carlton4270

Xgman, I am an engineer and a researcher.... even after accounting for driver habit variability, I completely agree with you and many others in the forum who complain about the Mkz under-performance in the area of fuel . economy The fact is when you compare the reports of HYBRID drivers (of various brands), Mkz drivers seem to be reporting higher variances (difference between EPA and reality) than several of the other reports I am reading. 2013 VW Jetta hybrid drivers, for example, are reporting 47 mpg as promised by the EPA estimates. I was actually in the market for the Jetta before I fell in love with the MkZ hybrid. I test drove a new Jetta Hybrid with under 80 miles on the car and I achieved the EPA city and highway estimates (43/47) easily. To those of you are interested, I suggest that you head to your local VW dealer and test drive a Jetta Hybrid. Chances are, during the test drive, the salesperson will not be making excuses for the low mpg reported on the dash. Now compare that to what your salesperson told you during your Mkz test-drive. After the software update, I have seen an 8-10% improvement in highway mpg. but at 38mpg, it is still way below the 45 mpg promised and way below the mpg delivered by the Jetta . Now, I expect no better than 38 mpg over the lifetime of the car. I have a suspicion that the reason between significant differences in results achieved by some members in this forum may not be so much due to driver habits as some other QUALITY control-related issues. For example, my battery reserve power has never exceeded 50% on my car. It seems that others have reported battery power approaching 100%. Could I have a bad or substandard battery or other related electrical issue adversely affecting EV mode availability and fuel economy? It would not be the first time poor quality control and faulty components significantly affected the performance of a new vehicle. Carlton Carlton

Tanner,Xgman, all, I finally have some encouraging news to report. I got my MKZ Hybrid back from the dealer on Tuesday. So far it appears freeway mpg has improved by about 3.5 mpg (10%) since the update. City mpg seems around the same. I will be testing thoroughly this weekend. The fact is, however, the software update was not successfully done initially, as I had argued for over a week. Ford tried to fight me on this initially, giving me a story about driving conditions, driver habits, etc.. The fact is, as indicated in my previous posts, the software update did not have the impact on the powertrain which it was designed to have. I understand that to finally resolve the issue, after two weeks in the service shop, Ford had to compare the config on my Mkz Hybrid with the config on a an Mkz which was performing appropriately post update. All seems to be going well now. I will update you all next week. I love my 2013 Lincoln MkZ Hybrid. On the other hand, Lincoln Motor Co has some work to do in the area of diagnostics, listening to customer discussion and feedback, and communicating with dealers. Carlton

It seems your update may NOT be performing as intended. The performance you are describing, when you brake and slow down to 70 mph seems to be your HV battery CHARGING through braking/coasting, and NOT the vehicle entering Electric Drive mode. You can verify this on the center touch screen if you like. The update is intended to facilitate sustained Electric Drive mode at speeds over 62 mph where conditions permit - not merely charging the HV battery as it appears your car is doing while braking or slowing down/coasting.

Tanner, thanks for your reply. Perhaps some other experts online may be able to clarify a point based upon your reply. Currently your center console should clearly indicate a few driving modes: Electric Drive (Electric Motor Only); Hybrid Drive (Gas Engine + Electric); and some other scenarios where the High Voltage battery is charging, etc.. The electric motor should be on virtually ALL the time, I believe. The GAS engine, on the other hand, kicks in or out, for various reasons including acceleration, HV battery charging, high speed, etc.. I agree that the battery health, and battery level, may be my problem and yours. The dealer has now had my car for over two weeks total. They have been working with Ford. As of today, hey still cannot figure out how to make the update work. Still no EV mode over 62 mph. Carlton

Xgman, After raising little hell with Ford and my local dealer. The local Service Dept. manager agreed to go on the highway with me for a test drive. I insisted that he drive and that he prove to me that the software update was successfully installed and that the vehicle was operating accordingly. Specifically, I challenged him to prove to me that the vehicle was capable of entering into EV mode above 62 mph as promised. Needless to say, the Service Manager could NOT get my MKZ hybrid into EV mode above 62 mph even though the 85.05 version of the software was installed. After careful reflection, my guess is that the car has had an electrical fault from day one. A bad battery, for example, which never charges up enough to reliably support EV mode over 62 mph? I have noticed my battery has never charged above 50-55% and is usually around 35-40%. Just an uneducated guess... I also suspect that this fault may be affecting my overall fuel economy. City AND highway. Any thoughts?

Thanks everyone for your feedback regarding the 85.05 software update to the 2013 MkZ Hybrid, 203A, retractable panoramic roof. I updated the powertrain software last week on August 1st. At the time I had 750 miles on the car. I estimate average Highway MPG was about 34 mpg at that time (guesstimate). City MPG was about 37 mpg (guesstimate). Lifetime MPG was 29 mpg as reported by the car. Last 30 min Average MPG was 34.2 mpg. After the update, I tested fuel efficiency on the highway on two 450 mile trips return trips from Fort Lauderdale to Orlando, FL. After 900 miles of testing this is what I have found. The car did NOT ever enter into Electric Drive mode over 62 mph as promised. This was regardless of weather A/C was on or off, windows were open or closed, or whether I carried cargo or not. I weigh 205 lbs. My average highway fuel efficiency was 35 mpg with A/C on and 37 mpg A/C off. No passengers. I reported the results to Lincoln. Lincoln's written response to my local dealer indicated that the update is NOT expected to yield significant improvements to MPG. Lifetime mpg is now 33 mpg. Carlton

Thanks for the very useful info! Can anyone update me on the status of my MKZ hybid? 3LN6L2LU9DR825015 Thanks. Carl

Thanks for the very useful info! Can anyone update me on the status of my MKZ hybid? 3LN6L2LU9DR825015 Thanks. Carl