In the past i have owned a few vehicles that just didn't have the( *****) power and torque to scoot up the steeper grades with out down shifting and running max rpm just to go about 50 mph up them. would like to hear from FEH OR MMH OWNERS THAT have travled thru the rockies up a 6% grade or more. Thanks JOE

 

Joe...

I can't speak for travels in the Rockies, but I've made several trips from Central Oregon over the Cascade Range to the Willamette Valley in Oregon in my '06 FEH. Neither pass I usually use quite approach 6%, but I certainly didn't have any problems keeping road speeds in my rig. The eCVT seems to do well picking the right ratio, and while the RPM's will go up, it's certainly manageable. Just don't watch your Instant Econ...all you can do is think, "Well, what goes up must come down, so I'll make up the MPGs on the downhill side!"

 

I've been cross-country and over some serious passes in the Rockies and Sierras.

However, it's comparing apples and oranges. There's no "downshifting" and intentionally "running max rpm" with this vehicle. It will do what it needs to do to deliver the required torque, and going up steep grades at speed generally means max torque. You'll probably see the RPMs go way up... essentially maxing out, and you'll likely get whatever electric boost is available until it runs out.

I've found that my FEH does have the *****, but you may no longer want to maintain that speed up these grades when you see in real time what it's doing to your mileage.

 

I travel from Denver to Copper or Steamboat several times a week all winter. I got my 4WD FEH Jan 2nd and have had no issues so far. I can go up to floyd hill from Denver at 65-70mph without issue unless someone hits the breaks in front of me. Keeping your momentum up by anticipating traffic patterns helps a lot. Otherwise you'll get back up to speed, just don't expect it to be the under 6seconds I used to get in my wrx.

BTW I've been averaging 27mpg with 1 trip to Copper and a week of commuting to the Tech Center from Denver. When just in town without mtn trips I'm getting 30-31mpg.

 

I also live in the area North of Denver and have driven over the Rockies with 800 pounds of cargo and no problems whatsoever.

The thin air, 85 Octane, and using the Driving with Load technique to some degree kept me in the 33 MPG to 35 MPG range, even in these demanding conditions.

Driving with load means driving with your load ( or RPM ) as steady as possible ( within reason ) in hilly terrain.

Doing the uphill sections of I70 towards the Eisenhower Tunnel at about 55-60 MPH with 4 adults, ski equip. and luggagewill leave me at about 24-25 MPG at the top.
( 5,000 ft elevation gain )

Going downhill at more like 70 MPH will hover in the 50 MPG range, leaving me with a net for the round trip in the mid-30's. I've been 100% impressed with this little engine.

Keep in mind 1800 RPM to 2400 RPM is the "sweet spot".
Park her there as much as possible ( even on hills you can hold this if you get into the right lane and drop 1 MPH of speed every 10 seconds or so ) and you'll get FANTASTIC results.

FWIW, I've also climbed as much as 14% grades in the 35-45 MPH range with no problems either. I can even climb a 22% driveway in EV, at 10 MPH.