Does the whole MPG game we play take away from the fun and comfort of the car?

[saleen436]

Let me explain...I find myself concentrating so much on driving economically and maximizing my MPGs to the point that I just no longer have fun driving the car. No that I wake up to 10 degree temps on the east coast, I have to talk myself into putting the heat on since it'll kill my battery life.

 

Plus, I find myself not driving as much when not fully or partially charged to avoid using gas. At first it was fun to see how long I could stretch out a tank of gas (3,100 miles is my best btw), but it's overtaken my driving habits and quite frankly it's becoming annoying.

 

Anyone else in the same boat?

[meyersnole]

This car has definitely changed the way I drive.

 

I seem to get more satisfaction from an efficient launch from a stop light than I use to get from stomping the accelerator and feeling the g force in my previous car.

 

I pay attention to my brake score.. although I have relaxed a bunch and no longer try for 100 each time (too much traffic where I live and don't want to cause issues). But very disappointed if I am not in the 90s!

 

I plan my routes so that I have a fighting chance to make it home without engaging the engine and leave myself more time to make it to my destination.

 

I drive more secondary roads and am not passing many cars anymore.

 

If it is not too cold I might just try the seat warmers rather than the heater on short trips.

 

Why? Because this car does an excellent job of telling me the impact of all of those actions and rewards me with high efficiency ratings when I do them well.

 

Things I don't do...

 

I still turn on the heat or AC when I am in the car for an extended period of time (I have learned that the A/C impacts things much less than the heater... so I am much quicker to turn that on). I just left my climate system on all the time in my other car, I do not do that anymore.  

 

I still drive about 5-10 miles over the speed limit on the highway (drive with traffic) even though I know this kills my lifetime MPGe. 

 

In the end you have to find that balance that you can live with. This car is helping you become a better driver, by that I mean you are much more in tune with your car -- understanding how your actions impact the efficiency.  Something most drivers do not understand. Most of us are competitive and feel compelled to act on that information... welcome to the addiction!

[openair]

Not really. I get 40+ mpge on blended trips in the winter with the heat on without really trying or doing anything more than switching between auto, Ev now and Ev later at appropriate times. Good break scores, 90%+, are also easy to average and when they're not (a light changed at the last second) there's little I could do anyway

Edited January 28, 2016 at 03:16 PM by openair

[Russael]

I was a zealot for not making my ICE run for the first year I had the car... then I just settled down and now just enjoy driving it.  I still go for excellent brake scores and I'm careful when taking off from a stop, but aside from that, I don't pay much attention to the efficiency numbers anymore.  I used to log in to MyFordMobile nearly daily to see how my trip scores panned out, but now I just let it go for the most part.

 

I run the heat much more often than I used to... I paid a lot of moola for the car... I'm not going to let it dictate my comfort level anymore.  In cold temperatures, I leave the car in Auto mode and let it start up the ICE if it feels it is necessary.  Going months and months between fuel stops is more than enough to keep me smiling.

 

I'm still exceedingly happy with the car.  I'd definitely love to see a BEV version of it with 200+ mile range, but I seriously doubt we're going to see that within the next 4 or 5 years.  I'm going to sit back and wait to see what the Tesla Model 3 has in store.

[stevedebi]

Let me explain...I find myself concentrating so much on driving economically and maximizing my MPGs to the point that I just no longer have fun driving the car. No that I wake up to 10 degree temps on the east coast, I have to talk myself into putting the heat on since it'll kill my battery life.

 

Plus, I find myself not driving as much when not fully or partially charged to avoid using gas. At first it was fun to see how long I could stretch out a tank of gas (3,100 miles is my best btw), but it's overtaken my driving habits and quite frankly it's becoming annoying.

 

Anyone else in the same boat?

C-Max Energi here. I was very strict at first, but now I just enjoy the ride. I do still run without heat if possible, but lately I've even started turning that on as well. I still accelerate and brake carefully, but that has become second nature, and I do that with my wife's Passat TDI as well (it improves MPG anywhere).

 

Life is too short to let a car dictate to me how I have to behave!

[howardbc]

Yes, I was all-consumed with MPG, tank range, brake scores, etc for maybe the first 6 months, but now I just relax and drive it. I still find the ride to be very comfortable. I drive the speed limit or a little above but don't hot dog it. But I do use the a/c. And yes, I too would love it if it were an EV with 200-mile range. 

 

I used to check my carbon-savings and rankings on the MFM app but don't even bother with that data any more. 

[stevedebi]

Yes, I was all-consumed with MPG, tank range, brake scores, etc for maybe the first 6 months, but now I just relax and drive it. I still find the ride to be very comfortable. I drive the speed limit or a little above but don't hot dog it. But I do use the a/c. And yes, I too would love it if it were an EV with 200-mile range. 

 

I used to check my carbon-savings and rankings on the MFM app but don't even bother with that data any more. 

Yeah, my MFM has however-many blimps I've "saved". Don't even go to MFM much any more.

[cwstnsko]

The only time I find myself fretting over efficiency is when the temperature is in the 15-25F range.  At these temperatures I can just barely make my normal commute on 100% EV, if I fiddle with the heat settings along the way.  If it gets much colder than 15F, then engine is going to start during my commute anyway, so I just set the heat at the temp I want and let the car decide when to start and stop the ICE.  Above 25F, I am pretty certain to make it on 100% EV, so I set the HVAC at a comfortable temp and enjoy the drive.

 

My main motivation to keep the ICE off on those borderline days is that if I let the engine start, it seems to run in a pattern that quickly triggers Oill Maintenance Mode. When it is cold out, Oil Maintenance mode can use 1/8-1/4 tank of gas unless I go out of my way to drive unnecessary miles on the freeway.

 

I do pay attention to the driving scores and MFM rankings, but only because I am in an area with very few MFM users, so I can see myself in the rankings and have developed a bit of a rivalry in certain categories with other drivers, even though I have never met them.  I have discovered a few tricks to accelerating and braking in manners that sacrifice some efficiency, but do not lower my scores.  This allows me to not be a hazard when driving in traffic with the generally aggressive drivers in my area. 

[mrmikel]

New Energi owner here, used 2013 model.  Had it 5 weeks now.  It's winter here and I can't expect miraculous numbers.  And a lot of my trips are well beyond the electric-only range of the car.  But by reading all the amazing, helpful tips here, I have started to figure out how to get the most out of the car.  With my 2010 FFH, I eventually just started to drive it, and would get a kick out of seeing the MPG for each trip, when I remembered to look.  I suspect I will get to the same place with this car eventually as well.  Until then, I'm having a blast learnng all the technology on this car.

Edited January 30, 2016 at 02:44 AM by mrmikel

[howardbc]

Good luck with your 2013 FFE. Mine sure has been wonderful. I don't have to drive in your cold and snow, but in the Summer here the temps go above 100 degrees all the time.

 

You are already WAY ahead of a driver who has never driven a hybrid. Just drive it the same way you drove your 2010 hybrid and you will be fine. Your Lifetime Summary is really more important than the data for each individual trip. 

 

Enjoy!

[flyingcheesehead]

Let me explain...I find myself concentrating so much on driving economically and maximizing my MPGs to the point that I just no longer have fun driving the car. No that I wake up to 10 degree temps on the east coast, I have to talk myself into putting the heat on since it'll kill my battery life.

 

Plus, I find myself not driving as much when not fully or partially charged to avoid using gas. At first it was fun to see how long I could stretch out a tank of gas (3,100 miles is my best btw), but it's overtaken my driving habits and quite frankly it's becoming annoying.

 

Anyone else in the same boat?

 

Heck no... That's the stuff I find *fun* about driving this car! Without that it'd just be another car.

 

Okay, I'm really gunning for 100MPG lifetime. And I'm going to try to get it up as high as I can next summer. Then, I'm going to stop bothering quite so much. :D

[mrmikel]

I should add that I reset the lifetime mpge. What was there when I got the car was not reflectivec of me (it was in the 80s which is totally unrealistic for me). Now I enjoy watching the number go up as I continue to learn how to drive to maximize efficiency.