EPA to investigate Ford C-Max, Fusion fuel economy

[ne_one]

EPA to investigate Ford C-Max, Fusion fuel economy
Autoblog
December 10, 2012
by Jeremy Korzeniewski

The Environmental Protection Agency has said it "will look at the report and data" from Consumer Reports indicating that the 2013 Ford C-Max and Fusion hybrids don't come close to achieving their fuel economy estimates of 47 miles per gallon. In CR testing, the C-Max Hybrid averaged 37 mpg; the Fusion Hybrid averaged 39.

CR reports that the 10-mpg difference recorded with the C-Max represents "the largest discrepancy between our overall-mpg results and the estimates published by the EPA that we've seen among any current models." For reference, the Toyota Prius came up six mpg short of EPA estimates under CR's testing.

It's too early to suggest such drastic measures will be taken by Ford, especially since "a hybrid vehicle is going to be far more variable than a conventional vehicle" when it comes to observed fuel mileage, according to Linc Wehrly, director of light-duty vehicle center compliance division at the EPA's Ann Arbor laboratory.

Full article at link.

[donmateo]

LOL reviewing a report from a guy who openly admitted to mashing the pedal and driving at 70MPH. NO car will get near EPA #s doing that. This is simply ignorance at its finest.

[roy219]

LOL reviewing a report from a guy who openly admitted to mashing the pedal and driving at 70MPH. NO car will get near EPA #s doing that.

Certainly, aggressive high speed driving will lower overall fuel economy. However, the EPA test protocols incorporate emissions test cycle US06 SFTP which has a peak speed of 80.8 mph and a fair amount of driving around the 70 mph mark.

[akbar]

LOL reviewing a report from a guy who openly admitted to mashing the pedal and driving at 70MPH. NO car will get near EPA #s doing that. This is simply ignorance at its finest.

I guess the issue is not the discrepancy, but the amount of discrepancy. Among all vehicles tested in the same manner the Ford hybrids have the largest, almost 40% greater discrepancy than the next closest.

That is significant...

[hydrogen]

I trust that the EPA will clear this up. The last thing that Ford needs is a Hyundai incident.

[jpd80]

What I'd like to know is how the C-Max fares in city driving where a Hybrid should be excelling in fuel consumption. If that is OK then perhaps we need to look at what is happening with regards free flowing highway running where maybe hybrids don't do so well.

So far nearly 8,000 people have bought C-Max in the first two months, you don't get that without a lot of good test drive feed back where the C-Max is blessed with a lot of performance. So I'm wondering if some buyers are expecting different things from their hybrids, I for one can't see how a hybrid at 65-70 mph driving makes any sense whatsoever yet look at the LA freeways with those Priuses traveling down the pool lans.... gotta wonder.

[logansowner]

In my testing the Prius didn't get it's rated mileage either. I demand an inquiry!!! What a crock of chit.

Either someone at CR is blowing people at the EPA or several peoples pockets get lined by this. This just really bugs me, when did a magazine become the source for a government agencies information. Idiots one and all.

[john1701a]

How many people actually read what it says on the window-sticker?

Do they only see the large numbers?

[pont3]

All I have to say is that there is FAR too much emphasis placed on MPG and all this hybrid hoopla. A 20k Chevy Cruze gets 40 mpg or more. If you need to save even more fuel, DRIVE LESS!! And I don't want to hear that all the excess driving that most people do is essential. Cause it ain't.

[john1701a]

A 20k Chevy Cruze gets 40 mpg or more.

You're claiming a car that gets a estimated 26 city, 39 highway, 31 combined actually delivers +40 mpg?

Have you read anything at all related to the topic of discussion here?

[germeezy1]

If he was actually unable to discern words from letters he would have a better grasp than a certain posters tenuous at best grasp of simple math.

[AMERICA 123]

Well..... firstly.......will they pull a Toyota NHTSA.... or an HK EPA ?

[Dr. Show-Me]

A lot of people on GMI don't pay attention regarding the mandated 55 mpg, which is an AVERAGE, not highway mileage. There is a huge difference, and that is the problem. Think 50 mpg city and 62 mpg highway to reach that 55 mpg. To get that will require electrics or strong hybrids, considering not even the standard Prius reaches that. Other than the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf, and the upcoming Spark EV, the rest don't reach those mandates.
I hope people wake up to the massive unnecessary CAFE and EPA mandates before it's too late. At this point, there aren't enough people paying attention for Congress, the source of the CAFE/EPA nonsense, to change their idiotic and unnecessary laws.

[70AARCUDA]

...many (most) EPA tests only have a 48-something mph AVERAGE speed...not 55 mph!

[mikesright]

A lot of people on GMI don't pay attention regarding the mandated 55 mpg, which is an AVERAGE, not highway mileage. There is a huge difference, and that is the problem. Think 50 mpg city and 62 mpg highway to reach that 55 mpg. To get that will require electrics or strong hybrids, considering not even the standard Prius reaches that. Other than the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf, and the upcoming Spark EV, the rest don't reach those mandates.
I hope people wake up to the massive unnecessary CAFE and EPA mandates before it's too late. At this point, there aren't enough people paying attention for Congress, the source of the CAFE/EPA nonsense, to change their idiotic and unnecessary laws.

It's a stupid law but the law is based on what the EPA counted as fuel economy 2 rather large revisions ago, not what you currently see on the stickers now.