Hi,

Owned my 2006 Mercury Hybrid for 4 days now. When I took a long test drive, I got in-town mileage of around 28. Day to day use is now showing mileage of around 24-25. I live in a small community where it takes 15-20 minutes to drive from one side of town to the other. So most of my drives are generally 5-10 minutes.

I find that when I first start driving, the gas engine is used a lot, even at speeds under 25mph. Then when the engine warms up, the mileage goes up. And by the time the engine does warms up, I'm done driving. LOL.

Is it safe to say that I should expect lower mileage when most of my trips are real short with lots of stop & go? Verses someone in a larger town who may have to drive 30-45 minutes to get someplace?

After first starting, would it help to let the Mercury run a couple minutes before shifting it into gear? Does the gas motor even run when first started?

Mark