Ford C-Max Hybrid, Ford Fusion Hybrid Accused Of Falling Short In Fuel Economy Performance

Consumer Reports is a publication that in the past has been willing to walk a lonely path in calling out car companies for perceived transgressions with their products. Their latest salvo is aimed squarely at Ford, and specifically at two of Ford's newest hybrids. Consumer Reports has tested both the Ford C-Max Hybrid and the Ford Fusion Hybrid and has been unable to duplicate the posted 47-mpg fuel efficiency figures for either model.

The two vehicles, which share the same gasoline / electric hybrid drivetrain, are part of Ford's current green push and were each recently introduced to the market. Consumer Reports testers have turned in 39-mpg for the Fusion and 37-mpg for the C-Max, numbers which are considerably lower than advertised. The finding is in keeping with a similar issue concerning a discrepancy between posted and real-world fuel economy that the magazine discovered while driving the Toyota Prius and the Toyota Prius C.

Consumer Reports is willing to concede that the Ford vehicles are indeed quite fuel efficient - simply not at the level at which customers have been lead to believe. Ford has countered with the claim that current owners are quite happy with their fuel mileage, and that it has received no complaints regarding higher than expected gas consumption.

The issue is receiving more than the usual amount of attention, not only because these represent new products for Ford, but also due to the recent controversy surrounding Hyundai and Kia, which were each caught advertising inflated fuel economy figures for the vast majority of their lineups. The Korean automakers responded with a compensation program for owners that provides them with a payment to make up the difference between actual and expected fuel consumption for their entire ownership period.