Ford To Upgrade C-Max, Fusion, MKZ Hybrids' Software For Better Real-World Fuel Economy

TTAC Staff
by TTAC Staff

Some buyers of Ford’s gas/electric hybrids have expressed disappointment the their 2013 Ford C-Max, Fusion and Lincoln MKZ hybrids have not returned those cars’ EPA rated fuel economy. Some have even sued.

Ford heavily advertised it when the Fusion hybrid earned an EPA rating of 47 MPG, the same as the C-Max hybrid, but Consumer Reports said in their own real-world testing the hybrid Fusion delivered 39 MPG and the hybrid C-Max even less than that, 37 MPG. The Fusion based MKZ hybrid is rated at 45 MPG. Now Ford has announced that it’s going to offer owners a free software upgrade that the car company says should improve fuel economy in the real world. Ford claims that the upgrade has nothing to do with lawsuits but rather it’s part of normal product development. Ford will be upgrading 2014 models at the factory. The 77,000 owners of the of the 2013 models affected will be getting letters later this month, telling them to make appointments at their dealer. Ford says that upgrading the software will take half a day.

Some of the software changes are:

  • The cars will automatically stay in electric-only mode to 85 MPH, up from 62 MPH currently
  • Active grille shutters will now close in cold weather or when the A/C is running to warm or cool the interior quicker, this will allow electric mode to kick in sooner.
  • Fan speed will be reduced. Less electric load means better fuel economy.
  • The cars will now reach operating temperature in half the time, allowing the stop-start feature to work sooner. People in colder climates will appreciate this.

Ford also announced that it is adding another 250 salaried engineers for it’s electrification team, doubling its size as the company sees what it says it increasing demand for hybrids and plug in cars. It will also be investing $50 million in its product development center by the end of this year on equipment for what it says is improved battery testing.

TTAC Staff
TTAC Staff

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  • Ravenchris Ravenchris on Jul 17, 2013

    Ford's clusterfuck mentality toward customers means our family will not buy Ford automobiles. Ford needs to upgrade customer confidence in a tangible manner.

  • Papaj1 Papaj1 on Jul 19, 2013

    We own a C-MAX SE. Around town we routinely get 50-55 MPG, running mostly on EV. Atlanta freeways require you to run at least 75 or get run over by a truck, and at freeway speeds mileage drops to about 37. Now that the C-Max can use EV power up to 85 vs the previous 62 MPH limit I suspect highway mileage will improve. This mod will allow the ICE to shut down for a few minutes, turn back on to recharge the battery, shut down again, etc. I do wonder if Ford has done any testing to see real-world mileage improvement.

  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
  • ToolGuy Ford is good at drifting all right... 😉
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