Comments on: Ford's New Smarter Hybrids

By: smlcap

smlcap — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 03:52:47 +0000

Great!….Hat’s off to Ford. Ford has finally seen the future, the future is now. I hope the other 2 Detroit companys wake up and smell the coffee. Ford is building a nice stable of hybrid/alt energy vehicles.

By: GaryG

GaryG — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:03:34 +0000

The driver will always make the difference in what kind of mileage the vehicle gets. For instance the TCH is rated 33/34mpg and there are people who will average 24mpg and people who can average 42mpg in the TCH. The people getting 24mpg drive very aggressively and complain about their vehicle's MPG while the people driving smart can average around the EPA ratings. There are limits what the worst and best mileage a driver will get, but the worst drivers tend to complain because they think it's the vehicle's EPA ratings that are wrong.

There are many Mileage Data Bases where people log their type vehicles and the mileage they get. The problem is the worst drivers don't enter their data and the better drivers do. This is one reason why I have not logged my '05 FEH's mileage in the past in a mileage data base.

It is my opinion the new Fusion Hybrid will easily get EPA rated mileage from a good average driver. Based on my knowledge of the 2.5L engine and the new electrical system, I think a driver like myself could average 55mpg Tanks in the new FFH. I also think the new FFH will be capable of 80mpg at the MPG Challenge in July '09. The '09 FEH with the new 2.5L engine should hit 70mpg in that 27 mile trip in the MPG Challenge also.

By: AD

AD — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:40:22 +0000

I would say if they put computer alone on all cars showing gas mileage and coach, and tire pressure monitors, gas mileage would probably increase 10% alone.

By: William T.

William T. — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:41:33 +0000

Owlafaye, you said "155 HP? 2.5 liter engine (2500cc) They aren't fooling me. You will be lucky to average 30 mpg and lets hope the accessories, acceleration and luxury are what you really wanted because that is what these cars are geared towards."

I have a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid (2.3 liter I-4, 133 HP) and ALWAYS get >30 mpg, usually close to 33 mpg. This is with mostly highway driving (about 70mph) which is where hybrids tend to do worse on mileage. It has all the accessories and is not as small as the Fusion. That car will certainly get more than 30 mpg. The key is the Atkinson cycle engine. It is more efficient than the Otto cycle that most gasoline engine operate in.

By: Andrew DeNardo

Andrew DeNardo — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:33:20 +0000

Depending on your drive this vehicle could give you tremendously better mileage than rated. The question is will the electric engine engage without a warm combustion engine, as is not the case in current Ford hybrids. What we really need and I believe feasible, is a plug-in hybrid that will go 30-40 or more miles up to 50 mph on electric power. A switch to electric only mode that is overridden only by battery depletion will help. I currently drive a Ford escape hybrid 4wd and get 30 – 33 mpg combined avg, tire pressure around 48 psi.

By: GaryG

GaryG — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:07:39 +0000

I read another article that stated the new 2010 Fusion Hybrid could go up to eight miles also, but in the Ford press release there was no mention. Wayne Gerdes says this is not possible and I tend to agree.

At any rate I'm ordering a fully loaded 502A option package FFH in place of a 2010 Prius. The ordering guides are out and you can order one now! I'm averaging over 45mpg tanks with E-10 in my '09 FEH and the FFH has a new more efficient eCVT.

By: Landon

Landon — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:20:09 +0000

dude, um thats a terrible reason to not buy a Fusion, grilles certainly aren’t permanent and you could buy one thats black or something

By: dfschim

dfschim — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:56:26 +0000

I own a Focus ZX3 with an automatic and I get 22-24 mpg city with the heavy traffic, the gasohol that is required here and the A/C running. I have gotten 33 mpg when I was driving on a cool day on a flat highway at a steady 60 mph with good gas.

First, this hybrid is going to have an automatic, which is the only transmission I would consider with all the city driving I do. Second it is a Fusion/Milan and not a Focus, so it will have a bigger back seat. Third it will have 200 combined HP compared to the Focus with only 130 HP, so it will be able to do 0-60 in 8 seconds. That is the same as my old Dodge Daytona Turbo, my Focus can not keep up with that.

Steve is right, the only way to compare the mileage of 2 cars is use the EPA numbers, or drive one of them following the other.

I agree with everyone who said the Fusion grille is ugly. I plan to replace my Focus with a Milan hybrid, the only thing I will miss is the hatchback. And yes I intend to get a silver one, because even the Milan has too much chrome to look good in a dark color.

By: Jerry

Jerry — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 14:48:00 +0000

opps!
38mpg Focus not fusion

By: Jerry

Jerry — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 14:46:57 +0000

ICE Focus vs Hybrid Fusion
For the 10s of thousands of cars that are rolling in traffic everyday I would imagine the air quaility would be far better with the fusion hybrid than the 38MPG fusion. The hybrid will ultimately be a better way to go for people that are tooling around near the city. With the four other in my car pool I would rather have the Fusion than the focus.