lolder

I don't want the ride harsher.

Inflating to maximum sidewall pressure will do do harm other than make the ride harsher. Everything else improves; wear, handling, hydroplaning resistance and mileage. The tires are tested to a much higher pressure. I've found 40 psi is a good compromise in a FFH.

Reset all your mileage counters and drive at 70 in the right lane and see what happens as the weather warms.

It's true that the PHEV versions of Prii and FFHs have higher EV speeds and they probably have the same drivetrain. The limitation is the maximum RPM of "M/G1", the M/G connected to the sun gear of the eCVT. In the HEV version, you dont WANT to cycle in the EV mode at higher speeds as it is less efficient. See above. When you operate in EV mode at higher speeds, you start to get efficiency problems because of things like back electromotive force ( EMF ) which means you need higher voltages for efficiency. Ford has variable voltage controls on their 2nd and 3rd generation hybrids but there are diminishing returns with this feature. HEVs have very different design goals than PHEVs and a compromise car that does both is difficult. It's rumored that Toyota engineers did not want to make the Prius a PHEV for this reason but marketing over-ruled. The current crop of PHEVs are not very cost effective.

In HEVs, ( not PHEVs ) all the energy comes from fuel. The "ICE-generator-charge-discharge-motor-wheels" energy path of the EV cycle has more loss than the "ICE-wheels" path so EV should be AVOIDED above 40-50 mph. Higher speeds cost 6 mpg per 10 mph. Lower temperatures cost 2 mpg per 10º F. Headwinds ( and some crosswinds ) cost up to 3mpg per 10 mph. Noisy roads can cost 2 mpg. Heavy rain can cost up to 10 mpg. AC can cost over 10 mpg for a few minutes in a heat soaked car tappering off to 1-2 mpg. These effects are mostly cumulative and the inverse effects are also true. If you drive at 75 mph in 30º F. temperature in Chicago you will get 13 mpg less than at 70 mph and 80º F. EPA highway tests are done at less than 60mph average and 60-70 º F.

When you accelerate moderately with hands off, does it turn to the right?

The Ford hybrid energy scheme is that whenever significant energy is required, they want the ICE to be on and providing it. Don't coax EV except at low speeds and when the HVB charge is above the normal level. The system does that already fairly well. Don't encourage EV during anything except minor traffic acceleration or low speeds. Any time you are using EV, you are less efficient than the ICE except at low speeds. Cold weather is the main factor making all the new owners get below EPA. There are lot's of other minor factors but low temperature and high speed are the largest.

That's true of all cars. They use more fuel when the ICE is cold. If you warm up the car and then drive, you will use more fuel than if you get in the car and drive immediately to the same destination. Short, cold, highspeed trips are detrimental to good mileage of all vehicles. The EPA tests are probably done at 60º F. which is a standard temperature in science and engineering. If you had a non-hybrid that got 15 instead of it's normal 18 mpg. on a short cold trip, a 45 mpg. hybrid will get less than 37 mpg. It is very likely that all this concern is due to cold weather, new hybrid drivers, optional tires and wheels and someone just mentioned a hill assist button. Does the 2013 FFH have one?

Ford does not reccomend that you need to warm the car up. That wastes fuel. Get in it and drive.

Don't fill past the first auto shut off as it may go on the ground as FFH-1's do.

No, they didn't say the non-prius hybrids came close. The Camry's, Lexuses, Sonatas, Optimas and Altimas all missed by a lot and still had lower mpg. than the Fords.

The car lengths look more like five.

The Ford hybrid ICE's with the eCVT spend almost all their time between 1100 and 2000 rpm. They are designed to be most efficient there. The old caveat about small engines being inefficient at low rpms because they need to work harder does not apply to these hybrids. The ICE is run at almost full throttle and the lowest RPM for the horsepower called for by your foot. With the eCVT hybrids, mileage increases continuously with decreasing speed. There is no optimum speed.

US Government testing of first generation Prii ( 2001-2003 ) after 160, 000 miles in service showed over a 60 % loss in capacity. It did NOT affect their mpg. See: http://avt.inel.gov/pdf/hev/end_of_life_test_1.pdf Later models and other vehicles have shown only small losses sometimes less than 5 %. Large losses in hybrid battery capacity only show up in one minute full throttle acceleration tests and long, steep hill climbing. The most important factor is that none of the series connected cells fail in an open circuit mode. Few have. Ford says 6 out of 42,000,000 of the NiMh type have failed.

Most of the car testers are gearheads and even hate automatic transmissions. Their reviews for earlier Ford and Toyota hybrids rarely hit the EPA numbers. Ford hybrids are more sensitive to driving style than Toyota due to the higher power/weight ratio. Also, the Li-Ion battery is more powerful and encourages more EV operation. That is not necessarilly a good thing. EV should not be used when the ICE is more efficient. There are more losses in the EV cycle. There were only about 200K Ford hybrids sold since 2004 and only 70K were the FFH-MilanH-MKZH. The Fueleconomy.gov site show 38.7 mpg for the 56 FFH 2010-12 models listed vs. the EPA 39. If you drive a Ford hybrid like a regular car you will probably not get the EPA mileage. If you drove a Toyota hybrid before, that is no assurance you will get EPA numbers with a Ford hybrid. I am sure Ford sqeezed every drop out of the EPA testing regime. If you may say you should be able to drive a hybrid "normally" for it's benefits to accrue, I can't argue against that but it isn't true for the Ford's. If your driving style changes, you can beat the EPA numbers. If Ford has fudged the numbers, the EPA will find out soon. Hyundai and Kia HAD fudged the numbers ( "human error" ). I guess my main point is new Ford hybrid owners entering the winter will have a hard time meeting the EPA numbers. Spring should tell the tale.

There is little or no break in period for eCVT hybrids. My 2010 gained 1 mpg. from new to 45 K miles. There is a BIG break-in period for new hybrid drivers. Heading into a colder season when all vehicles get less mileage will tend to delay driving improvements. Cold weather takes more fuel to keep everything and everybody warm. Air is denser and causes more drag. Tires are stiffer. Winds are stonger and because of geometry are headwinds 70 % of the time, not 50 %. Wet and snowy roads have more drag. Here's a link to a hypermiling thread on CleanMPG.com: http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1510 Many of the techniques listed hybrids do automatically and others are not applicable but there is a wealth of information there.

The ICE will cycle on and off after it's warm. There may be a time limit on how long it will run with remote start. Check the manuals. On the first generation FFH's, I don't think the heated seats would come on with remote start.

Hybrids do not require you to rough it so use all the amenities as you please. As we get near to 50 mpg., further economy gains get really tough. Here are some links to what is under development: 1. http://www.visteon.com/products/automotive/heat_pump_system.html 2. http://delphi.com/pdf/techpapers/2012-01-1050.pdf

This wastes fuel. The car does not need to be warmed up to drive and anytime the ICE is running and the car is not moving lowers your mileage. Only do that if you can't stand being in a cold car for several minutes.

If you call for vehicle cabin heat in a hybrid, the engine ( ICE ) will run to satisfy it. All vehicles use more fuel in cold weather because of the denser air. There are also certain system temperature requirements. Because the hybrids use so little fuel, the various heating requirements which need the same energy regardless of the type of vehicle cause a greater numerical drop in the mpg. This does not mean the hybrids are worse in cold weather. All the energy in gas-electric hybrids come from gas. I don't think they have electric heat. If it did, the ICE would need to run to recharge the electrical energy used. That could be done when the ICE is running for other reasons. If you start the hybrid Fords either directly or with an optional remote wireless and the HVAC is set to "Auto", the system will heat or cool the car and the ICE will run as required. It appears that heat pump ( HPAC ) systems for EV/HEV cars are almost here.

There are two motor/generators in the car. One that controls the transmission ( MG1 ) is mostly a generator and the other larger one ( MG2 ) is mostly a motor. During some operations, the ICE drives the wheels and MG1 as a generator which together with the HVB provides electrical power to MG2. This complicated blending together produces very broad horsepower and torgue curves. The complicated stuff is done with software and electronics in a seamless, low loss manner. MG1 is connected to the "Sun" gear of a planetary gear train and can turn in either direction as a motor or generator. By varying the positive or negative torque on it instantaneously, the drive train is controlled. There are no torque converters, clutches, hydraulic valves or anything that wears that are usually found in an automatic transmissions. There is no separate starter motor or alternator as MG1 does both. The MGs are brushless so there's nothing to wear in them. This system has been proven by the Prii to be very durable and long lasting. Ford claims they have had no MG failures and only 6 ( D-sized ) cells ( out of 42,000,000 made ) in the HVB, mostly in the first generation Ford Escape.

The new 2013 FFH will cycle between EV and ICE below 62 mph. The "old" FFH did so below 47 mph. During these cycles, when the ICE stops, the mpg. goes to infinity. When the ICE starts again, it will go to somewhere around 30 mpg. because then the ICE is driving the car AND recharging the HVB that was discharged during the EV mode. I'm unfamiliar with the gauges on the 2013 but I think you can display bar graphs of mpg. for past time intervals. Turn that on and set it to the longest interval ( 6 minutes ? ).That will even out the Instantaneous mpg. readings. Read the Owners guide several times and you will profit by it. Search this and other Ford hybrid forums for insights on hybrid operation. All the Ford and Toyota hybrids work pretty much alike and are very elegant devices.

There really aren't any fixed gear ratios. The computer controls the transmission to set the ICE rpm for the horsepower required. It is unlikely that you get better mileage at higher speeds. Many little things increase mileage when you're getting over 40 mpg.; tailwinds, quiet and dry roads, downward slopes you never knew were there, moderate traffic ( creates a tailwind ), warmer temperatures, lighter loads, higher tire pressures, lower AC loads as temperatures inside car stabilize, and an HVB that is above the normal charge level that is contributing power to the traction motor until it's charge is normal.

The cruise control on hills has more variation by design. The ICE is really fairly small and the RPM increase is normal on hills. Watch how low it goes coming down hill ( zero if you're below 62 mph ).

The eCVT hybrids excel at high speeds and passing. The reason is that you get contiuuous full power when you floor it. The RPM goes to redline and stays there without dropping back during gear shifts. The electric motors assist then also. The ICE does speed up and down in hilly country in response to power demands. That's because it's usally close to full throttle at the lowest rpm that will yield the desired power. When you want more, the electric motor gives you a transient assist until the computer controls the transmission to give the higher Rpm. In the eastern Appalachin Mts., The "old" FFHs need about 1900 rpm to go 70 mph on level roads ( that's a low rpm for a 2.5 liter 4 ). That will vary on hills from 3500 to 1000 as the power needs change. Remember there is little loss in the planetary gear type of eCVT thar Ford and Toyota use. The ICE is not working any harder at highway speeds than any other similar horsepower engine except it is usually providing it's power at a lower RPM and almost full throttle. There is little additional power available until the rpm increases but the electric motor fills in the gap. A non-hybrid can't run the ICE that way because they can only get instantaneous power increase from opening the throttle plate.