2013 Hybrid vs Energi Highway Mileage

[randyf]

I am thinking about buying either a 2013 Fusion hybrid or Fusion Energi........the hybrid is rated at 47mpg highway and the Energi is rated 43 mpg highway.

 

I will be driving the car from Ohio to Florida several times a year, so I am interested on how the cars do on longer trips.

 

At first I thought I was going to get a Fusion Energi but I think I would probably be better off with the regular hybrid.......lower intial cost and better highway mileage.

 

Does anyone know why the regular hybrid gets better highway milage than the Energi?

[akirby]

The Energi has more batteries and a lot more weight.

 

Energi only makes sense if you do mostly 20 mile trips or less and can stay on battery power most of the time and you have access to 220V charging.

 

Be aware that you probably won't see 47 mpg in the winter and even in the summer you'll have to drive longer trips and be very judicious with the throttle and stay under 62 mph. It is possible but not easy.

[acdii]

I can tell you that neither one will return EPA highway if you drive over 62 MPH. At best you may see 40 doing 70.

 

 

While that is much lower than the EPA ratings, it is still better than most cars this size. The Camry and Avalon will return better highway miles than the Fusion, but the Fusion will knock them down and out in city. The Fusion has more to offer than Camry, and to get in the Avalon what you can in the Fusion will cost you at least 10K more. The Fusion does have the best to offer even if it doesn't get its EPA ratings the way most people drive.

[mathetas]

I have repeated my work commute with extensive data on different driving conditions (over 50 data points)... My commute begins with 3/4 city, transitions to 12 miles of highway and then roughly 12 miles of city. The BEST MPG I have EVER achieved is 40.1 MPG for the trip, and that was a day in which I had already driven the car a bit (no need for engine warming), and I left the heater completely off for the entire trip. Incidentally, I have averaged 36.9 MPG (and dropping) over the 3400 mile life of the car. On a couple of out of town trips, I saw that 65 & 70 mph could barely achieve mid to high 30's for highway MPG.

 

I am a military pilot of fighter aircraft by trade, and therefore, I am use to being very fuel conscious and executing reproducible behavior in order to test and evaluate various maintenance/mechanical issues in sensitive aircraft with complicated systems. Based on my experience with this car, I believe the city fuel economy to be somewhere above 40, and the highway fuel economy to be somewhere in the mid to upper 30's. I returned to the US after spending quite a bit of time overseas, and I was excited to invest in an American car with a European look and revolutionary EPA Ratings. Unfortunately, as my ownership of this vehicle grows over time, I am beginning to feel a bit cheated regarding my purchase. I have noticed several fit and finish issues that are completely unsatisfactory, as well, but that information is for another thread. My biggest beef with Ford is that its press and marketing folks continue to ignore the reality of an obviously inflated EPA Rating citing they "strictly followed the EPA testing procedures". If this behavior from Ford continues, it may be the last time I EVER purchase a Ford.

 

Word to the wise with this car, do NOT base your purchase of this automobile on 47 mpg on the highway because it is impossible to achieve above 62 mph. FYI, with no traffic and ECO Cruise on with all green lights, the score is 38.5 MPG due to the engine's inability to give you more regenerative mileage due to a lack of braking. Furthermore, for those of you that want to challenge me on the "the way" to drive this car, bring it on. I have full confidence that you can achieve no better than 40.1 MPG in my car on any given day in my 25 mile work commute, which by the way, takes a bit of luck (and traffic) to make happen.

Edited March 7, 2013 by mathetas

[lolder]

It's winter. Wait for summer when it will be 10-15 mpg higher ( density altitude ). Is Shadow Lake repaired? I used to live on it.

Edited March 7, 2013 by lolder

[akirby]

obviously inflated EPA Rating citing they "strictly followed the EPA testing procedures". If this behavior from Ford continues, it may be the last time I EVER purchase a Ford.

 

There is no such thing as an "obviously inflated EPA Rating". Either the vehicle gets the advertised mileage on the EPA test or it doesn't and if it doesn't then they are in violation.

And I guarantee you that Ford has checked themselves many times over to make sure they are in compliance.

 

And Ford is required by LAW to post the EPA test results on the window sticker. Those are also used for CAFE compliance so there is no way ANY mfr would try to sandbag the test.

 

You should be able to understand the reason for the discrepancy:

 

Ford's hybrids can go much further on electric power than any other hybrids. They are also much more sensitive to temperature and throttle input as a result. If the EPA tests are not changed then you will see the same problem with other mfrs as they switch to new batteries and new technology.

 

A similar issue exists with the 1.6L and 2.0L ecoboost engines. At light throttle they do much better than N/A engines and that's the EPA test cycle. But once you go above that level of throttle input you quickly cross the line and you get worse fuel mileage. This is not Ford's problem - it's just the way the EPA test parameters have been set.

 

Ford wants the EPA to change the test procedure to account for this new technology in a way that's fair to all mfrs.

[ROB281]

I am able to routinely pull down 42-45 mpg on my 25 mile commute to work and back

 

doing 75-80 on a 200+ mile trip I pulled 38 mpg

[rpoffen]

On my 2010 FFH hybrid, on a 52 mile (each way) commute (about 20% city, 80% highway), I average 42 in the winter and 44.5 in the spring/summer/fall. I typically maintain 60-65MPH on the freeway, but can drop to 50-55 in a couple areas due to traffic.

[acdii]

Today in my 2010, 80% highway, good portion uphill, 35* temps. Something my 2013 has so far been unable to do. Keep in mind its rated at 36 MPG highway!

 

[Icorva]

@ Mathetas - I agree. I have 10K on mine and have about the same numbers.

[TimtheRockstar]

41k of fillups tracked on fuelly...
after a wheel bearing replaced, mine has dropped from 33avg to 25....
WTF?
..reason I am searching for what might be happening...
Guess it will just have to go to ford.

[hockeytape]

On a recent trip of about 300 hwy miles, I was able to get almost 44 mpg. Temps were 70s in the morning and 90 later in the day. Speeds 55-65 with favorable winds. The OP's claim of 38 mpg in colder weather is spot on though and exactly why my 7 month average is 41.5 and rising.

[Grey]

75 miles this morning with 5 people in the Fusion Hybrid 2013. Over 50% highway at 65 mph. 45.2 mpg. I question the Energi would have done much better.