If you get out and push it you'll get 999 MPG
Yep, I'll bet the EPA was probably testing at 80 mph. And no doubt at perfectly steady speeds too. From what I've seen, even a little stop and go traffic along the way makes a big difference.
Thanks! VB looks fantastic and was our second choice. I hate that they dropped it.
Ugh, I hate the fake shifting too. It makes no sense to me why anyone would want to de-engineer one of the most satisfying features of the eCVT.
I think the Maverick's HP and torque is a pretty big upgrade from the Prius. There was a bit of noticeable droning at the steepest points, but nothing we considered intrusive. I'll bet towing a trailer would be a different story though.
I wonder if maybe a "dummy" load would be a better solution than the engine braking alone that Ford employs with their HEV's. You could keep the regen at all times, and just dissipate the excess as heat. They'd need to shield against that heat, but they do that already with catalytic converters with no trouble. Why not?
I'll bet you'd beat that by a considerable margin if you stick to 65 or less like I do. Though I realize some people's heads explode at the very thought of that.
Comfort is too important to me (and more importantly, to my wife...) to sacrifice for the sake of efficiency, but I do stick to the speed limits. It makes a BIG difference.
Mine isn't equipped with it...unfortunately.
Yep, the Parkway can be kind of a slow slog, but if you're not a speed demon it seems to provide just about the best conditions for max hybrid fuel efficiency.
I promise that trip won't disappoint.
We were headed down that way...but the traffic was pretty thick, so we bailed early.
Yes, I'm sure I would, but driving below posted speed limits (70) often leads to bad behavior from others on the roads. As another poster noted, driving with the AC off will help also but I value comfort over sweating. I'm not a hypermiler by any stretch and never intend to be.I'll bet you'd beat that by a considerable margin if you stick to 65 or less like I do. Though I realize some people's heads explode at the very thought of that.
Thank you for the wonderful post! It's nice to hear good news.My wife and I just took our first road trip in our Hybrid XLT this last Friday. Yeah, from what I've been reading I know most of you probably consider 300 miles a jog around the park, but as I haven't really even left town in nine months of ownership, trust that it counts as a road trip for me.
Anyway, we drove from Charlotte, NC to the Blue Ridge Parkway and back to check out the leaves at their peak...and of course I was checking out the truck's performance and fuel efficiency as well.
As I said, I've driven almost entirely in the city since I've owned the Maverick and have been totally blown away by its amazing gas mileage. I routinely get 43-45 MPG here in town, but as the EPA has it rated at only 33 MPG on the "highway", I was fully expecting a big reduction on our trip. But as you can see from the readout, there was essentially NO difference at all, even after powering up all those steep grades. (The dash calculation is always 2-3 MPG high..) Wow! I honestly don't know what to think, and it makes me wonder exactly what the EPA considers to be "highway" travel. On our drive, there were long straight stretches of 65 MPH open highways before we even got to the mountains. Nearly a hundred miles or so each way. So considering that this is pretty much what all of my road trips will look like, I doubt I will ever see anything approaching that 33 MPG number. All good, and super impressive!
The truck's performance and handling were equally impressive. I found it to be extremely stable and sure footed in the curves, far better than any truck I've ever owned. And the power impressed as well. The truck easily tackled the steep grades without breaking a sweat, with none of the annoying gear "hunting" I've come to simply take as a given after a lifetime of experience with automatic transmissions. Acceleration was there smoothly and easily without having to "punch" it to get it to downshift. (As I've also taken as a given.) I am really sold on this hybrid configuration. It's an absolute blast to drive in the mountains. One advantage I expected to observe however, didn't pan out. I figured the regen braking would provide really strong resistance on the downgrades, greatly reducing friction braking effort. And it did....but for only a very short time. The high voltage battery reaches full charge so quickly that you don't really see much of a benefit. The engine braking does kick in to help, but as with all four cylinder engines, it doesn't really hold you back much. So I had to use the brakes on the downgrades pretty much to the same degree as other cars and trucks I've owned. Yes, I did try "low", but the engine braking reached such a fever pitch that I decided I'd rather just do the braking myself. Hey, that's what brake pads are for after all, and I'm cool with it.
Comfort was excellent. The seats were firm and supportive, and we didn't experience any fatigue at all, making the Maverick one of the best overall road trip vehicles I've ever owned.
Finally, I was pleasantly surprised to encounter more Mavericks on our trip than I have seen in town in all the nine months I've owned mine. We saw no less than five! And not one of them the same color. A Cactus Gray XLT passed us with a wave in Lincolnton, we got a smile and wave from a guy in a Cyber Orange XLT in Lenoir, and we passed a Carbonized Gray Lariat, and an Area 51 XLT on the parkway. Didn't get any photos of those as they were gone too quick, but I did park near a beautiful Oxford White Hybrid XLT at an overlook. Didn't see the owner before we left, but I took a picture. Gee, I hope he doesn't mind.
The whole trip from start to finish was quite a surprising and satisfying experience. We need to do this more often!
