In honor of Earth Day, we have a guest post from our reader David White who drives a Ford Fusion Hybrid in the same color as ours but with many more miles on the odometer. -- Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
Here is what he has to say:
My wife calls it my personal obsession with fuel economy. I prefer to say it is a well-mannered, solidly constructed "sleeper hybrid" car that happens to return excellent fuel economy.
Over the last year, my 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid has managed over 20,000 miles. The steering still feels as tight and responsive as when it was new, the seats show basically no wear, and aside from a bumper nick from a stone, the exterior is as shiny as the day it rolled off the factory floor.
The quality of the build is impressive with no rattles or squeaks, and everything fits tight. The only negative after a year of ownership is the small trunk, but I find it large enough for my needs. Oh, and perhaps most importantly, I've managed an impressive 45 mpg over the one year.
Despite my wife poking fun at my obsession with mileage, she loudly trumpeted her own mileage the other day when she managed a notable 57.3 mpg after 10 miles of city driving. I could not take that lying down, so the next day I managed an almost unheard of 64.6 mpg as seen in this picture.
We are what I like to call mild hypermilers. We brake slowly, accelerate smoothly, carefully watch battery state of charge in city driving and use cruise control on the highway. With a light touch on the accelerator pedal and an eye toward the gauges, we can keep the car in EV mode for extended periods. With a full charge I've managed up to 1.7 miles on pure EV. With the more aggressive battery setting, it is possible to cruise around at 45 mph in strictly EV mode, although it is easier on flat roadways. Any large incline and it is better to just use the gasoline engine. But even with the gas engine, the car is so aggressive to stay in EV mode that any time you let off the throttle, or even just relax your foot on the throttle, you are right back in EV mode. The transition back and forth is so seamless you will hardly notice. As the IL editors have pointed out, it is truly lots of gain with little hybrid pain.
After a year of ownership, this car has remained so easy on my wallet for gas and so much fun to drive, that I look forward every day to twisting the key and stealthily driving away.
David White @ 20,000 miles
cah11705 says:
04:24 AM, 04/22/10
Well I guess this proves that fuel economy of a hybrid is greatly affected by the driver since insideline only gets 31mpg on theirs.
tenta20 says:
06:44 AM, 04/22/10
I want one!
jeepsrt says:
07:39 AM, 04/22/10
In honor of Earth day you should have another burnout contest with Hybrids!
formerhpb says:
07:51 AM, 04/22/10
"In honor of Earth day you should have another burnout contest with Hybrids!"
And it's a TIE! All the hybrids did a burnout of 0.0 inches! Congrats!
brn says:
08:05 AM, 04/22/10
The variety of results are amazing. Are all the IL editors really that bad or do some of them manage Dave-like mpg?
ptcdawg says:
08:14 AM, 04/22/10
I'm guessing the IL editors drive the dog out of everyone of these cars. We all know it.
formerhpb says:
08:34 AM, 04/22/10
"I'm guessing the IL editors drive the dog out of everyone of these cars. We all know it. "
I would do the exact same thing if I could.
ed124c says:
09:07 AM, 04/22/10
Wife: Honey, how about we take the Fusion out and put the pedal to the metal. Let's have some fun and see how it really performs.
Husband: But, dear, that would be wrong, and we would be wasting fuel. I thought we could take it out and see if we can beat the 64.6MPG.
Wife: I can't take this any more. I want a divorce.
cjasis says:
09:57 AM, 04/22/10
I know that this is going to make me sound like a complete jerk but I'm also guessing that the people who are getting 60 mpg in a Fusion Hybrid are exactly the kind of people that infuriate me when they clog the carpool lane at 57 mph even though the speed limit is 65 and the drivers in the #1 lane are going 75 mph.
cr_driver says:
09:57 AM, 04/22/10
Yeah, seems this "disease" its common for the hybrid`s buyers.
Well, should it be that way? I don`t know
But remember the post of caroline pardilla I believe,
saying that his dad calls her LEAD FOOT and she denies it
And all she did was kill the leaves of this car
Well, u know the answer now.
zcalvert says:
10:11 AM, 04/22/10
I think it's common knowledge by now that not all of the IL staff treat the long term cars in the same manner we treat our own cars. That's not necessarily a criticism; just the reality of driving cars that aren't yours.
This is impressive mileage though. I certainly doubt i'd get those numbers.
hybris says:
11:38 AM, 04/22/10
There are too many steep hills where I live to even dream of such numbers but none the less congrats.
windsor5 says:
10:31 PM, 04/22/10
I used to work @ a ford dealership about 6 months ago (thankfully dont have to sell cars and i am once again using my degree *shakes fist @ recession) When the hybrids came out the management wanted us all to test it out so we could learn how to sell them. to things I observed that should be pointed out to this bloggers benifit.
1. while mainting the speed limit and with a lot of hills I live in seattle. I averaged 54 mpg on a 6 mile loop about 2miles highway.
2.hybrids still are not cost effective. the non hybrid 4 cylnders get about 31 on hwy and are thousands cheaper. also dealerships are more likely to budge on the price of these ones while they are less likely to on the hybrids. which i think is still the general consensus on most hybrids