Ford Hybrids' Fuel Economy Failing To Live Up To EPA Ratings?

What a 2,000-mile Ford C-Max Hybrid road trip reveals about its missing mileage.
What a 2,000-mile Ford C-Max Hybrid road trip reveals about its missing mileage | Motoramic - Yahoo! Autos

 

33.5 MPG is quite low for 47 MPG rated car.

After thanksgiving, my brother drove my 2006 Prius back to California (3,000 miles). He averaged 44.9 MPG and Gen2 was rated 45 MPG on the highway. He drove at much higher speed than the EPA test.

 

In a recent trip from Florida to Louisiana in my 2012 Acura tsx special edition, from driveway to destination; 624 miles one way, I averaged 33.1 mpg and return trip was 33.5 mpg from trip computer, cruise control set at 78 mph.

 

5100 miles on my Fusion, and even with the best driving I can do, still only seeing 41 at best.

I have been driving it, keeping RPMs under 2000, switching to EV at speed when the battery is between 1/2 and 3/4, letting it run down to about 1/4 ans going back to ICE, maintaining speed as much as possible, and still unable to achieve anything higher than 41. If this were my 2010 I would be ecstatic, but this is a 2013 rated at 47 highway, not 36 highway.

Kick in the pants, my wife drove the 2010 home last night from her office, about a 40 mile trip to daycare, and got 43.

The hybrid system in the car works perfectly, the ICE is guzzlin fuel. I asked fellow forum members over at fordfusionhybrid forum to give this a try and they are all reporting back high 40's low 50's doing it this way.

I really dont like being passed by a prius from a stop light.

 

Scathing! Been there, done that.

 

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Consumer Reports Magazine says the Ford C-Max gets only 37 mpg City and 39 hwy for an average of 38 Miles per gallon. Obviously nowhere close to the Ford Advertising 47 MPG. The Prius " V " wagon gets more miles per gallon, and has more room in it. Now 38 average is a good figure for any car, but a Prius it Ain't !

 

Todd Heide at Ford C-MAX | Facebook said his C-Max has fouled plugs and misfire after only 4,500 miles. Interesting.

 

That was me, I posted that because the Fusion site banned me for complaining about the crappy MPG. I have since unliked both pages, and if this continues to happen, and Ford fails to correct it, and blow me off like they have so far done, will seek legal action.

Took a trip with the family today, drove 50 miles, mostly in the interstate at 65 MPH and got really crappy MPG, 36 with a tail wind, 31 with a head wind. I dont know where Ford considers this car can achieve 47 highway when so far I have yet to see 40, most is 38.8.

 

So the dealer replaced the plugs. Is that all and then you started driving it again?

 

Odds on there is a problem with your particular fusion. Hopefully you are getting close to the LL response and the dealer will take it back soon.

 

Yes, that sums it up. Dealer was told by Ford, release the car and see if it reoccurs, IE buying them time.

 

Ford Defending mpg!

Episode 1050 – EPA to Change Hybrid Testing, Acura NSX Unveiled, The New Ford F-series? – Autoline Daily

 

Prius c MPG disparity between EPA and consumer report comes from the aggressive City test cycle.

Ford hybrid's disparity comes from a constant speed 65 mph test. That's a big difference.

 

Spin!

Why do Ford's new hybrids ace the EPA fuel economy tests?
In contrast, the similar Toyota Camry and Toyota Prius V hybrids follow the conventional pattern in our tests: Both easily exceed their EPA highway rating in our steady-pace 65 mph test. Toyota's system operates in electric mode only below 25 mph, so those electric drivetrains don't help much on the highway with either test method. Why do Ford's new hybrids ace the EPA fuel economy tests?

EPA highway / CR highway (@ 65 mph)
Ford C-Max Hybrid
47 mpg / 38 mpg

Ford Fusion Hybrid
47 / 41 mpg

Toyota Prius V
40 / 47 mpg

Toyota Camry Hybrid
38 / 43 mpg
.

 

Correction: Toyota hybrids can shut down the gas engine below 45 mph in HV mode. EV mode is limited to 25 mph but EPA cycles are run in HV mode.

Isn't it interesting that Prius V got C-Max's EPA highway rating (47 MPG) at CR 65 mph test?

 

Behind the Wheel - Car reviews, Car news, Car podcasts

This one said otherwise.

 

The difference between 47 mpg and the new revised 40 highway would cost me almost $3000 more in gasoline costs (during ownership of car). Yes Ford deserves to be criticized and harshly
.

 

CR's conclusion that Ford is gaming the EPA test by taking advantage of the 62 mph EV mode limit might be some of the answer, but I highly doubt it is most of the answer. Steady state at 65 mph requires close to 15 kW, and ICE spin is 1 - 2 kW. So even if the Ford is gliding 1/2 the time on the EPA test (again, doubtful), that would at most improve fuel economy 7%.

I think a much more interesting question is why the C-max hybrid only obtains 38 mpg at 65 mph steady speed on the CR test. Horrible cruise control programming ? Extreme conversion losses in and out of the battery ? I put my penny on lousy programming from Ford -- somewhere. The more I think about it, the more this sounds like a GM type error: force the car to act more 'EV' like at the expense of efficiency.

An aside, I wish CR would reason a little more quantitatively. Saying

is useless.

 

The answer is that Ford never tested the C-max. Instead they just copied the 47/47 results from the Fusion hybrid test.

It was only after the EPA started an investigation when Ford finally put the C-max through a test and got the numbers 45/40 city/highway. (I guess it helps if you're not lazy and do the actual test.)