My commute into work is 15.8 miles with only 321 climbing feet. I can do it on my CF road bike in about 54 minutes. I can do it on my Bike Friday Pocket Rocket Pro STI in 52.
Yes, upgrading can help a lot. I can't fold my BF
PR Pro quickly though. My commute is Suburban, Rural, Seaside, Bridges, Urban, and industrial. From home to work no multi-mode available. I was just thinking about commuting on my Dahon Mu P24 today as it has a rack and fenders, however, it doesn't have a decent seat or SPD pedals so that would be a fool's errand to undertake without a little prep work.