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

NOTE: You will see reduced mileage during the vehicle's break-in period. This is even stated in the owner's manual. Don't be surprised to see numbers in the mid 20's until you hit 1,000 miles. You will then continue to see improvement as you pass 3,000 miles. I went from 24mpg to 31 mpg over the course of my first 3,000 miles without changing my driving techinques.

As for short trips....

Short trips = low MPG

The system is designed to start the engine every single time you turn the key. The engine will run until the catalytic converter comes up to operating temperature in order to reduce emissions. From cold starts it will run for several minutes. If you just went into the store and restart, the engine will only run for a few seconds. That said, the moral of the story is don't sit there and let it run. If the engine is running you want to be driving to maximize fuel economy. Don't start the vehicle until you are ready to drive. Make sure your seatbelt is on, mirrors are adjusted, radio is tuned in, garage is open, etc. Then start the vehicle and pull right out.

You will see a significant reduction in your mileage with multiple short trips. I have learned to take advantage of my keyless entry pad on the door. When I drop my son off at daycare I leave the key turned "on", lock the doors, and take him inside. I'm almost always back out to the vehicle before the engine ever comes back on. I punch in my code, get in, and silently pull out of the lot. Just remember to turn off the radio, lights, etc as they will both alert people to the fact that your keys are in the vehicle PLUS they will drain the battery and may trigger an engine start-up to recharge the HV battery.

There are plenty of other tips to be found here. Read them all and start practicing. Just don't obsess about the MPG until you hit 3,000 miles or you'll just make yourself nutty. Now is the time to practice and learn.

Enjoy!

-Tim

2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid AWD
Black with Pebble interior
Premium Package with Nav & Moonroof



Current ODO: 26,152
Typical Drive: 20 min crosstown in heavy traffic (3.5mi there and back twice a day)


532 Gallons of gas saved
That's 10,642 lbs less CO2 emitted

Question, how do you "lock" the doors from outside when the keys are left in the ignition? Do you detach the remote from the key?

Tim -- great response with a lot of info. My wife is also trying to improve her driving habits, and was fretting over the drop in mileage. Thought she was doing something wrong. Probably just a victim of short trips.

My son really likes that key pad on the door. Now he can run ahead to the car and not wait for us 'old folks' to get there to open the door for him.

When making a stop, how long would the car run before the engine kicks in -- 5 to 10 minutes?

Thanks,
Mark

Good tips Tim. Thanks.

I ldidnt turn off the engine a few times, when my wife goes grocery shopping and I waited in the car with the kids. I found that my engine stayed off for about 7-10min (although I had the DVD player on for the kids, so i dont know if that shorten that off time).

I think to lock the door with the keypad, it's to press 7-8 and 9-0 keys simultaneously (is it 7-8 and 9-0? Anyways, its the two rightmost keys). I think the manual tells you somewhere. IF you do that, make sure you remember your unlock code! I did that once, and my wife had a "knuckle-head" look, and unlock the car with her remote. Now we programed in our own code, so we cant forget.

Remember, if you want to leave the FEH on with the key, and ICE-OFF, put it in neutral and apply the parking brake. The Ice will not restart during this time, but the battery continues to drain. I'd put something over the keys to block sight to prevent break-in and car theft myself. You may also have to disable the auto unlock with the key in, not sure of that with the key on. I would also give this a test run with a spare key in hand first, then try the keypad to open.

Best $53.95 I've spent on my FEH.

GaryG

We too noticed today that our mileage went up by not turning off the car for every little stop. What a great tip! We also programmed in our own personal code -- had a heck of a time remembering the factory code! LOL.

We also disabled the auto-lock function, only because we'd park the car, jump out to grab something out of the trunk or back seat -- and the dang doors were locked. I wouldn't mind the autolock function, if all the doors unlocked when you put the vehicle back in park.

We also reprogrammed our remote to unlock all doors with 1 push of the button (not 2).

I tell ya, these cars are basically moving computers -- have to config them to your own style! LOL

Mark

1. In order to lock the car with the key in the ignition you have to manually lock the driver's door. If you hit the power lock button, the driver door will immediately unlock itself. This is designed to keep you from locking yourself out. Just push the lock level back down again with your hand and it will stay locked. Either that or use the keypad.

2. The length of time before restart depends on alot of factors. Namely, how much charge remains on the HV battery, the temperature, and the number of accessories running. If the temp is high, the system will start the ICE to cool itself down. If you have the radio on it will drain the HV battery.

-Tim

2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid AWD
Black with Pebble interior
Premium Package with Nav & Moonroof



Current ODO: 26,152
Typical Drive: 20 min crosstown in heavy traffic (3.5mi there and back twice a day)


532 Gallons of gas saved
That's 10,642 lbs less CO2 emitted

We keep our vehicle key on one of those snap-apart key rings. So if we need to exit the car with it running, we just push a button and take the rest of the keys & remote with us. Then lock the car with the remote.

Mark

Regarding the mileage issue, my commute to and from work is a scant 2.3 miles of 40mph and under. The ICE doesn't shut off until the last 100 yards or less on the way there, and later in the heat of the day, it shuts off about half way home. Given that it's still summertime, I expect things to get progressively worse as the weather cools than the 22 mpg I currently get.

Fortunately my wife usually drives it to take the kids to school and what-not, and this involves accelerating up to expressway speeds for about 1/2 mile at the start of her trip, which is typically enough of a warmup to get a shutdown when she returns to surface streets and the remaing couple of miles. She has routinely gotten over 32 mpg for these trips.

Given that, I don't feel too guilty driving the pickup to work at 15-16mpg. When my wife used it for the school run she rarely got more than 11! So this way we net an extra 14-15 mpg between the two of us.

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