2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid: Open Thread

Ford claims you can go up to 37mph on the batteries alone. What is the fastest you have gone on the batteries? also, what is the furthest you have gone on electric power only?

@throwback-

I have owned a FFH since April of 09(probably one of the first off the line) and Ford says 47mph on electric alone, I can get it to go 46mph on electric, 47 is when the gas motor will turn on. And While you can definitely go 45-46mph on electric it's hard to maintain that speed unless it's relatively flat or 1% grade or so. With a full battery you can go about 1.5miles or so at speed.

I have to say I'm slightly disappointed that the long term mileage isn't that great for you guys...unless everyone drives it like they stole it. I just drive my fairly normally, I mean the only 'hypermiling' I do is gentle start/stops and just attempting to keep it in EV as long as I can and this past summer I was getting 48-51mpg per tank. Heck I drove from Detroit area to DC doing 67mph the whole way and averaged 43mpg round trip in November.

My question/thought is for you one of guys/gals to drive it just purely for best mileage, just to see how it does. I know I'm not alone in saying it's actually pretty easy to get 40+mpg in city and usually highway driving as well in this car.

Between this a prius or a insight, wich would you choose?

I have seen a couple around town,I like the style of it and it's the only hybrid I would ever consider owning.

The best thing about the Fusion Hybrid is that it doesn't scream "Look at me I'm green!!!" Is Ford Fusion the best mid-size sedan out there? Probably not, but it is good enough to make a coherent case for itself against the imports. The big fly in the ointment here is the cost for hybrid which is still out of whack with fuel savings compared to an I-4 non-hybrid Fusion.

Cargo space... I believe you cannot fold the rear seats and that's a big downside compared to other hybrids. But is the cargo space otherwise fairly roomy?

djwou07, thanks. It's good to hear that kind of mpg is relatively easy, if you drive somewhat conservatively.

I still can't say I'd go with it over the standard 4cyl, but it's good to know.

I have drove a Prius for a week and thought it was very dull, about as exciting as a washing machine. Is there any soul to this car, is there any fun in driving this, or is it as numbingly dull as the Prius?

Space wise how does the Fusion compare with the Taurus?

For you to be on electric mode only, u really have to feather the pedal?
Like really take it easy? Or you can take off normally? With a half pedal push for example?

I recommended this car to my mother-in-law. M-I-L jokes aside, that says something about how inspiring a car it is, despite its good looks.

I see a ton of these around here in "Ford Country". I do like that there isn't a "hybrid" badge on every single panel, like GM's hybrid SUV's. ( I still laugh my butt off whenever I see Escalade Hybrids on the road)

Anywho, I would personally rather have an I-4 6 speed manual Fusion. Still more cost effective.

I was considering a Fusion Hybrid. I was even considering paying the higher price (higher sticker and there's no program on it, so it's quite significantly more expensive than a 4 cylinder Fusion) because it's not just about saving gas money, but also about "being green" (I'm still not sure if disposing of that big battery at the end of it's live is better than burning a bit more fuel; but I'm not an expert). So I checked one out. Once I saw the trunk, I said "no way". So I got a regular Fusion 4 cylinder SEL.

To be clear: It's not just about not being able to fold the rear seats on the Fusion Hybrid, it's about the fact that the trunk itself is significantly smaller because the battery is right behind the rear seats.

@cr_driver-

If you use the dashboard to coach your foot so to speak you can certainly keep it in electric for the first 20-25% of the pedal push, one hard half push will ALWAYS start the gas motor tho(and then promptly shut it off again if you just jabbed the pedal with your foot). But for driving in a mall parking lot it's very simple to keep it in electric, I don't recommend starting off the line in electric only, you'll get lots of angry honks. It is great for stop/go freeway traffic, you can generally keep it in electric while staying up with the stop/go traffic.

cpreinfalk makes an interesting point. Made me search for this picture:
http://www.edmunds.com/pictures/EI/2010/Ford/2010.ford.fusion%20hybrid.20304975-E.jpg

Doesn't seem terrible, but it is a consideration.

@brn

I think the only thing to do is compare it with a Prius and the Insight and see who has the trunk space.

djwou07 says:

11:42 AM, 02/ 2/10

@cr_driver-

If you use the dashboard to coach your foot so to speak you can certainly keep it in electric for the first 20-25% of the pedal push, one hard half push will ALWAYS start the gas motor tho(and then promptly shut it off again if you just jabbed the pedal with your foot). But for driving in a mall parking lot it's very simple to keep it in electric, I don't recommend starting off the line in electric only, you'll get lots of angry honks. It is great for stop/go freeway traffic, you can generally keep it in electric while staying up with the stop/go traffic.

Thanks bro!
I`d hope you could drive more in the "electric way" thou, cause of the good speeds it can go on EV mode....so u can go easily one mile in a secondary road electric only? Except if u have to stop...

I love it how they want questions then dont answer any of them.