 41 MPG is very achievable in the 10-12 FFH. Once you get the hang of it, seeing 45 MPG highway can be done just about all the time. Thats one of the disappointments I have in the 13, it doesn't do as well on the highway as the 2010 did. Funny thing is, I was doing just as good in the 2010 as I do now in the 13. The 13 is just more consistently above 40.

[Gigi]

. . . seeing 45 MPG highway can be done just about all the time. . .

Interesting. I was curious about the 41 city/36 highway rating and glad to hear that it can do better than the rated 36, since most of my miles will be interstate and blue highways. My experience with my 2013 FFE has been 37-43 on the highway.

 

Can you tell me your experience with the seats and the sound in your 2010? The one really long trip I've taken in our FFE SE I was comfortable enough, I think, but by the end the seat was feeling a bit thin. I'm hoping that the 2012 seats are a little better.

 

Is the 12 speaker Sony system in the 2010-12 FFH as good as in the 13-14 Titanium? I still haven't gotten over the lack of bass range in the SE 6 speaker system.

[acdii]

Interesting. I was curious about the 41 city/36 highway rating and glad to hear that it can do better than the rated 36, since most of my miles will be interstate and blue highways. My experience with my 2013 FFE has been 37-43 on the highway.

 

Can you tell me your experience with the seats and the sound in your 2010? The one really long trip I've taken in our FFE SE I was comfortable enough, I think, but by the end the seat was feeling a bit thin. I'm hoping that the 2012 seats are a little better.

 

Is the 12 speaker Sony system in the 2010-12 FFH as good as in the 13-14 Titanium? I still haven't gotten over the lack of bass range in the SE 6 speaker system.

The Sony system is much much better in the 12 than the SE non Sony. It is just as good as the Ti system and the main reason I got the HiTy. As for the seats, mine were aftermarket leather, but I have a hard time in any seat, they all seem to press into my left thigh and cause pain at some point. The only seats I really felt comfortable in were the SE Luxury seats. I never took our 2010 on a trip longer than 2 hours, but I never felt like I had to stop to stretch or anything.

 

I have taken the 13 on long trips, the first one I drove to Florida(where I determined there was something wrong with the car when in 70* temps it barely eeked out 34 MPG), and it had the SE Luxury seats, Very comfortable to sit in. I took our HyTi up to MN which was a 4 or 5 hour trip and the seats in that are not as comfortable as the SE. That is my only gripe with the HyTi.

 

I think once you get it settled in, you will like it.

[hermans]

The Sony system is much much better in the 12 than the SE non Sony. It is just as good as the Ti system and the main reason I got the HiTy. As for the seats, mine were aftermarket leather, but I have a hard time in any seat, they all seem to press into my left thigh and cause pain at some point. The only seats I really felt comfortable in were the SE Luxury seats. I never took our 2010 on a trip longer than 2 hours, but I never felt like I had to stop to stretch or anything.

 

I have taken the 13 on long trips, the first one I drove to Florida(where I determined there was something wrong with the car when in 70* temps it barely eeked out 34 MPG), and it had the SE Luxury seats, Very comfortable to sit in. I took our HyTi up to MN which was a 4 or 5 hour trip and the seats in that are not as comfortable as the SE. That is my only gripe with the HyTi.

 

I think once you get it settled in, you will like it.

I agree. In 1976 I was shot on the right thigh and until I bought the FFH, I've had pain issues while driving. I've driven a Ti (rental) on a long trip and the pain issue returned. The SE seats are definately more confortable.

[Gigi]

I picked up the car yesterday from Carmax and took it to the dealer today for them to check it out and see if there are any updates or re-calibrations that need to be done.

 

It's a 2012 FFH with just about everything, only 18,000 miles. It was a fleet vehicle, so I am hoping it was well cared for. I figure that I've got 18,000 miles or about 6 months of driving under the bumper-to-bumper warranty to work out any problems.

 

One thing I noticed is that it seems like the ICE in the 2012 runs more than in my 2013 Energi when it is driving in EV Later mode or driving with a depleated battery in regular hybrid mode. Another way of saying this is that it seems like the 2012 doesn't stay in EV mode as firmly as in the 2013 and that the ICE comes on earlier than what I am used to in the 2013. Also, I've noticed that the car seems to surge intermittently when driving on ICE power at a constant speed because EV is kicking in and out. Does anybody have any experience with this? I am hoping that a PCM update or recalibration will take care of this. Or it may just be that the second generation technology is better.

 

The car is getting pretty good gas mileage, 39.5 mpg for the first 110 miles I have driven it. I'd like to see better, of course. I may have to adjust my technique with this car.

[murphy]

The 2010-2012 hybrids have a NI-Mh battery. I don't recall ever seeing its capacity but it probably has less capacity than the 2013 Li-Ion batteries. I had a 2010 and don't recall ever getting more than a mile in EV mode. They also must be below 47 mph to switch to EV mode.

[Gigi]

My experience is that the 2012 can switch into EV mode above 45 mph. I think that I remember reading that Ford increased the 45 mph limit somewhere along the line.

 

The specs on the 2012 battery are: 275 Volts and 5.5 Amp-hours, which converts to 1.5 kWh. The battery in the 2013-14 is 1.4 kWh. I wonder what is its peak power.

 

My concern is that the car doesn't seem to "stick" in EV for very long before the ICE kicks in. My 2013 Energi seems to have a higher threshold for starting the ICE when driving in hybrid only mode.

 

I'm curious to see what the dealer has to say this afternoon (hopefully) when I pick up the car.

[Gigi]

I told the service rep my concerns. When I got the car back, he told me that everything is functioning in nominal range. All updates were installed. There is a panel vent that's broken. They ordered a replacement that will be repaired under warranty. The dealer checked the brakes, tires, systems, etc. and everything checks out good. They didn't charge me a cent, which I think is commendable.

 

Low mileage used 2012 FFHs with everything are hard to find. $24K seemed like a lot of money, but there are few cars out there with only 18K miles, so I think I got a good deal.

[acdii]

The 10-12 FFH and the 13+ FFH are totally different drive trains. It took some getting used to the new one after driving the 10 for 46K miles. It takes a much lighter foot on the Gen 1 to stay in EV, and the range isn't as good as the 13, but getting 39 out of the gate(provided that is hand calculated and not the dash readout) is pretty good. Remember it is rated at 38 combined. Lets just say your 12 will meet and/or exceed EPA a lot easier than the 13+ will ever do.

[tr7driver]

I miss the hard drive in the Sony Radio in my 2010, and I miss being able to put the bar chart up on there right side of the display. Also, I think the seats are wider and the window A pillars are narrower in the 2010 (I had a Merc Milan).

[Gigi]

I miss the hard drive in the Sony Radio in my 2010, and I miss being able to put the bar chart up on there right side of the display. Also, I think the seats are wider and the window A pillars are narrower in the 2010 (I had a Merc Milan).

I haven't decided whether I want to load the drive or just get another usb flash drive and fill it up.

 

The 2012 doesn't play the music files on my phone as a storage device as the 2013 does. Something about not playing protected content. Is there a work-around for this or a setting I'm missing?

 

I really like the fidelity of the Sony audio in the 2012, MUCH better than the audio in the 2013.

Edited April 30, 2014 by Gigi

[tr7driver]

I also miss the larger gas tank. I could drive from Illinois to Washington DC with only one stop to fill up.

[hybridbear]

I also miss the larger gas tank. I could drive from Illinois to Washington DC with only one stop to fill up.

I've found that the limited range is less of an annoyance on road trips than it is in normal city driving. On road trips you're stopping every couple hours anyway to stretch/use the bathroom/etc so filling up isn't an inconvenience. But in my normal driving around town it sure would be nice to have another couple gallons in the tank to go more days between fill-ups.

[acdii]

Agreed, usually after 400 miles I need to get out and walk a bit, so that hasn't been a problem, but losing one day of daily driving is a PITA. In the 2010 I could go all week on one tank, but the 13 I have to fill mid week, or end of week, depending on if my wife drives 50 freaking miles on a Tuesday night to go to dinner when I am at my friends house! Grrrrr There goes one trip to work.

[tr7driver]

I've found that the limited range is less of an annoyance on road trips than it is in normal city driving. On road trips you're stopping every couple hours anyway to stretch/use the bathroom/etc so filling up isn't an inconvenience. But in my normal driving around town it sure would be nice to have another couple gallons in the tank to go more days between fill-ups.

Yah, but I like to game the gas prices. I bought Gas Saturday in New Jersey at $3.31/gal. It lasted me until I got to Central Ohio, where gas was $3.85. With the 2010 I could have made it 800 miles to Indiana and filled up for $3.49. (Plus I wouldn't have needed to fill up for $3.76 here in the rain storm Monday, I'd still have almost a third of a tank.)

 

Locally Kroger's give you discounts on gas based on what you spend on groceries, I can usually qualify for .20/gallon, but its a discount/fill up. So If I buy 11 gallons I don't save as much as buying 18 gallons.

 

I know in the whole scheme of things its not a lot of money saved, but I like think I'm rewarding the lower priced players in the great gas game while helping the car pay for itself. I'm easily entertained by it, lol.

[Gigi]

The panel vent has come in, so I'm taking the car to the shop soon to have that replaced.

 

While it's there, I'd like them to take another look at the hybrid programming.

 

I get the impression that the car's original owner must have been a "lead foot" since my gas mileage has increased little by little each day that I have driven the car. I must be retraining it. Currently, I have the car up to 41.7 mpg on the first half of a tank of gas according to the trip meter.

 

I think that I want to ask the dealer to do a hard reset so that I can just retrain the car from a zero point. How long does it take for past history to be ignored by the system?

 

I am concerned that the car doesn't "stick" in EV mode longer. It is as if there isn't enough power getting to the motor or as if the threshold for the ICE kicking in is set too low. I am wondering whether this is just a difference between the 1st and 2nd generation models, if there is something wrong, or if the car was just poorly trained.

 

I didn't expect that the 1st gen and 2nd gen cars would drive so differently. I'm not unhappy, just curious if there is something that can be adjusted to make the 2012 behave more like the 2013.

[acdii]

There is a huge difference between the 1st and 2nd gen, and getting over 41 in the 1st gen is really good considering it is rated at 39 combined. :) I dont know if you can do a full reset by disconnecting just the 12V battery in it, never tried, never really needed to either. EV is much easier in the 2nd gen, the first isn't really designed to run on pure EV like the 13+. You dont accelerate in EV in the 10-12 models, you coast or glide in EV. It took me a couple thousand miles in the 13 to get the trick of it, and now I can hit 47 on some trips that are hard to get 44 on. Depends a lot on traffic too. On these roads, I would see about 40 MPG in the 2010 when the weather wasn't too cold.