I've had my 07 FEH AWD since last November. At first it was only getting 25mpg. I was very disappointed in this result. I did some research and found this forum. From here I discovered post's by Gary G. Gary had posted on another forum about how to drive the FEH. Here is a link:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/artic...brid--350.html

This changed it all! I incorporated as much of Gary's technique as I could muster. My mileage went up immediately! I also read that as more miles accumulate on the FEH, the better the mileage. I now have 5000 miles on her and I'm getting 30mph on the highway and nearly 31 in the city.

My first highway trip I got 25 mph. That was at 72 mph from Las Vegas to Scottsdale, AZ. On the trip back to Vegas I got 28 mpg. Same driving technique and speed. This last week end I did the same trip and got 30 mph both ways. This was also in 90 degree heat with the a/c on the whole time. And not helping matters much, Las Vegas is at 2200 feet above sea level. That has usually cost me 2 mpg on my past vehicles.

I am finally getting the mileage I anticipated when I purchased the car. I had to change my driving habits a bit and wait for the car to "break in". I post this because I have run into several folks who have a hybrid SUV and don't know how to drive them. As a result, the mileage is not much better than a regular car. Many have traded them in already for a normal SUV. With a little practice and some patience, you will get better mileage.

Thanks Gary G. for steering me in the right direction. Why Ford or any of the other hybrid manufacturers don't include this info with the operators book is a mystery to me. They are losing customers simply because we are not informed.

I hope this helps some of you new owners and that you will start getting the mileage the car can produce.

SB

To further add to my above post, I am even with the flow of traffic. I'm not the slow guy in the right lane. I get the impression that Gary is putting along a 25 mph and getting honked at! I may be wrong but that's what I envision! The techniques that I borrowed from him are the "fake shift", the RPM range and the using electric mode when ever possible.

I try to keep my RPM's at or below 2000 to 2500 in city driving. If I'm merging onto a freeway then I break this rule. I can make the MPG back down the road.

I also leave more room between my car and the car ahead of me at stop lights. This allows me to get the car rolling using electric power just before the car ahead starts to move. This allows the EV mode to move that 3500 pound car instead of gas!

Last but not least I use EV mode as much as I can. That means in parking lots and the last mile or so in my housing area. This makes a huge difference.

I am by no means the slowest guy on the street, but I'm no longer the fastest. Every time I pass a gas station I just smile!

Try this simple stuff and see if you don't get better mileage on the next tank. For all you FEH vet's out there you know what I'm talking about. I feel America needs to be educated on how to drive these things. They are not getting the mileage because the manufacturer is not giving us the info we need to utilize their potential.

Great post Steve. When I was researching hybrids I found GreenHybrid.com through a search engine. I read lots of stuff and lurked for weeks without registering. One of the things that helped sell me on the car was the phenomenal mileage people like GaryG and gpsman1 were getting on their vehicles. Gary's gone now, but in the spirit of his old signature I'm going to post a picture of my best MTE screen in the hope that it motivates any current lurkers who are reading the site, researching their own hybrid vehicle purchase. With almost 17,000 miles on my 07 AWD, my mileage is also getting better and better. This thing is awesome!

Best trip: 48.9 mpg over 17.9 miles (scangauge)
Best tank: 40.7 mpg over 606 miles (calculated)

I just purchased an Escape Hybrid myself and will pick it up in a few weeks. I first test drove a 2007 Escape in January and quickly realized there was some differences between the hybrid and gas only versions. I needed to "go to school" about this matter. This forum and a few others have significantly helped. Thanks to all the experienced teachers for helping with the subject matter.

Thanks for the info and update; my 08 FEH AWD should arrive either tomorrow (Thursday) or early next week. If it arrives tomorrow, it will be just in time for a Memorial Day Weekend road trip from Chicago to the Akron, Ohio area - - and I can't tell you how much I hope to have it for that trip.

I know that Hybrid 101 and Hypermiling lessons are available in other areas, but does anyone have any advice for some pure highway driving? I've heard:
- No cruise control (or at least not on hills)
- Drafting / Safe drafting trucks
- Keep RPMs "ALARA" (As Low As Reasonably Acheivable)
Any other good highway guidance? Thanks in advance!

I found drafting trucks to be very turbulent. My FEH would get tossed all over the place when traveling near a semi truck. Plus the fact that they kick up rocks. I'd pass on that technique.

The cruise control worked fine on my 3 road trips, but you are correct in turning it off when the RPM's want to climb due to a hill. Don't expect great mileage the first time out. Mine only started to get in the 30's the last 1000 miles or so( I now have nearly 5000). It is now doing better on the road trips than I expected.

Enjoy your new ride!

SB

Great job Brady exceeding the 600 mark on MTE!
You are in a club of probably the top 1% or 2% of all FEH drivers!

There really is something to the long-term fuel trim settings.
If you drive your car really effieciently for a long time ( like 500 miles ) then the computer learns and keeps some "lean" fuel settings in the computer, and it's really easier to get great results after that.

After 2 years of "trying hard" to keep tanks over 40 MPG, now It happens without me even trying. Part is the driver has learned to drive better, but I'm sure the car "learns" in the form of long term memory settings as well.

Very positive news in this thread.
Keep up the great work!
-John

That's what concerns me about this car, does the computer retain this info if the battery is disconnected or goes dead? Would we have to teach it all over again? I find it is getting good milage with out trying as well. I figured the same thing, the computer is learning my driving habits.

I have been finding the same thing. After struggling to get the FE up to 28MPG on the first tank, I am now consistently push 34MPG (just topped 2000 miles last weekend).

The trip that pushed us over 2000 miles was a 300 mile round trip last Sunday. For most of the first part of the trip I did the throttle control racking up close to 30MPG on very hilly terrain and spots of traffic. Once we were sufficiently out of the metro area on flat open highway, I set the cruise control and let it take over for about 40 to 50 miles.

I was amazed. The next time I checked the FE, it had dropped to 24MPG. A drop of 6MPG by using the cruise control on flat open highway? I kicked off the cruise and started doing the control myself again and, by the end of the trip, the FE was back up over 30MPG average.

Seems like there is a need for a cruise control that is tuned for Hybrid drive. The old standard "stick as close to the set speed as possible" algorithm is worthless.

I'm not sure why your cruise control did that to you. My most recent trip was from Phoenix to Las Vegas up Highway 93. I used the cruise 90% of the time and got 30 mpg. I was doing 72 mph with the air conditioning on too! Maybe when you get more miles on it, it will improve? Mine did.