MT First Test: '14 MKZ Hybrid

[jesster1228]

I thought this was an April Fool's Day joke. The review is fairly positive (as are many of the readers' comments.)

 

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1404_2014_lincoln_mkz_hybrid_first_test/

 

"No question about it, the 2014 Lincoln MKZ hybrid is one of the best cars in its class."

"More than one driver remarked on how well the touch-sensitive HVAC and audio buttons worked, and it's fun to watch a light follow your finger's movement as you reduce the volume or air. It's a detail you won't find on the mechanically related Fusion..."

 

"In Real MPG testing, a 2014 MKZ hybrid got 52.2 mpg in the city, 41.7 mpg on the highway, and 46.9 mpg combined, compared to the EPA's 45/45 mpg rating."

 

"The MKZ's best feature, of course, is its styling. Although those attractive, darkened 19-inch wheels will affect the ride quality, they also enhance the Lincoln's design."

 

 

 

[jesster1228]

Oops, typo. Obviously should read "MKZ Hybrid"

[fordmantpw]

...mechanically related Fusion...

 

It wouldn't be a review of an MKZ without pointing that out. What difference does it make?

[woodrowwilson]

In Real MPG testing, a 2014 MKZ hybrid got 52.2 mpg in the city, 41.7 mpg on the highway, and 46.9 mpg combined, compared to the EPA's 45/45 mpg rating.

This seems to be an April Fool's Joke...they beat the EPA estimated mileage.

[xgman]

This seems to be an April Fool's Joke...they beat the EPA estimated mileage.

Ain't NO way (in real world testing) except if done under some tightly controlled and short term specifics using summer gas blends. The car can do this if you force your speed to comply with when the battery kicks in for a while, but only on very limited circumstances. In long term "careful" driving, it is more like 42mpg long term average. And even that lends itself to cars passing you in disgust of how slow you are driving.

Edited April 9, 2014 by xgman

[akirby]

Ain't NO way (in real world testing) except if done under some tightly controlled and short term specifics using summer gas blends. The car can do this if you force your speed to comply with when the battery kicks in for a while, but only on very limited circumstances. In long term "careful" driving, it is more like 42mpg long term average. And even that lends itself to cars passing you in disgust of how slow you are driving.

 

In other words - if you drive it in similar conditions to the EPA test you can get EPA test mileage? Who knew?

[Iiari]

 

In other words - if you drive it in similar conditions to the EPA test you can get EPA test mileage? Who knew?

 

Pretty much. In my 3 months with the car so far, I've been very impressed. Driven in cold New England with presumptively winter blend so far, my 55 minute each way commute mixed with 40 min of highway (at 5 mph over the speed limit) and 15 minutes of back road yields me (driving the car like a hybrid) about 43 MPG.

 

And it does matter how the car is driven. If you totally ignore the hybrid gauges and just floor it all the time, driving it "like a real car" (as some put it) I would say I average about 35-37 MPG on the same commute as above (still pretty amazing given my Saab got me 17 MPG on the same commute with premium only gas). Driven with attention to maximizing launches, brake coaching, and keeping the best blend of driving in EV mode I get that 43 MPG.

 

Just puttering around town doing errands (especially if no one is behind me) I've hit 67 MPG.

 

It's just an amazing car thus far. Certainly not perfect, and the driving dynamics are certainly far from fun (I have my Saab for that), but playing with "Engage" mode trying to maximize your MPG almost is like a challenging computer game. Quite enjoyable!

[akirby]

The other big issue with hybrids is short trips. The first couple of miles in any car sucks because it's trying to get the cats up to temp for emissions. Unless it's a plug-in, short trips will kill your fuel mileage. The EPA test starts with a warmed up engine (I think).

[xgman]

I wish more Hybrid models would enter the marketplace. Have you seen the gas prices this week? They ain't going down! Truth is we are still a long way from high mileage for really nice cars. It doesn't have to be that way.

[wingsnut]

Hybrid mpg already swings wildly, per customer use cycle, but factor in the fact that percent differences are amplified when you are talking 40-50mpg baseline numbers, and results swing very wildly.

 

Just look at how people were able to hyper-mile the Fusion hybrid to the tune of about 74mpg, and you get the idea.

[timf]

I'm now 6 months into ownership and have seen just about every condition and my car performs just as I'd expect it to fuel economy wise.

 

In mild weather with little need for climate control, my average fuel economy was right on the advertised 45 MPG mark. As the weather has continued to warm up and I've been using the air conditioning more, that number has dipped back to 44 MPG. During the dead of winter, I was lucky to see 40 MPG and the actual fuel economy was even lower if I used the remote start function to preheat the car.

 

The car has made me aware of elevation changes I never realized existed before. The elevation at my office is about 200 ft higher than my house, and I generally see around 40 MPG coming in and over 50 MPG going home. Certain routes have even a greater elevation change and I can regularly see over 60 MPG on the downhill legs of these trips, while only getting in the low 30s on the way there.

[wingsnut]

How did you establish the 200 foot delta in altitude?

[timf]

I used the elevation information from Google Earth. Checking again, it's actually 150 feet between home and work, and then 300 feet between the golf course and home. The hills around here may not seem that big but they add up.

[Ghostrider009]

I just wish mine would get the mpg that the computer SAYS it is getting. My dash readout is wildly inaccurate, typically about 3 to 6 mpg MORE than I am actually getting by hand calculation, but it has been as much as 10 mpg higher than actual. I think that Consumers Reports was pretty much on target with the 36 overall mpg they got with their testing. Seems like Lincoln agrees since they have reset the EPA figures so much lower now, and reimbursing owners for their exaggerated advertised figures. My lifetime computer readout for 15,000 miles is 41, but the actual figure is about 37 (and yes, I do allow for variation in fillups.....I have kept every gas receipt for all those 15,000 miles).

[akirby]

Are you resetting the avg mpg each time you fill up? If not then it's apples/oranges.

[Ghostrider009]

Are you resetting the avg mpg each time you fill up? If not then it's apples/oranges.

Yes, each time I fill up, I reset the dash mpg and the trip mileage for that tank, then hand calculate the mpg. I have done that every tank for 15K miles. I also save all the receipts so that I can keep a running lifetime average. I have never reset the lifetime mpg dash readout since getting the car. It gradually went up to 41.1 mpg, then dropped to 41 about 6 months ago, and remains there. Of course, that figure is as inaccurate as the figure given on the readout for each individual tank.

[akirby]

There were some TSBs/updates for the 2013 models - have you checked with the dealer to see if there are any outstanding TSBs or recalls?

[Ghostrider009]

There were some TSBs/updates for the 2013 models - have you checked with the dealer to see if there are any outstanding TSBs or recalls?

I always ask them, and they have found a few. The only one affecting mpg was the one I had done last summer, the recalibration of the PCM. Even though the car would operate in electric mode at over 80 mph after that change, the mileage, especially highway mpg, steadily went down after that recalibration. The dealer personnel seem clueless regarding the mpg problem.