Arty101

I've read a recent on-line review (C&D) about the new 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid and how they were able to increase the mpg to 47 City/Hwy. Even though it is bigger than the older Fusion it replaces, it is also lighter, uses a smaller 2.0L engine (from 2.5), it can travel up to 62 mph on EV by using lithion Ion battery pack, they were able to squeeze the mpg to near Prius levels in a mid size sedan. However, the 0-60 acceleration dropped from 8.5 seconds to 9.1 seconds, but a penalty they figured most hybrid owners could accept with the higher level mpg.

Now I've read there are some concerns that Ford may be overstating their claim like Hyundai:

http://autos.yahoo.com/news/owners-r...203000867.html

So take heart that even though you may not be getting the 40 mpg on the 300h, other car companies are stretching the truth even more and getting similar if not the same mpg. This doesn't even address Ford's sharp drop in CR's reliability and QC from top 10 to bottom 10. Of course, this is only a preliminary test report from Consumers. Wait and see.

Art

mikedege

I have 5K miles on my 300h, and I consistently get 35-36 mpg, and even though it is not 40mpg, I still am very very happy with this car.

-Mike

redog

My new ES300h is a month old and my average mpg is: 42.1. I love this car!

Arty101

I started driving the first 900 miles in the Eco mode with a light foot trying to get the best mpg I could. During that time, I was averaging a little over 41.5 mpg, not as high as some have gotten here. Switching it up, based on a question posed in another thread, I wanted to see if there was a big difference in mpg between Eco and Sport mode. In the last 400 miles, I've averaged 40.0 mpg in the Sport mode. I'm happy with my mpg driving in the Sport mode. Of course, I'm not driving with a lead foot either, so I need to consciously control my throttle.

CurryPot

It was 42 F this morning.

I decided to turn off the AC, but still have heat in the car if that makes sense. On this stop and go run I can milk may be 34 MPG (reported). Today I got 38.6 MPG. (reported).

I noticed this in the summer too. Turning off the AC compressor seems to really help.

PS. I think Washington State should use corn for food, not for 10% ethanol in gas which robs us of MPG.

Arty101

Reading thru past postings, I also remembered to turn off my AC to improve mpg's. However, with the Navi, you have to drill down in the climate control to manually turn it off. There's no ac off button on external fan/vent modes. I think it will turn on again if you put it in the Auto mode so you need to leave Auto off if you don't want the AC on. Even so, I can't break 42 mpg's.

I agree 100% with you on corn being converted to ethanol. Not only does that affect mpg, AAA has gone on record that the Fed's proposed 15% ethanol (thank you very much corn lobbyists) is not only bad for most vehicles, but destructive.

Side note: I was glancing thru Jan. 2013's CR, and they have a full review on the ES350 and ES300h. I didn't get to read the whole report, but it looked favorable to both, and rates the 300h at 36 mpg. This is the same agency (link above) that was suspect of Ford's claimed 47 mpg on the Fusion hybrid and getting preliminary reports closer to the 30's. Check it out.

mikedege

good one..... I live in Cali, So our petrol mix probably has Hemp in it, and tree bark and so and so..... that probably explains why I'm only getting 35ish! lol.....

-Mike

Arty101

Not to mention due to that "special blend" only in Calif, when a refinery goes down for repair, maintenance, or changing over gasoline blend, we can't import gasoline from other parts of the country. None of the other 49 states can help, as we saw this summer with big spikes in gas prices. That's also the same reason (can you say industry monopoly?) Calif has one of the highest gasoline prices in the nation due to this special blend requirement. Too much of the hemp stuff I guess.

ElliotB

Arty101, I believe you can turn the a/c off (so it does not come on automatically when you press 'auto') in the setup menus.

Arty101

Thanks. I'll have to check it out later. I guess some of the exhaust from that "special blend" got to my head.

LexBob2

Yes the CR Road Test review of the ES350 and ES300h was pretty good overall. Surprisingly though both cars were rated a little lower than the previous gen ES350.

MY100thcar

They did not do their homework very well.... They think the ES350 & ES300h is STILL based on the Camry platform.
They say QUOTE " the Toyota Camry, which is based on the same platform."

andywoods

This is my first Hybrid, so trying for high MPG is exciting. My best is 45MPG AVG on a tank. Totally impractical driving required. Normally I avg 38 - 39 MPG. The thing I have learned is you can not just drive the car you have to plan your drive. To max the MPG be sure you have a full battery going up a hill and regenerate down the hill. As other have stated use EV Mode when ever traffic is slow, you are in a drive through. This has meant being aware of the terrain so I know to load the battery before a hill or hitting a traffic jam. When you take off from a stop get up to speed quick and then coast. Notice the traffic lights so you do not have to come to a complete stop. remember the electric motor is good at keeping it rolling but not for accelerating. Think of it like a scooter, push push coast. The key is maximize your coasting. Remember in a normal car slow traffic kills MPG. In this car it improves MPG (as long as you keep it in EV mode). You have to keep the performance monitors on the screen and have to drive using them. I prefer the full screen MPG monitor which shows the real time MPG. I periodically switch to the energy screen to see how much is in the battery. Never let the battery go below blue. Without battery even a small hill will kill your MPG.
In conclusion if you are a passive driver then this car is not for you. You can not just get in and go, you have to think about what you are doing and plan ahead. That is if you want to get the 40MPG that others are raving about. I tried driving like I do any other car on a full tank of gas and got 33 MPG. Which in comparison to what I get in my HEMI 300c is great. But I bought this car for it's 40MPG rating so I work to get and keep as close to that as I can.
By the way the more you drive use Hybrid techniques, the more they become second nature and you do it automatically (without thinking to do it)

JerryKK

The one thing I still don't understand is whether I am in normal mode or ECO mode - when I slow down or get in traffic - it goes to EVA mode (battery mode). So what is the difference between letting the car get you in EVA mode as opposed to pushing the EVA button? Isn't that basically the same thing?

UTAS

Not quite the same thing: Manually putting the hybrid into electric mode by pressing a button is one thing; EVA mode will also kick in automatically, whenever the car either coasts, or the computer decides it can be in electric mode (EVA). This automatic switching between gas and electric will happen mostly when in ECO or Normal modes.