Just test drove an '06 FEH 4WD. Really liked the vehicle, but... Drove it about 8 miles, a combination of city and 30 - 50 MPH in some nearby hills (nothing extreme by any means). Slow to moderate acceleration from stops, no hot rodding around. I had reset the mileage display when we started off. It was hot and humid out, so the A/C was required. Anyways, after all was said and done, the display showed an average of 19.8 MPG for our little trip.

I realize that having the A/C on full can make for a very noticeable decrease in mileage, as the gas engine won't shut off, unless you take it off Max A/C (red) mode, which I did for a few minutes, but it wasn't cooling very well at all without being on max. And sometimes having the windows down just isn't a valid option on days like this.

I know that the mileage can be increased by driving it a bit differently than a normal car, but for around town, this was quite unimpressive. Am I missing something here?

I will add that I have also driven a Prius. Drove one about 6 miles around town with the A/C on full, and the average after that little trip was 50 MPG. And I had reset the mileage display as well. I know they are two different kind of vehicles, but I expected more than 20 MPG around town. But this just makes me think, that if I kept driving the FEH in those conditions (speed, temperature, etc.), that's about where the mileage would remain.

Appreciate any input. Thanks.

 

I've never had trip MPGs that low, certainly not in my real world use of the vehicle. I can't remember what MPGs the Escape Hybrid we test drove was reporting, but I certainly didn't take it as what I might expect as an owner/driver.

For one, the short distance/duration of your test drive is not in favor of good fuel economy. Assuming the FEH you test drove had not just been driven prior to your arrival, the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) had to run long enough to heat up the catalytic converter so that's going to decrease your fuel economy by a good chunk.

Second, you seemed to have turned the Max. A/C mode on which *forces* the ICE to run continuously to keep the air conditioner's compresser running. This is a major MPG hit and is why Max. A/C is one of the orange/red colored modes on the environmental controls. In the normal A/C mode your vehicle will heat up when in Electric Vehicle mode because the A/C compressor will disengage, but as soon as you're underway again and the ICE kicks on (to propel the vehicle beyind EV-mode speeds and/or to recharge the high voltage battery) your cold air will return.

Third, due to the short duration of your drive and your use of Max. A/C, you didn't get to experience much or any Electric Vehicle (EV) mode, based on your lack of comments regarding how quiet and vibrationless the FEH is (usually one of the first things someone driving it for the first time notices). Electric mode occurs when the vehicle's stopped or travelling from 0 to 35-43mph (depends on how light you can be on the accelerator as to what the max. is, as well as the load the engine's under due to any incline/grade.)

Fourth, the item I forgot, the AWD (All-Wheel Drive) Ford Escape Hybrid typically gets slightly less miles per gallon than the FWD (Full-Wheel Drive) version. I have the latter.

Hope this helps.

My FEH is not yet broken in -- still shy of 3000 miles on the odometer -- and I'm routinely getting 33+ mpg these past 3 tanks. Highest MPG I held any appreciable length of time? 37.2mpg!

 

There are a few factors at work here. Obviously, as you said A/C max. That's really the killer since you'll never be in EV mode and you'll be burning gas even when stopped or decelerating, which negates much of the hybrid's advantages.

Also keep in mind it's the 4WD which takes a hit over the FWD version.

The FEH also takes time to break in... mileage improves significantly over the first 3000 or so miles, so a new vehicle won't see the best results.

Finally, 8 miles is a fairly short trip. Short trips hurt mileage as the vehicle's systems need time to get up to operating temperature to achieve maximum efficiency, with the ICE running the whole time. So, for example, if that takes 4 miles, an 8 mile trip is only half run at proper operating conditions.

So, if you were to keep driving it this way, in these conditions, the only improvement would be as the vehicle breaks in.... maybe you'd see mid-20s or so after a few thousand miles.

 

Thanks for the input.

 

Its hard to guess why it was so bad. It tends to get better as its driven. Mines a 4WD and my first tank was ~27MPG. Short trips (9 miles to and from work with some hills). I'm at 3000 and now I'm averaging about 30-31MPG with the same kind of driving a few longer trips mixed in. Its defintely better now that the weather is warmer. I've even run the airconditioner and on the mode where the engine can still kick off still it only seemed to drain me 2MPG or so for a short trip. Ie I still seemd to get 28-29

Frankly, I don't do much of anything to get 30. I smoothly accelerate, my tires are at 35PSI, I drive the normal speed limit (Hybrids should be loved by the highway patrol... I used to speed a bit...now I never exceed the speed limit--it would ruin my MPG safety and fines have nothing to do with it

I'd say the only "hybrid" technique I use is to coast a bit when stopping and to try to use the regenerative braking by braking softly and early.

So far I haven't felt the urge to try the fancy stuff ("L" gear advantage,... etc). I tried it for a little while but only seemed to get 1 or 2MPG out of it, probably because I wasn't religious enough about it.

In any case 19MPG is NOT what you should expect. Not from my experience.

 

My FWD now has a little over 4300 miles on it. Both my wife and I drive it depending who is going where. I do not have the NAV but using the miles per gallon gage we are getting 35.5 and it keeps going up point by point. We have not used the A/C much here in Indiana yet so we will see what happens when it gets warmer.

 

I have been able to peek the FEH 4WD at 37.8 on a half tank. Granted, no A/C, and it was mostly all highway mileage (worst case for the FEH, no EV).

You should be able to do much bette than 20 mpg on the FEH once you get used to it.

 

Don't base your decision upon the test drive. I test drove a FEH in late February and mid April for about 10-15 miles on both back roads and highway. In February it took about 5 miles for the FEH to warm up, in April only about a mile. I was concerned that the FEH was not for me. However, we bought one just over 3 weeks ago. I have been driving it back and forth to my work office, getting about 33-34 mpg to work and about 28-30 back home. Around town and some moderate highway driving, I am getting about 28-30 mpg also. With some driving tips from this and other websites; double breaking, fake shift, gliding, and slow starts, my 1st 3 fillups are just under 30 mpg. So far I am very happy with the FEH, I am getting good mpg, it has enough room for my family, with good storage area for shopping, sports activities, etc.

Overall, the test drive may not a good indicator of your driving conditions.
Good luck if you decide to buy.

 

Thanks for the replies. Decided that a Prius was more fitting for this application, and it was about 7K less than the similarly equiped FEH we looked at. Already have a mid-size 4x4 SUV. Might as well just hang on to it.