Words by Linda
Photos by Matt
Yup, that's me!
I like and understand hybrids. May last car was a Toyota Prius, so I was curious to test this new 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid. What I liked about my Prius was the great gas mileage, super low emissions ratings, how quiet it ran and minimal maintenance and upkeep.
Although a full size larger, the new Fusion promises those same attributes and more. And the 47/47 EPA ratings sounded impressive. My current car is a KIA Soul which has been great (high quality, zero problems, and good fuel mileage), but lacks a few of the creature features I want, and the lease only runs another year, so I’ll be shopping soon. I drove the Fusion for about a week, a combination of city and highway averaging 75 miles per day and averaged 38 MPG. Not bad for such a large-ish car, but not at all close to the EPA estimates.
Naturally since this car is a hybrid, it’s not only quiet when you start it but it’s quiet on the road due to a slippery body shape that keeps wind noise low, and it also has good noise insulation. The motor and engine are very quiet, and there’s little road rumble or other noise seeping into the comfy cabin. You can cruise on the highway at 70mph and will be impressed how quiet it is. I also appreciate the “EV” mode, which allows you to putter about at low speeds on pure electric power, without help from the gas engine. This is great when trolling large parking lots, or cruising down hills – zero emissions and using no gas.
The Fusion’s gas/electric powertrain has plenty of low end torque, and good upper end power for highway cruising at maximum speed and plenty of grunt for pulling up long inclines. This Fusion comes with lithium-ion batteries that, according to Ford, save weight and generates more power than some hybrids that use the old nickel metal hydride style battery packs.
The Fusion’s look and feel compare to any luxury brand car but without the high sticker price. It’s comfortable to drive or ride in, especially on the highway although it handles corners really well too. When you’re on the highway, optional features I liked a lot include a Lane-Keeping System that assists the driver in maintaining lane position and Adaptive Cruise Control which maintains proper following distance when slow traffic is detected ahead.
The car’s roomy interior seats five adults comfortably.
The instrumentation is user friendly, and the swoopy new Fusion body has plenty of trunk space.
The visibility is good and I really like the blind spot indicator side mirrors. Another great safety feature is an alarm that sounds if you are too close to objects both in front and in back. For those of us who are parallel parking challenged, it has Active Park Assist that can identify a suitable parallel parking space and then steer the car into the spot with little driver input. I used this feature several times and was able to parallel park with ease. Other cool stuff includes really good bun warmers, a great defrost system for those mornings when you have major ice on the windshield. The bright, clear nav screen and backup camera are outstanding, as is the My Ford Touch integration and Bluetooth system.
There’s little not to like about the new Fusion. It’s great looking, super comfy, well built and nicely appointed, drives dreamy, and packs plenty of up to date tech. My biggest disappointment is in the fuel mileage. My Prius, although a smaller and less well equipped car, got 41-42 MPG all the time under any driving conditions. Given the Fusion’s 47/47 ratings, I was expecting to average at least 40, There’s already a lot of internet buzz about new Ford Hybrids not quite meeting their mileage claims, and Ford doesn’t want or need that kind of noise; I don’t know how substantiated these gripes are, or not, but just mentioning that I saw them, and that my fuel mileage result also fell short of claims. If there really is a mechanical or calibration issue with these cars, I’m confident Ford will address it, or revise the EPA ratings.
Now the tough choice; what’s next for me. The finalists, so far, are this Fusion, a KIA Optima Hybrid or maybe the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. Or maybe another Prius. Hmmmm…
