[diablote]

The Ford Maverick XLT Hybrid I ordered last July (2021) finally showed up last week (May 2022). And I'm here to report that its fuel economy is way better than the advertised ~42/33 mpg. I consistently get >60 mpg in moderate traffic (both highway and streets)—as long as the streets are dry! Unlike my 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, I find myself able to work synergistically with the computer to very consistently hit high values (like the 97 mpg I got on the way to pick up dinner tonight, and the 79 mpg I got on the way back).

Starting out, the truck stays in all-electric mode until either the charge is depleted and/or until the thrust demand exceeds the first bar in the power range of the brake-charge-thrust dial (10% power). The engine will then stay on until the thrust demand falls back down to near or below zero (i.e., in the recharge range of the dial), and until the battery is recharged to some acceptable but unreported level. It then quietly switches back to all-electric.

My most effective driving mod is to induce all-electric mode any time the engine comes on—particularly when the charge is exhausted during cruise. To do so, I use a sharp pulse and glide the moment the motor turns on, giving it a good 50% power thrust until I overshoot my target speed by ~5 mph. I then let off the accelerator suddenly, which puts the dial deep into the recharge range. The recharge cycle is pretty quick, after which the computer switches back to all-electric. I can then ease back onto the accelerator to maintain speed (keeping the thrust just below the trip level) until the charge is once again depleted. This results in a much narrower pulse-and-glide speed range than I could get in my 5-speed non-hybrid Civic (so less honks!). And in ~50 mph ebb-and-flow highway traffic, I consistently get >60 mpg.

With gasoline prices hitting $4.25 a gallon at the local 7-11, at this point I'm pretty happy with the truck's performance.

Cheers.