Consumer Reports Slams Ford Hybrids' Mileage

If the 47mpg rating on Ford's 2013 Fusion and C-Max models sounds too good to be true, well, there's a reason for that. The two hybrids perform drastically worse than advertised, Consumer Reports has concluded, clocking their actual performance at 39 mpg for the Fusion and 37 mpg for the C-Max—or about 20% below the EPA estimate Ford is touting. That's "the largest discrepancy … we've seen," the magazine writes, though it adds that the performance still qualifies as excellent.

Consumer Reports isn't alone. The Christian Science Monitor boasts that it came to the same conclusion three weeks ago, as did AutoGuide. Reviews from Bloomerg and Fox News tell much the same story, though Jason Harper at Bloomerg chalks it up to his "typically leaden foot." Similar mileage snafus from Hyundai and Kia recently drew congressional attention and public apologies. (More Ford Fusion stories.)