Ford hybrids fall short of fuel economy claims- Consumer Reports

DETROIT Dec 6 (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co's C-Max and Fusion hybrids fall about 20 percent short of their fuel economy claims, Consumer Reports magazine said on Thursday, after running real-world tests on both models.

The influential magazine said the Fusion hybrid delivered a 39 miles per gallon both on the highway and in city driving, while the C-Max hit a combined 37 miles per gallon. Ford has said both vehicles would command 47 miles per gallon.

"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," Consumer Reports magazine said in a blog post on its web site.

Ford was not immediately available for comment. But the company has said it expects to see a wider range for fuel economy on its new generation of hybrids because they are more powerful. Drivers can consume more fuel when they take advantage of the hybrids' higher performance.