Arty101

Actually, I think the new styling of the 2013 ES makes them look like they should be driven fast. I'm sure the ES350 drivers drive differently than the ES300h drivers.

Fly4u

ES300h drives fast nicely! I had it up to 80mph last night driving a sick pet to the emergency vet.
Very composed and quiet. However, I have no illusions about the handling on twisty roads.

Fynack

After coming from the scam of a car called the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid and only get 37 on epa estimate of 47. Im happy to report that my es300h got 41 going home from the dealership last night.



This is a keeper

Fly4u

Did you dump a '13 Fusion? I came oh so close to trading my '10 Fusion Hybrid (a great car with superb MPG) but became leery from the adverse publicity, including FFH Forums filled with experienced hybrid drivers. I purchased my ES300h about 10 days ago and never looked back!

Fynack

yes, unfortunately i succumb to the advertisement and bought it but could only squeak out 37mpg with ultra low engine revs of 1700 to 2000 rpms. Even with that and getting in to EV mode as much as possible I couldnt get any better then 37 and i mean i was babying the car and grandmas were passing me by. Now thats not too bad of a number but the scam comes in when they claim 47/47/47. It just puts a bad taste in my mouth and the feeling of getting ripped off just made me trade in the car.

Fynack

Its crazy but the 2010-12 fusion gets better mpgs then the 2013. But of course the mpg claims are different

Fly4u

I still have the sticker from my '10 Fusion: 41 city, 36 highway. My overall average was 41. 5 combined, with reasonable effort. I would be mad as hell to achieve the shortfall you and others have realized with the '13. Don't know where Ford went wrong..... the current drivetrain uses a different ICE engine, Li Ion batteries, smaller fuel tank, etc. Whether the fault lies with hardware, software, EPA testing cycle etc remains to be determined. During a test drive 3 weeks ago, the sales advisor clung to the official numbers, but allowed driver exceedence from best practices to be the culprit. This will cost Ford hard won goodwill and possible culpability.

Arty101

Consumers Report just did an article that their test of the Ford Fusion Hybrid came up really short by about 10 mpg, more like 37 mpg, than the stated 47 mpg. They were saying this is similar to Hyundai overstating the FE of their vehicles.

But trading in a new FFH because it didn't get the FE means you got a double yammy. Depreciated value and FE. I might have kept it for a couple of years instead of taking that big initial hit without any real use.

ElliotB

If you look at data bases for common hybrid vehicles (such as at greenhybrid.com), you will see that some drivers exceed EPA estimates while many and perhaps most most fall well short regardless of the vehicle. I suspect that most 300h drivers (non-enthusiast) will fall into the later category. There are so many factors that effect fuel efficiency which is why there is typically a large variance in real world numbers.

Fly4u

I can only anecdotally suggest what makes an "enthusiast" hybrid driver, and why the Gen-1 Ford Fusion achieved greatness. Ford created a configurable instrument cluster to suit your taste for involvement. The "empower" designation has a superb vertical indicator that dynamically depicts the relationship between the gas pedal and EV mode. Placed adjacent to the battery level synopsis it provides intuitive guidance, as does the precise electrical load gage - sufficiently sensitive to register each wiper-blade movement, activation of hi-beams, etc. Finally, at the conclusion of the trip an MPG and gallons used readout is available, and an optional plant "vine" grows to indicate your level of green success. All of this helps to spark involvement from the first turn of the key to placing the trans into park.

This IMHO is the picture of hybrid dash perfection - 2010 thru 2012 FFH. Sorry for the nostalgia, this is the ONLY part of the Fusion Hybrid I miss. In all other aspects my ES300h is far superior!
(the vine depiction can be replaced with the 1-minute economy vertical bar we have in the Lexus.)

toomeypj

According to the link below, the government only dictates the conditions of the mileage testing. The feds accept the word of the manufacturer and only retests 10% for accuracy.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/info.shtml

This is how Ford got into trouble with the Fusion Hybrid because the results do not seem to be repeatable by the EPA.

Arty101

Nice display to promote FE. So the 2013 FFH dash doesn't have this display anymore? What a shame if that's the case.

Arty101

So Ford's is also in trouble with the EPA numbers with the FFH and FCMax, like Hyundai? I know CR reported this, but no action by the Fed's AFAIK.

toomeypj

I guess the EPA is still at the "investigating" stage according to the Detroit Free Press:

http://www.freep.com/article/2013030...CFRONTPAGE%7Cs

The class action lawsuits are ongoing in California courts.
I think that Toyota does a much better estimate of real life mileage than Ford does with their 47mpg really being 39 mpg for most FH owners. I bet a lawyer did the testing at Ford, not an engineer (just being a little sarcastic here). Sometimes it's what you say that you can do that gets the attention, not what you can actually do.

Arty101

Just to add, sarcasm not withstanding, the lawyers, bean counters and marketing came up with the FE numbers, not the engineers.