Ford's Hybrid MPG Claims Inflated, Reports Show

Consumer Reports has published a piece calling out Ford on its inflated miles-per-gallon estimates for its hybrid lineup. It specifically pinpoints the Fusion and C-Max hybrids, which have an estimated rating of 47mpg in the city/on the highway. User reports tell a different story, however, with the average MPG falling somewhere in the mid-to-high 30s.

Of course, the mileage listed for a vehicle is only an estimate, and often is a bit higher than what the average user will experience. Still, consumers generally prefer the estimate to be somewhere in the range of what they can expect after purchasing the vehicle, and when real-life numbers fall substantially below the claims, there is sure to be an outcry.

Consumer Reports is currently testing the mileage on both vehicles, and has not officially published the results. It has, however, offered preliminary experiences with both vehicles' MPG ratings. The C-Max tended to stay between 33mpg and 39mpg, while the Fusion averaged about 40mpg. Consumer Reports will publish the official numbers in the near future.

Meanwhile, user reports on FuelEconomy.gov, an Environmental Protection Agency website, show the average mileage of 14 C-Max owners at 40.5mpg, while the average mileage of five Fusion owners is 37.1mpg. Potentially, Ford could end up going the same way as Hyundai, which was ordered to refund buyers' excess fuel usage and change the MPG estimates for 23 models. In this case, the over-estimated MPG figures cost Hyundai about $100 million a year.

[via Consumer Reports]