Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) has been touting its Fusion hybrid and one model of its C-MAX hybrid family with EPA mileage per gallon (mpg) ratings of “47 city/47 highway/47 combined mpg.” Great, but not true says Consumer Reports magazine.

According to the consumer group, in its tests of the Fusion hybrid, the vehicle delivered 35 mpg in the city, 41 on the highway, and 39 combined. The C-MAX hybrid wagon delivered 35 in the city, 38 on the highway, and 37 combined overall. Consumer Reports notes:

These two vehicles have the largest discrepancy between our overall-mpg results and the estimates published by the EPA that we’ve seen among any current models. … And while our highway test results almost always meet or exceed the EPA highway numbers, our highway figures for these cars fell far below.

In early November, the U.S. EPA forced Hyundai/Kia to change the labeling on their new cars to reflect a change to the estimated fuel economy rating of different models by up to six mpg. At the time, the EPA said that this was only the second time in a dozen years that the agency discovered incorrect label values.

The Consumer Reports article is available here.

Paul Ausick

http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2012/12/video-tests-show-2013-ford-fusion-c-max-hybrids-dont-live-up-to-47-mpg-claims.html

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