4cylinder

Congratulations Reg. I highly recommend you remove your address from the "Location" part of your profile. Not a good idea to make that information public. I am also originally from the Vancouver area though I now temporarily live and work in the Detroit area. I am likely moving to Ontario when my visa ends. PS how did you pay $52k for a 2013 hybrid SE... even with sales tax I don't think it was possible to break $45k on the SE model and that's in CAD. I also traded a 2013 hybrid SE for the 2017 Energi, but both were bought used.

While my current Energi and my 2013 hybrid before that have the moonroof, I'm actually not a fan of this sort of thing at all. To me, the moonroof is the single most useless option offered on the Fusion (and many other cars). It adds weight, creates a vulnerable point in the roof, robs tall passengers of headroom, and should not be forced on consumers (I know you can factory order a car, but that's not always an option nor does it guarantee avoidance of the moonroof - e.g. Fusion Platinum cannot remove it). I literally never open the moonroof, not even the shade underneath, unless you count the times when I use the global remote open feature from my key fob on a hot day to open all windows, which activates the tilt feature of the moonroof (I then immediately close it back when I get into the car). I actually didn't even realize my 2013 hybrid had a moonroof until the day after I drove it off the lot! Why Ford feels the need to push the moonroof on loaded Hybrid and Energi models is bewildering, since it hurts the goal of improved fuel economy. The Chevrolet Volt doesn't offer it on any trim level which is the right move. You can get it as a truly standalone option on Teslas and Priuses but I have yet to see any Teslas or Priuses with moonroofs (I have seen a few Teslas with the all-glass pano roofs though). The only reason why any of my cars have one is because I strictly buy used cars, and I cannot be too picky in that case. I did get lucky with my 2015 Escape Titanium - it is fully loaded with the tech but has no moonroof (oddly, it does have a garage door opener, whereas the Fusion forces you to buy the moonroof to get that). If I had an extra digit on my paycheck, I would buy brand new cars and bribe whoever it takes to specially create my car without one (since many luxury cars make it standard)! With that, fellow moonroof owners, do you actually use yours? Or do you feel the way I do?

Definitely not going to defeat it again haha. The first (and only) time I did it was because I didn't understand what was going on, as the 2017 models don't explicitly say "oil maintenance" in the on-screen messages anymore, which is annoying.

Ah, makes sense then.

Thing is that even if the ICE does come on during a normal trip, it often doesn't stay on for very long, in order to give you maximum fuel economy. For example during the arctic blast my ICE came on more often than normal to run my heater but I estimate it would be for no more than 10% of my trip time. Consequently, it isn't able to remove much condensation, if any.

Wow, you got an even better discount than I did - Mine listed for $22998 with a sticker of about $39.5k, and had 300 more miles. And I didn't get cooled seats :( Nav is a lot better than Sync2 but I rarely use it since I have Android Auto with Google Maps. Garmin's real advantage is the lane guidance (also available on Google Maps). Wish the Sync3 nav had that.

Not an oil change, oil maintenance. An engine that is off over 90% of the time will face the problem of moisture condensing in the oil compartment. Running the engine to heat things up and boil off the moisture helps preserve the oil quality. The Chevrolet Volt has a similar feature where it forcefully makes the engine come on if it hasn't been used for a while, both to prevent the gas going stale and to prevent the oil from getting degraded by condensation.

Even in the Detroit area, where one can find well-preserved examples of just about any American car, including flops from Pontiac and Saturn, the C-Max is nearly non-existent on the road. Not surprised that they'd kill the model for North America. And yeah I agree that the pre-facelift model was extremely ugly. Pick one nose or the other, not both!

Haha I used to drive my 2013 hybrid with that display on my left screen (I now use the digital speedo on my 2017 for the left screen). I would constantly note when it "flipped me off". In my case I had a Canadian car displaying L/100km so the middle finger part was when fuel consumption was high.

Thanks again for your help Russael. Next time it happens I will use it as an excuse to drive to Trader Joes which I normally am too lazy to do due to the 40 minute drive :P

My fully loaded 2017 Energi Titanium minus the ventilated seats, navigation, and engine block heater, with 17" wheels, was being advertised for $22998. It was barely a year old with just 7800 miles on it. Previous owner was actually the Ford HQ - this was a corporate fleet car. After trade-in, taxes, and title/licensing fees (in Michigan they charge extra for hybrids/plug-ins and even more for full EVs, and sales tax is calculated on the full amount of the car rather than on the post-trade difference =_=), it came to a little under $11,000 which I negotiated down to $10k out the door. Before driving to the dealer, I took out my Sync3+nav+USB hub that I'd reprogrammed for my 2013 hybrid, and put back the horrible MyFordTouch for the trade-in. After taking possession of the Energi, I took apart its dashboard and replaced the APIM with the one I removed from my 2013 (keeping the newer screen). I then fiddled with Forscan code for a few minutes and finally had navigation in my Energi :) Sold the non-nav APIM with my old Sync3 screen and USB hub for $450 and used that to partially offset the cost of new Nokian winter tires. Kinda wish I'd replaced the aftermarket HIDs I put in my 2013 with the stock bulbs and at least sell the ballasts, but was too lazy to go through the process. I also left a nice sharkfin antenna on the 2013, along with a 2016 FCIM with hard buttons (since the capacitive buttons on the old panel were horrible). Hundreds down the drain but hopefully the next owner will appreciate them...

Never mind, I realized that the "underbody protection" here refers to physical armor plates that may be used on SUVs and trucks. My car does indeed have coating, and regular washing of the undercarriage should keep things safe.

Thanks Russael. I'll inspect it tonight. Would I be able to just clean out the "pudding" if I find any? Should I schedule an oil change just to be safe? (I have about 9000 miles on the car, and the first 7800 was from the previous owner). I searched the 2017 Energi owner's manual and don't see anything that would tell me of an oil maintenance mode being active. I guess it's another feature Ford removed from earlier model years (I noticed EV+ mode and lifetime summary were gone, and the trip summary after turning off the car does not show the quantity of fuel used, just the fuel economy).

I had the ESP on my 2013 hybrid - paid $2000 CAD for it (was living in Canada then, temporarily expatriated to the US now, probably moving back to Canada by 2020). Waste of money because the car wasn't unreliable enough. The few problems I did have after the B2B expired (peeling trim in front passenger footwell, some creaking in front passenger seat) were not covered by the ESP. 2.5 years passed without any issue occurring that the ESP would've covered. I got a refund for the last 1.5 years. If I had a Range Rover or BMW, an extended warranty would almost certainly pay for itself within the first year because those brands are notoriously unreliable (just google "Doug Demuro" for hilarious anecdotes). Ford, while less reliable than Japanese brands, is still heads and shoulders above the worst European brands. I have a feeling that you'll still be ahead if you pay out-of-pocket to fix the charging ring light, as opposed to having paid for the ESP and having this relatively minor issue covered. I classify it as minor because while it is annoying to lose the quadrant, it doesn't affect the car's drivability or core features - you can still charge it after all. Personally I would just leave it and save that few hundred, especially if the other quadrants still work which allows you to see when the car is fully charged. You also have MFM and the display in the car itself. Your dealer is not very nice... My dealer will provide the rental for free if the car is being repaired under warranty or if a recall operation is being performed. Only during normal maintenance does the rental cost money.

Do you get an explicit message from the car saying that oil maintenance mode is on when it happens? Also come to think of it my commute is rarely longer than 20 minutes, so when I "lost" EV mode, I never got a chance to drive continuously for 30 minutes. It's possible as I had a dealer forget to do that when I had my 2013 hybrid serviced.. I also just realized that there's no actual oil life reading anymore - I had it on the 2013 hybrid!

I forgot to mention that on Saturday, I did the oil life reset to 100% and the engine stopped coming on. It probably wasn't the best idea, but my car is "back to normal" now. I'll inspect the oil sometime this week. At no point did the car tell me of any "maintenance mode" regarding the oil, but I suspect that was exactly what went on since the oil life reset did restore normal operation.

I believe the rear vents follow the passenger's setting. Dedicated rear-seat HVAC controls are pretty much nonexistent on non-luxury family cars except for some minivans :|

$1000 to replace the APIM? Might as well buy an OBDLink MX programming tool and search junk yards and Ebay for Sync3 APIMs+screens. You'll still be ahead while having a much more modern car with Android Auto and Apple Carplay. I spent about $750 per car to upgrade my '15 Escape and the '13 Fusion Hybrid I traded for my Energi, to Sync3 with navigation including GPS antennas and fast-charging USB hubs. Go to the 2gfusions forum and speak to DanMc85 for advice on reprogramming the Sync3 kits to properly work with your car. All you need is the OBDLink tool and a laptop running Windows with built-in Bluetooth (or a Bluetooth adapter).

High five fellow Nokian user! I am driving with those too in Metro Detroit's winter and they are amazing. Have not had a slip warning come on despite my entire townhouse complex being covered in snow. Proves that FWD is perfectly fine in the snow with the right set of tires.

When the temperatures are relatively warm (at least 10C/50F) I can squeeze close to 30 miles (48 km) of EV driving out of the battery by driving like a grandma. I don't use the freeway to get to work so that helps (lots of regen braking). During freezing temperatures, range drops considerably, both because of the cold's impact on battery efficiency and because I need to run my defroster to be able to see out my windshield. I get about 15 miles (25 km). Not that it matters because my engine will come on about 10% of the time to help keep the battery warm and power the defroster, so it's impossible to have a full-EV commute.

I have a '15 Escape for camping trips, hauling furniture, etc but the Energi's trunk has been more useful than I expected. It's definitely adequate for my groceries - in fact that tall battery is actually an advantage here because it keeps stuff from sliding around and removes the need for a cargo net. If I'm going on a road trip with no more than 1 other passenger, the trunk can take two carry-on roller luggages (the kind that barely fit in airline overhead bins) and two personal backpacks, and still have room to squeeze in small loose items. Folding down the back seats also takes care of many problems (would not recommend this in areas with high rates of break-ins though). I can carry four tires in the back seat. My advice to those who are on the fence because of trunk space - consider what % of your use cases would require a more sizable trunk, especially if you live in an area where access to rental cars is easy or where delivery services are plentiful/affordable. For example, if you can get by with the small trunk 99% of the time, then buy the Energi and for the other 1% of use cases (e.g. family coming to visit, annual camping trip), rent an SUV/minivan. Get new furniture delivered by truck instead of driving it home by yourself. Large electronics like TV sets often have free delivery as well. Even though those alternatives cost money, you'll likely still be ahead due to gas savings, and if not, that is a small price to pay for having fun. This advice actually comes from a friend who owns an even less practical vehicle (Subaru BRZ) as his only car. He is able to have loads of fun 99% of the time, and he lives 3 miles away from Enterprise, which means Enterprise actually picks him up for free during the rare occasion that he needs to rent a more practical car. As my friend says, don't let 1% of your use cases dictate the purchase! Of course not everyone lives in a large metro area with such conveniences, and in these scenarios, I probably would recommending crossing the Energi off the list if trunk space is a concern (unless you own a second vehicle).

I got curious and ran my VIN through http://www.etis.ford.com/. In the long list of features that it has (or doesn't have), I noticed this one line: "Less Underbody Protection" Does this mean that the car is lacking underbody coating to protect it from salt corrosion (a huge problem in Metro Detroit)? If so, should I get it waxed underneath asap? Should I buy the splash guard accessories? I just had the car washed at a touchless wash that includes an underbody cleaning, when temperatures briefly rose above 10C/50F, so hopefully not too much damage has been done... I plan to do this every time conditions clear up this season, since it's only $5.

Congratulations. On the subject of the insight, it looks like Honda has totally reinvented that model, creating a normal-looking premium sedan sized between a Civic and an Accord. No plug-in sadly.

haha, I knew that these smart keys would need to have metal keys inside even before I was old enough to drive! Even if the car's 12V battery is good, the key's battery can die too...

Lexus might interest you (their flagship car is an LS hybrid with over 400 hp!), though they lack plug-ins at the moment. BMW also has sporty plug-in variants of the 3, 5, and 7 series, and even the X5, but all have worse range than the Energi, and BMW reliability is also something to be wary of. Btw, I have a 2015 Escape Titanium as my secondary car. I would be cautious about switching to the Escape from the Fusion, especially a loaded Fusion - the Escape is a downgrade in terms of interior quality. It's a Focus with a higher ride height and it shows. I have no brand loyalty and anything is on the table as long as it has the bells and whistles I'm looking for and is reliable. I got a great deal on my Energi (thank the Gods of Depreciation) and will keep it for a while but if it turns out to be a lemon or gets written off in an accident within the next few years, I may switch to Honda (if they can improve the tech of the Clarity) or Lexus or even Tesla if they improve their Model 3 build quality. My parents have been Lexus fans for the last 16 years so I admit to having a little bias in favor of Lexus. If GM brings over the Buick Regal hybrid that's currently China-exclusive without compromising on tech, I'd also consider that (I actually seriously considered getting the 2018 Regal over the Energi at one point!)