Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan Hybrid Real World MPG

mtnman1

I have driven 1000 miles on my new Fusion after 2 1/2 weeks of ownership. Filled up for the second time yesterday. Drove 486.1 miles since last fill up and put 11.382 gallons in it. 486.1/11.382 = 42.71 MPG. This is in mixed driving. The Car's computer read 43.4 MPG so not off by much. So far this has been a great car in that regard and just an all around great car to drive. Of course, I know I probably am driving it in the optimum season for fuel effeciency due to it not being too hot or cold. Also I realize that the summer blend of gas probably helps. Hopefully I will feel the same about it next winter.

mtnman1

Not much participation in this thread, but I thought I would give an update on my MPG.Today marks exactly 4 weeks ago this evening I picked up my new Fusion. 1439 miles on it now. Filled up and got 41.27 MPG. Car's computer read 42 exactly. I attribute my slightly lower MPG to the fact that daily it has been anywhere from 29 to 33 degrees when I started my day. Also very windy last week. One day we had steady winds at 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph. A couple of other days winds were 20 to 30 mph. The day of the highest winds I drove to several towns in open country running 60 to 72 mph. Not a great deal of trees to break the wind because it's in farm country and central Ohio is very flat. So I am ecstatic so far in the performance of this car.

PF_Flyer

Nice numbers! Doesn't sound like you're trying to squeeze every last mile out of it, just taking it as it comes with your everyday driving.

sda

mtnman1 said:

Not much participation in this thread, but I thought I would give an update on my MPG.Today marks exactly 4 weeks ago this evening I picked up my new Fusion. 1439 miles on it now. Filled up and got 41.27 MPG. Car's computer read 42 exactly. I attribute my slightly lower MPG to the fact that daily it has been anywhere from 29 to 33 degrees when I started my day. Also very windy last week. One day we had steady winds at 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph. A couple of other days winds were 20 to 30 mph. The day of the highest winds I drove to several towns in open country running 60 to 72 mph. Not a great deal of trees to break the wind because it's in farm country and central Ohio is very flat. So I am ecstatic so far in the performance of this car.

You know your mileage calculations are so close to the car computer I would wager the computer is correct. I don't think you can precisely fill up and measure fuel used tankful to tankful. A difference of a quarter gallon on a fuel efficient car can make a measurable difference.

PF_Flyer

I'd call it within "margin of error"

I always use my mileage calculations as a barometer of the general health of my vehicle. Any sudden notable change gets my attention. If the next tank is still low (assuming I didn't short fill TWICE) then I get into "what's going on?" mode

mtnman1

Had a disappointing experience on the latest tank of gas. My Car computer was way off. The computer read 43.9 MPG and my actual was 39.52 MPG. My last 3 fill ups were so close to what the car computer read and were all 43 MPG and better with my calculation. I can't figure out what would explain the drastic discrepancy when it had been so close. I am concerned that it would be so off. Also, had a difficult time removing the pump from the capless fuel opening. Had to use two hands and pull hard until it released it suddenly. I almost fell backwards when it released.

explorerx4

I don't have a hybrid, but I do have a couple of 2 year old Fords. Sometimes the computer is pretty far off.
I think the fuel mileage computer gives too much credit for being off the gas, when the fuel is shut off while coasting. Just my opinion.

PF_Flyer

explorerx4 said:

I don't have a hybrid, but I do have a couple of 2 year old Fords. Sometimes the computer is pretty far off.
I think the fuel mileage computer gives too much credit for being off the gas, when the fuel is shut off while coasting. Just my opinion.

Always need to check the accuracy of the computers against actually doing the calculation.

explorerx4

It helps to check the odometer calibration, too. My Fusion measures 2% under. I've measured it for stretches of up to 50 miles.

PF_Flyer

Tire circumference can be an issue with that

mtnman1

I am now at approximately 4000 miles on my Fusion Hybrid SE. Suddenly the last 4 fill ups my Car's computer has been reading 4 Mpg better than when I use a calculator. Unfortunately it has been reading 43, but I am actually only getting 39 mpg. The 5th tank back read 43, but I got 47 mpg when using a calculator. I am really disappointed because the first 4 or 5 fill ups I got around 42 to 44 mpg per fill up which was within about 1 to 1.5 mpg of what the car said I achieved. I have called my Salesman and he said I should bring it in so they can look at it. It's pretty useless to monitor my driving by seeing what each stop and start trip is by using the car's numbers. For instance I drove 18 miles on one trip yesterday and it said I got 50.7 mpg. Pretty useless information if it isn't accurate. Wouldn't trouble me so much is the computer was within a mile or so even with the reduced Mpg. It's been very hot and unbearably humid the last few weeks and my A/C has been running hard, so the reduced mileage could be attributed to that I guess.

texases

18 miles was pretty short. I get 50 mpg going to work, 36 coming back (uphill). Only do these comparisons on full tanks.

mtnman1

texases said:

18 miles was pretty short. I get 50 mpg going to work, 36 coming back (uphill). Only do these comparisons on full tanks.

Maybe you're misunderstanding me. I only calculate actual mileage when I get a complete fill up. What I am saying is on the hybrid it gives you a read out of each time you start the engine until you turn the engine off. It is a way for the driver to get an idea how they are driving gas mileage wise. I look at it whether I complete a 15 mile drive in rush hour on the expressway to going 46 miles driving 73 mph on the open road. I should be able to gauge my driving habits and how it is affecting my Mpg. The problem is now I don't know if the single trip read outs are accurate or just like my entire tank read out it is off by 4 mpg. It has totally rendered that function useless. It is one of reasons I liked the Hybrid. I feel like I have been ripped off in a way. I paid for something that doesn't function the way it should. I have never had a car that read 4 mpg off the actual versus the car's computer. This is my third Ford in the last 11 years and the other two, a 2004 Mercury Mountaineer AWD V8 and a 2009 Ford Fusion Sel V6, read within one or 2 miles of actual. The Fusion was generally within 1.5 mpg.

texases

I understand. That variability is more likely due to traffic, temperature, tire pressure, and gas composition (whether or not it has the 10% ethanol, that can vary). I doubt (but don't know) that there's a problem in the computer, it's using standard engine outputs to calculate the mpgs.

explorerx4

There was some kind of indicator of how efficiently you are driving in the previous version. Maybe you can check some hybrid boards for people that have more experience with the model you have.

mtnman1

My fill up yesterday I got 43.51 mpg. Car's computer read 43.6. I think my mileage improved because it has been cloudy, rainy and maybe 80 degrees max each day. Even though I still used the AC. During the lower mpg results it was very hot and very humid, 85 to 90 with 60 to 65% relative humidity. Though the humidity had been high on this last tank. Car Computer makes no sense. Seems that this car does not do well when it is very hot. Of course, that would be logical as the AC has to work harder. I have found that if I just add the miles driven since last fill up and the miles remaining both according to the Car's Computer and divide by the fuel tank capacity of 13.5 the mpg at fill up is almost dead on. Seems that the Car's computer for Average Mpg for the tank would somehow be gauged to those numbers. But what do I know.

PF_Flyer

Ah... you need to divide the actual miles driven by the actual number of gallons you pump and not the tank capacity to get an accurate number.

The computers are nice as a gauge of how things are going, and are generally pretty accurate, but when you want to calculate your mileage, you need to start with actual numbers

mtnman1

PF_Flyer said:

Ah... you need to divide the actual miles driven by the actual number of gallons you pump and not the tank capacity to get an accurate number.

The computers are nice as a gauge of how things are going, and are generally pretty accurate, but when you want to calculate your mileage, you need to start with actual numbers

Which I have been doing for years. I was just making an observation about using the tanks capacity. I have been using it in between fiil ups to give me a more accurate idea of what my fuel efficiency is. It just seems, so far, to be right on the true number for some reason.

Anyway i have decided to give up worrying about that so much and just calculating at fill up only. My Wife and I are in Pittsburgh visiting our families this weekend and I enjoyed the superior ride and how quiet the cabin is on the 3 hour drive over here compared to most of the competitions mid size sedans.

PF_Flyer

Ah, OK... an estimate. That's another matter

The on-board computers, at least the one on my 2015 Versa Note, seem to be fairly accurate. We don't really look at the instantaneous mileage number. While that's interesting, it really isn't that useful to me. The average mileage seems to be right on the number. If it's more than a tenth off, that would be a lot.

mtnman1

Still getting some wild fluctuations in MPG numbers. On 6/29/15 put 446.8 miles on a tank and filled with 10.27 gallons giving me an actual 43.5 MPG. On 7/2/15 I drove only 225.4 miles because I received an alert that gas was to increase 30 cents per gallon that day from GasBuddy.com . Put in 6.183 gallons which gave me 36.45 MPG. This next and latest one made me very happy because we took a trip over the July 4th weekend to visit family in the Pittsburgh area. About 75% is expressway with the rest two lane 55 mph speed limits. Drove anywhere from 60 mph in the 55 zones, 70 mph in the 65 zones, and 72 mph in the 70 zones. Many State Troopers out so I had to be careful about my speeds. Drove a grand total of 383.4 miles in which about 360 of those miles were the trip back and forth from Columbus. The Terrain becomes somewhat mountainess about 60 miles towards Pittsburgh. Especially as you reach eastern Ohio, WVA, and Pa. So on July 10 I filled with 9.118 gallons which gave me an average of 42.05 MPG. Car read 43.6 MPG so it was respectfully close to actual.

zandor

In my experience any recent trip computer is more accurate than doing calculations with the amount of gas pumped on a single tank. The problem is the mechanical gizmo in the gas pump that shuts it off when the tank is full just isn't that reliable. If it cuts off a gallon short it'll look like you got better mileage than you actually did, then the next tank looks bad since the next pump actually filled your tank, or maybe even overfilled it a little. There have been plenty of times when I've caught a pump cutting off way too early. I know about how much gas I need if I have a half or quarter tank left and if it's a few gallons short of where it should be I know it was an early cut-off, but if it cuts off a gallon short I won't notice. I figure that has to happen at least as often as a way too early cut-off. I've also been overfilled a few times, the worst one being a pump that just didn't cut off until gas was running out of the tank and down the side of the car. So best to not think too much about a single tank and just keep a running average. A gallon or two either way won't make much difference over 10+ tankfuls, but can really mess with your numbers on a single tank.

PF_Flyer

That's why I have a routine I follow when I fill up. Let it go until it shuts off, wait a couple of seconds for things to settle down, squeeze until shut off again.

That first shut off is the unpredictable one, with the gas swirling around in the tank and sometimes forced up the filler neck.

mtnman1

I have been following your recommendation on my fillups since your last post here PF. My Fusion now has about 5700 or 5800 miles on it. I have been running between 41 and 43 mpg and I am totally satisfied with those numbers. I always used to fill my cars that way until I saw on TV or read in the Local paper's auto section that it is best to stop fueling your tank on the first automatic shut off. I guess the reasoning was that way you don't accidentally over fill it. Anyway it made sense to me to go back to my old way for better accuracy. I am finding the longer I have the vehicle the less concerned I have become about worrying about every fill up. I still have been recording things just to watch if there is any sudden spike up or down in Mpg.

PF_Flyer

mtnman1 said:

I have been following your recommendation on my fillups since your last post here PF. My Fusion now has about 5700 or 5800 miles on it. I have been running between 41 and 43 mpg and I am totally satisfied with those numbers. I always used to fill my cars that way until I saw on TV or read in the Local paper's auto section that it is best to stop fueling your tank on the first automatic shut off. I guess the reasoning was that way you don't accidentally over fill it. Anyway it made sense to me to go back to my old way for better accuracy. I am finding the longer I have the vehicle the less concerned I have become about worrying about every fill up. I still have been recording things just to watch if there is any sudden spike up or down in Mpg.

That's EXACTLY what I use my mileage calculations for... determining the general health of my car. Not so much on any single tank, after all, it's possible to have a "mis-fill" that can throw the mileage number out of whack.
For example, if I've been averaging 32 mpg and suddenly I get a tank that figures out to something like 28 mpg and nothing in how I'd been driving recently could account for it, that gets my attention. I make sure my fillup is normal, then wait until the calculation at the next fillup. If the numbers are back to normal, great. If it's still down, something MUST be going on. A simple way to monitor thing in general

stever

mtnman1 said:

I always used to fill my cars that way until I saw on TV or read in the Local paper's auto section that it is best to stop fueling your tank on the first automatic shut off. I guess the reasoning was that way you don't accidentally over fill it.

Overfilling can mess up the vapor recovery system too. But it's hard to break that habit of topping up.

I got a "new" used car a year ago and intentionally stopped keeping a gas log. It does have the dash readout and it's been pretty accurate when I've checked it manually. I sort of miss the gas log ritual.

PF_Flyer

I'm not topping off as much as letting the gas "settle". It's like when I fill up my yard tractor from the gas can. If I go slow and pay attention, I can let the gas rise in the tank until I see it about to come up to the filler neck. If I'm pouring too fast, the gas is sloshing around and sort of trapping air in the tank. Even if the tank doesn't overflow, once the trapped air makes its way out the top of the tank and I have a short fill.

With the car, I let the pump shut off by itself, can hear the gurgle as things settle, then squeeze until a second and third shutoff. No overflow messes for me

mtnman1

stever said:

mtnman1 said:

I always used to fill my cars that way until I saw on TV or read in the Local paper's auto section that it is best to stop fueling your tank on the first automatic shut off. I guess the reasoning was that way you don't accidentally over fill it.

Overfilling can mess up the vapor recovery system too. But it's hard to break that habit of topping up.

I got a "new" used car a year ago and intentionally stopped keeping a gas log. It does have the dash readout and it's been pretty accurate when I've checked it manually. I sort of miss the gas log ritual.

Thanks to both you and PF for your thoughts on this. I think I will give my Ford Dealership a call for their suggestion about fill ups. I have been very sensitive about this car's fuel efficiency because I have never owned a Hybrid before and never ever thought I would. Also, I have actually over 6000 miles on the car now. Pretty much broken in so hopefully the Mpg will remain fairly steady.

texases

I quit topping off to keep gas out of the evaporative emissions system.

explorerx4

The manual for the Fusion says not to allow more that 2 automatic clicks when filling up.

mtnman1

I spoke with a Mechanic that has serviced our cars for the last 10 years about this issue today. He strongly suggested that I stop at the first click. Said it could cause the issue stated above and was not worth the extra probably 1/4 extra gallon to get a more accurate mileage calculation. I will just rely on my Car's Computer for my results and assume my actual is probably within 2 mpg.