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

[Gigi]

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.

What you describe is what I have been noticing. I needed to know whether what I was experiencing is typical.

 

I can baby it along from a standing start up to 30-35 mph, but it has to be level ground, it takes a gentle touch, and it might take a while. It seems that the more I baby it, the better it gets at holding on to EV mode.

 

With a 1.5kWh battery, I expected the 2012 to go further locked into EV mode. My boss got a 2014 FFH. After having driven a Prius for about 40K miles, he is amazed at how well and how long the 2014 stays in EV mode. His description of EV mode in the Prius sounds a lot like the 1st gen FFH.

 

I have my first long road trip in the 2012 FFH coming up this week. I'm curious to see what kind of mpg I am able to achieve.

[acdii]

The 1st gen FFh and Prius are nearly identical. The 13 FFH does have a better range on EV than the 10 did.

[Gigi]

700 miles on the road in the last two days and I really like the driver's seat in the 2012 FFH. It's a bit firmer than the seat in the 2013 SE. It feels thicker and it seems to have better springs. In the SE, it feels like the foam gets thin over a long drive. The 2012 keeps its springiness. I am very pleased with the creature comforts.

 

The first tank of gas was 39 mpg at the pump after 510 miles of interstates at the speed limit and mountain roads. The calculator is reading 44 mpg at the moment. We'll see how close that is to what it works out to at the pump in another 400 miles or so.

 

The steering wheel controls, detail on the trip screens, redundant controls on the right screen, and the resolution of the main display screen are all superior in the 2nd generation FFHs. I do like the buttons that can switch between modes - audio, phone, map, etc., the climate control buttons, and the mobile apps - pandora, especially - on the 2012 better.

 

The 2012 seems more nimble on curvy roads. It still rides like a midsize car, but the 5" shorter wheelbase makes it more responsive. The cars are the same length and the 2012 actually is about 100# heavier. The ride is smooth in the 2012, but it seems just a little tighter and firmer than the 2013-14.

 

Part of me still wishes I could have found a 2013 in my price range, but I wasn't going to find an SE with all of the options this 2012 has. I really appreciate the BLIS. Somehow, I've got to remember that our other cars don't have that option and I have to really look for cars in my blind spot.

[Gigi]

I enjoyed driving the 2012 FFH on my second 1,000 mile road trip. I appreciated its performance climbing the grade up to the Buckner Gap on I-26 above Asheville, NC. There was plenty of power available for the climb and with the constant velocity transmission, I was spared downshifts and high revs.

I really appreciate the Sony audio system and the driver’s seat - very comfortable for my ears and my toches on a long drive.

Gas mileage was good - 39.5 and 40 mpg at the pump even though there were times I was hurrying to get to the next appointment and driving above the speed limit.

One thing I miss driving the 2012 is the 2013's right steering wheel control and right display. In my 2013, I like having the climate control display up on the right screen and being able to adjust the fan speed from the steering wheel control rather than having to reach for a button on the center stack. I also miss the detail that is available on the trip meter in the 2013, which gives gallons and kWh used, EV miles driven, and mpg for each trip.

I think that Ford learned a thing or two with the first generation FFH and made some significant technology improvements with the second generation FFH/FFEs. Still, I am finding that the 2012 FFH is a very nice car that performs well and is very comfortable. I’m happy with my choice. We’ll see how it does over the next 5 years and 200K miles.

[hybridbear]

I enjoyed driving the 2012 FFH on my second 1,000 mile road trip. I appreciated its performance climbing the grade up to the Buckner Gap on I-26 above Asheville, NC. There was plenty of power available for the climb and with the constant velocity transmission, I was spared downshifts and high revs.

 

I really appreciate the Sony audio system and the driver’s seat - very comfortable for my ears and my toches on a long drive.

 

Gas mileage was good - 39.5 and 40 mpg at the pump even though there were times I was hurrying to get to the next appointment and driving above the speed limit.

 

One thing I miss driving the 2012 is the 2013's right steering wheel control and right display. In my 2013, I like having the climate control display up on the right screen and being able to adjust the fan speed from the steering wheel control rather than having to reach for a button on the center stack. I also miss the detail that is available on the trip meter in the 2013, which gives gallons and kWh used, EV miles driven, and mpg for each trip.

 

I think that Ford learned a thing or two with the first generation FFH and made some significant technology improvements with the second generation FFH/FFEs. Still, I am finding that the 2012 FFH is a very nice car that performs well and is very comfortable. I’m happy with my choice. We’ll see how it does over the next 5 years and 200K miles.

Glad you're enjoying it! The 2013 hybrids don't show the kWh, that's just an Energi feature. The enhance trip computer is really nice showing EV miles. Does the 2012 not track EV miles? On our FFH we had to enable the enhanced trip MPG display. Perhaps it is just not enabled on your 2012?

[Gigi]

Haven't found it.

[acdii]

No EV miles in the Gen 1, it has a basic readout. The Gen 2 trip summaries are much better. I did like teh right screen graphs though, would be nice if they can upgrade the 13 dash to have it on the right so one screen had Empower the other the graphs. Wouldnt need to keep flipping back and forth and be able to have an additional MyView for something else.

[Gigi]

Yeah, I like the graphs too, although I have concluded that the bars are more a result of whether the engine is warmed up and of the terrain and road conditions which I can't do anything about than they are a product of my actual driving habits most of the time. I could improve on my driving by not getting in a hurry and keeping highway speed down, but otherwise, I drive like an old lady and the car consistently turns in 39.5 - 40 mpg calculated at the pump. The trip computer puts it at 41 - 41.5, but that has not proved accurate so far. I was hoping for better mpg, but this isn't bad. I'll keep babying the car in hopes that it will learn my ways and turn out better fuel economy.

[hybridbear]

No EV miles in the Gen 1, it has a basic readout. The Gen 2 trip summaries are much better. I did like teh right screen graphs though, would be nice if they can upgrade the 13 dash to have it on the right so one screen had Empower the other the graphs. Wouldnt need to keep flipping back and forth and be able to have an additional MyView for something else.

That's what they're doing for 2015. I also wish they would implement some of those dash updates in the 2013 models but would put the odds of it happening at around 1 in 100,000.

[Gigi]

That's what they're doing for 2015. I also wish they would implement some of those dash updates in the 2013 models but would put the odds of it happening at around 1 in 100,000.

You know, the developers of every little smart phone app put out updates. I wonder why Ford doesn't do this. Not updating MFT to handle mobil apps is disappointing.

 

There. I'm done complaining.

[acdii]

I went to use my Lincoln APP yesterday and as of June they are disabling it. :( Now I have to get the other app installed. Looks like they merged the two App's together, the Remote Access and MyLincoln Mobile. Whats neat is I can use it with both the Fusion and MKT.

[hybridbear]

I went to use my Lincoln APP yesterday and as of June they are disabling it. :( Now I have to get the other app installed. Looks like they merged the two App's together, the Remote Access and MyLincoln Mobile. Whats neat is I can use it with both the Fusion and MKT.

What apps are these? I'm not familiar with any Ford apps other than for the Energi models & the Focus Electric.

[acdii]

What apps are these? I'm not familiar with any Ford apps other than for the Energi models & the Focus Electric.

Sync Destinations. It is replacing the ones I currently have. Whats neat is the Lincoln App worked with the Fusion too.

[tr7driver]

where did you get the app?

[hybridbear]

where did you get the app?

iTunes App Store

[tr7driver]

Thanks bear. About to make a trip from central Illinois to Salt Lake City. I'll have to give it a try. To bad I can get this forum on Sync.

[tr7driver]

I don't miss the back seats that don't fold down on the earlier generation FFh

[acdii]

the only thing I miss is better MPG on highway trips in the 2010, but I dont do many of those, so not a big deal.

[murphy]

I don't miss the back seats that don't fold down on the earlier generation FFh

The back seats do fold down on the previous generation FFH. You need a long screwdriver to release the clips from the trunk for the two seat sections. There is no feedthrough when they are down. It's described in the emergency responders document since it is the only way to get to the HVB disconnect.

[Gigi]

The back seats do fold down on the previous generation FFH. You need a long screwdriver to release the clips from the trunk for the two seat sections. There is no feedthrough when they are down. It's described in the emergency responders document since it is the only way to get to the HVB disconnect.

Very interesting. So, is the seat back carpeted? Does it make a better carrying shelf than putting items on the leather seats?

[murphy]

I got rid of my 2010 in April 2013 and it was probably two years before that when I had the seat backs down for the last time. I never took a picture with them down. I don't recall what they looked like but I'm fairly certain that they are covered. With what, I don't remember. It was hard to figure out the procedure the first time that I did it. There are two metal tabs sticking up that must be pushed sideways to release the seat back. The seat backs fold down on their own once released.

[Gigi]

From the looks of the diagram I found, not a very convenient option.

[Gigi]

With my 2012 FFH, I have been noticing a discrepancy of .75 - 1.5 mpg between the mpg average calculated by the trip odometer and my own calculations at the pump dividing miles driven by gallons put in the tank. The car's average has always been higher than my calculation. Is this common?

 

By my calculation, I'm getting a pretty consistant 39.5 mpg on mostly speed limit interstate and mountain driving.

[acdii]

With my 2012 FFH, I have been noticing a discrepancy of .75 - 1.5 mpg between the mpg average calculated by the trip odometer and my own calculations at the pump dividing miles driven by gallons put in the tank. The car's average has always been higher than my calculation. Is this common?

 

By my calculation, I'm getting a pretty consistant 39.5 mpg on mostly speed limit interstate and mountain driving.

Yep, and yours is conservative. Your MPG is dead on too! That was the one thing about the first gen FFH, it was always consistent. They do really good on the highway compared to the new gen FFH. Some of my best tanks were highway miles.

[machoman1337]

I miss the responsiveness of the sync touch screen on my '08. MFT on my '13 is tolerable, but it does hurt to know that Ford actually had it better a generation ago...

I miss the response and lack of "whine" when flooring it to overtake a truck.

I miss the fact that climate control used hard buttons (the capacitive ones on my '13 can be hateful sometimes).

I miss the horn which needed less effort to press.

 

I don't miss the rattling and bumpy suspension.

I don't miss the flimsy joystick for adjusting mirrors (it actually turned out to be broken on the day I picked up the car and the dealer had to replace it).

I don't miss the terrible mileage on my '08's V6.

I don't miss the stupidly low position for the nav screen

I don't miss how the wiper controls and turn signal share one stalk.

I don't miss the uncomfortable hard leather (dunno if it was fixed on the 2010-2012 models).

I don't miss the god awful stereo (though the 2010-2012 fixed this)

I don't miss the lack of driver's seat memory.

I don't miss the uglier cheap-feeling interior :D

Edited June 8, 2014 by machoman1337