Hybrid power, how does it feel?

[Eagle11]

Yeah, it can go 300+ miles in plaid mode full acceleration... uh huh, and tell us about those aeronautical pigs you were raving about.

Literally a type of hybrid, but OK. In any case, the point was that its pretty obvious that many hybrids are built for performance, and not exclusively as the low powered economy versions. https://www.autobytel.com/top-10-cars/high-horsepower-cars/hybrid-cars/

What aeronautical pigs are you speaking of?

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[UncleDuke]

Well a lot of interesting reading and opinions here. I will just have to wait to get mine a see how it drives. Being retired I got nowhere to go and all day to get there.

 

[Eagle11]

I decided to rent a Hybrid for this past weekend, I drove one before, it's a Hyundai Ioniq. Have to say it was interesting. Granted the total power for this car is 138/hp (less than the Maverick) it does have a dual-clutch transmission v CVT.

I drove 275 miles, I averaged 55.3. 75 MPH on the highway. When I filled up the tank to return it, it stated it had a range of 615 miles.

For a Base model 23K MSRP, it had a lot of equiment (more so than a base Maverick). One of the issues I had with the car is how "low" it is it feels lower than my M5 and Boxster.

But driving it, I could feel(slightly) the transition from EV to motor and back. If the Maverick drives just like this Ioniq I'll be very happy with the Maverick.

 

[MLA62563]

So, as a teenager, driving my Dad's Maverick, I once timed the 0-60. My timing was imprecise then, and my memory is even less precise now, but I remember it being 13-14 seconds.

This Maverick should work out OK.

Yours must have been a six cylinder. I had a V-8 Maverick back in the day, and it was in the 9 second range. And I agree...this Maverick should work out VERY Ok.

 

[Bushpilot]

Yours must have been a six cylinder. I had a V-8 Maverick back in the day, and it was in the 9 second range. And I agree...this Maverick should work out VERY Ok.

Yep, it was a straight 6. Dad had another that had a 302 V8, but he ripped that out and dropped a 6 into it as well...

 

[GraeyTom]

I was able to find a hybrid Escape this morning and take it for a test drive. I only had like 20 minutes with the car, but I was very impressed. I took it easy to start with just getting a feel for the car in traffic. I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to drive the car in stop and go traffic. There was no noticeable engine on/engine off time like you get in an ICE vehicle with start-stop technology. I honestly couldn't tell when the car was running on electric or when it was the engine.
My main concern was with the power. My daily driver is a Jeep Wrangler with a GM 5.3L swapped in it, so when I hit the accelerator I expect some power. The fist time I floored it in the Escape I was honestly surprised. The amount of acceleration was more than enough for passing someone or accelerating into traffic.
Overall, I was skeptical whether I would be happy with the hybrid as everything I have ever owned has been modified to be faster. After driving it today I am sold on the hybrid... now to track down a Cyber Orange anything so I can see one in person.

I drove an ecoboost fx4. I would call it yellow not orange.

 

[MLA62563]

Yep, it was a straight 6. Dad had another that had a 302 V8, but he ripped that out and dropped a 6 into it as well...

I don't blame him there. The 8 was an epic gas hog....

 

[onetequilatwo]

One of the things that the 173hsp 2014 Camry does well is from going in the low 50's to high 70's. This is important to me since when you follow someone going slow and hit a passing area they speed up. They usually stop around 70 . Assume the electric motor kicks in and will it perform well, noting though the Maverick is heaver but has 191hsp. Please comment if anyone has experience the not 0 to 60 but low 50mph to high 70's mph for clean passing and separation of the guy behind you.

 

[fbov]

One of the things that the 173hsp 2014 Camry does well is from going in the low 50's to high 70's....

This is also a strength of the HF45 drivetrain, so expect the hybrid 50-70 to be no more than a small fraction of a second behind the turbo (if that).

 

[GraeyTom]

Yep. The Maverick does a little regen off the throttle. I'd like it to be a lot more.

As EV's evolve and drivers learn, the trend has been towards more and more regen. The Tesla was like the Escape Hybrid initially. With each new vehicle the regen has increased from none, to little, to 2/10 G but "off" by default, to "on" by default (with 10%-15% more range with "on" selected) to now the Lucid Air defaults to 3/10G (with even more range from a similarly sized battery).

I think Ford (and VW) is doing this for a seamless user experience with gas cars. Many friends do NOT like regen the first time they drive a Tesla. After about 5 minutes they get used to it and after ten minutes they like it.

Best option that I hope Ford adopts is to let the driver select the amount of regen they want. Thank you for point out "Eco Mode" which I did not find during my brief test drives.

I'm just happy to see the Hybrid exist in this vehicle and at this price point. I think it is a great platform.

----

Side note. As an experienced EV owner, the Lightning is kind of intimidating from a charging standpoint. A Tesla Model 3 SR+ is very easy to charge from almost anything because it just doesn't use much power to begin with. It is rated at about 135MPGe. The Lightning is more likely to be somewhere around 60MPGe with at least a 130KWH battery. That thing is going to need to be fed a lot of electricity from a 100A breaker. Most of us do not have an extra 100A in our home panels (at least we don't). Many electricians are going to be really busy when that thing launches.

The Maverick is a lot easier for Ford buyers to adopt to.

I work at Audi and the cool thing I like about our etron suvs is they actually have paddle shifters which let you operate and adjust Regen levels on the fly. Super simple design and really nice however I will say for most “simple” drivers it’s way too far above and beyond their comprehension

 

[Fotomoto]

Four pages in and no one has suggest the OP drive a RAV4 hybrid. Maybe I missed it. Anyways, it’s the perfect vehicle for them to compare to. Been out since 2016 so they should be able to find one locally to test drive. The Toyota and Ford systems are VERY similar in operation and feel. I own both.

A hybrid isn't built for speed

They can be and some are; it’s up to the designers. That’s just one of the many benefits of the design.

WIsh Ford would program the regen to activate whenever the driver lifts off the accelerator.

Use “L” gear. I do 24/7/365 in the C-Max Energi.

The plug-in hybrid is the best of both worlds

FTFY.

HTH

 

[JChristiansen]

I have driven the 2020 Escape Hybrid and have even gone into some hilly country since I live here in North Idaho and the Escape Hybrid has no problem going up hills or mountain passes with the cruise set to 70mph. Elevation does not seem to affect the Hybrid powertrain as much as just a regular N/A engine would struggle.

 

[EvilTwin]

I'll chime in on this subject since I also ordered a hybrid and am currently driving a hybrid Avalon that has a very similar drivetrain to the Ford. It comes with a 2.5 atkinson 4 and planetary gear cvt. The car also weighs around 3600 lbs so is similar weight as well.

Day to day driving, I have no problems with the acceleration. If you floor it you will hear the 4cyl roar, but that is not how I usually drive it. According to car and driver, the 2016 does 0-60 in 7.4 seconds and the drivetrain is rated at about 200hp. I get about 35-37mpg on average with a combination of city and highway driving. In normal driving you really dont hear the engine much nor do you feel the gearing change. Its pretty seamless. Under about 35 mph in eco mode the green dash light pops up showing you are running only on electric. Engine starts and stops are pretty smooth and quiet too since the motor generator just bumps the gas motor to start it.

I think one of the things that is different between the Toyota and Ford hybrid system is that Toyota has one electric motor that works both as the generator and motor where the Ford uses two. Both use a planetary gear ring setup to move power back and forth. Not sure about the Ford, but the Toyota MG runs on and generates 3 phase power that is converted back and forth to DC to the battery. Pretty slick system overall.

 

[FloodingdowninTX]

Well a lot of interesting reading and opinions here. I will just have to wait to get mine a see how it drives. Being retired I got nowhere to go and all day to get there.

I'm too old for all this, always have been.

 

[clavicus]

I'll chime in on this subject since I also ordered a hybrid and am currently driving a hybrid Avalon that has a very similar drivetrain to the Ford. It comes with a 2.5 atkinson 4 and planetary gear cvt. The car also weighs around 3600 lbs so is similar weight as well.

Day to day driving, I have no problems with the acceleration. If you floor it you will hear the 4cyl roar, but that is not how I usually drive it. According to car and driver, the 2016 does 0-60 in 7.4 seconds and the drivetrain is rated at about 200hp. I get about 35-37mpg on average with a combination of city and highway driving. In normal driving you really dont hear the engine much nor do you feel the gearing change. Its pretty seamless. Under about 35 mph in eco mode the green dash light pops up showing you are running only on electric. Engine starts and stops are pretty smooth and quiet too since the motor generator just bumps the gas motor to start it.

I think one of the things that is different between the Toyota and Ford hybrid system is that Toyota has one electric motor that works both as the generator and motor where the Ford uses two. Both use a planetary gear ring setup to move power back and forth. Not sure about the Ford, but the Toyota MG runs on and generates 3 phase power that is converted back and forth to DC to the battery. Pretty slick system overall.

Toyota also uses 2 motors in Rav4 hybrids and some other models, maybe prius was 1 motor?

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