2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid Long-Term Road Tests Archives

Good news for green-minded buyers who have the hots for the Ford Fusion: The standard Fusion hybrid gets a redesign for 2013, and a plug-in hybrid will join the lineup.

In addition to snazzy new sheet metal that calls to mind something British and expensive (now where have we seen that grille before?), the Fusion hybrid gets a fresh powertrain that pairs a 2.0-liter, Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder with an electric motor powered by a new lithium-ion battery pack. The model is expected to get EPA numbers of 47 city and 44 highway mpg, placing it well ahead of the current model's 41 mpg city/36 mpg highway.

The plug-in hybrid will be called the Energi, and it's expected to deliver more than 100 MPGe. This figure places it ahead of the Chevy Volt, which is rated at 92 MPGe.

Any Fusion Hybrid shoppers out there? Are these changes enticing enough to make you want to hold out for the 2013 model?

Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor

Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

Last week Ford announced a recall on 2010-2011 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milans. Ford is recalling the vehicles because of a risk of wheel separation, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The wheel studs may fracture, potentially causing a wheel to separate.

Full story here. But the important part for our Fusion Hybrid is that it has 17-inch alloy wheels. The recall only pertains to the 17-inch steel wheels.

Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager

Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

One of the most common questions I hear about hybrids concerns the batteries. Not the 12-volt one that starts the engine, but the large (and expensive) battery pack that does the heavy lifting for the hybrid system from behind the rear seat.

Our 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid has had no such problems, but that shouldn't be a surprise. Ford and other hybrid makers couldn't make any money or headway in the segment if they were constantly dealing with the bad PR and high warranty costs of replacing failed batteries.

But how reliable are they? What is the failure rate?

Ford has been producing hybrids with Nickel Metal-Hydrid (Ni-MH) battery packs since 2004, when the Ford Escape hybrid hit the streets. Each battery pack contains something like 220 or so individual cells made for Ford by Sanyo.

Between the Fusion hybrid and the Escape hybrid, about 190,000 Ford hybrids are in circulation, comprised of 43 million cells.

Five have failed.

Not five battery packs out of 190,000, five cells out of 43 million. And those failures were put down to a cell manufacturing issue since corrected, not an in-use drop in performance.

Those are damn good odds.

As for the electric motors, Ford reports that there have been zero failures among the 190,000 Ford hybrids in operation.

It would seem the only thing a hybrid owner need worry about is the usual stuff: changing the oil, looking after the tires, not leaving a light on so the regular 12-volt battery goes dead.

In fact we had a 12-volt battery failure in our Fusion hybrid about a year ago, but after that was corrected in the usual way the main hybrid battery pack turned out to be just fine, and continues to be to this day. 

Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing

Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

Last week, Edmunds.com published its 2012 buying guides which feature our top recommendations in the different car segments. Not surprisingly, a bunch of our long-termers have popped up in the top recs. And they are indeed ones that we've given props to in this here blog.

Sedans: Kia Optima (Sedans Under $25,000 -- although our Turbo SX is $30K), Volvo S60 (Under $40K -- our T5 is $41K), Hyundai Equus (Under $70K), Audi A8 (Over $70K)

SUVs: Nissan Juke (Under $25K)

Minivans: Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna

Convertible: Mazda Miata (Under $30K) oh wait...

Coupes: Fiat 500 (Under $20K), Ford Mustang (Under $30K)

Wagons: Acura TSX Sport Wagon (Under $35K)

Diesels: Volkswagen Jetta TDI

Hybrids/Electric: Volt, Fusion Hybrid

Disagree with our top picks?

Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor

Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid,2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon,2011 Chevrolet Volt,2011 Ford Mustang GT 5.0,2011 Honda Odyssey Touring,2011 Hyundai Equus Signature,2011 Kia Optima SX Turbo,2011 Nissan Juke SL AWD,2011 Toyota Sienna SE,2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI,2012 Audi A8L,2012 Fiat 500 Sport,2012 Volvo S60 T5,Vehicles

As we saw in our last episode, our 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid recently lost the battle of the bulge, presumably with a west-side pothole. At least the Fusion's 50-series tire had enough sidewall to the keep the wheel from getting dinged.

But we can't say as much for our wallet, which got lightened by $270.52. That sum included the tire itself, mounting, balancing, tire disposal fees, a tire rotation and sales tax.

Days out of service: 0.5

After the car sat overnight, the new tire arrived at Stokes at 8:07 am this morning. I brought the car around at 9:00 am and was out of there by 9:30 am.

The only way it would have been any easier is if it had never happened at all.

Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing

Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

My day with our 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid began as planned. We pulled into the service drive at Ford of Santa Monica for an oil change and tire rotation. We had an appointment and they were slow at the time, so it took less than an hour. Piece of cake.

When it came time to pay, we were reminded of a remaining balance on the service plan we purchased for the Fusion back when it first rolled off the lot. After the account balance was zeroed, it cost me just 36 cents for this service. Everything was going my way.

Then, as the advisor pulled my car around he shot me the zinger, "Oh, your right rear tire has a bulge in the sidewall. We don't have the tire in stock, but I can order one." We called our local tire shop and they didn't have a Michelin Energy MXV4 in stock either. We special ordered the tire. It won't arrive until tomorrow morning. Looks like my hopes for an easy day are out the window. And, now the Fusion has to park tonight.

Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 16,504 miles

Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

I climbed into our 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid this morning and this greeted me. We'll call the dealer and make an appointment this week. This should be an inexpensive visit, as the 15k interval calls for an oil change only. We'll see.

Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 16,352 miles

Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away, there was no MyFord Touch. Instead, there was a relic of a center stack like that on our long-term 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. Ugly? Perhaps. It was low-tech and decidedly without style. But it was simple and it worked.

Albert Austria, Senior VE Engineer @ 16,350 miles

Bonus: Stormtrooper pic on the jump!

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Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

The Lexus ES350 gets slammed for being the mechanical twin of the Toyota Camry, yet the Lincoln MKZ (twins with our long-term 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid) doesn't attract the same derision -- perhaps because many people don't care? Lincoln is advertising the daylights out of the MKZ, and they go one better than Lexus by offering a hybrid version of the MKZ. Lexus doesn't offer a hybrid version of the ES -- yet.

Anyway, I drove the MKZ Hybrid for a few days and liked it, a lot more than I thought I would. And not surprisingly, it was very similar to our Fusion Hybird with great steering, a firm brake pedal, and OK handling. They're both EPA rated at 41 city/36 highway, although we got only 33 mpg for the MKZ from just one tank.

I like the exterior styling of the MKZ a lot more than the plain-Jane Fusion, although the MKZ's interior is not true luxury to me. And the $7K price difference, $39,270 vs. $32,370, would make me think twice about getting the MKZ over the Fusion.

Hmmm. Which would you get? More pics on the jump.

Albert Austria, Senior VE Engineer

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Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

This is a photo of the dash pad on our 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid taken just a few days ago. It's not parked under a tree, the windshield isn't dirty and that spotting you see is not a shadow or a stain. It looks to be sun damage. On a car that spends 90% of its life in garages and is routinely cleaned with mild interior cleaners.

We're kind of at a loss on this one, but as it doesn't directly impact driving we'll wait for the next service to have it looked it. Have you seen anything like this on a car with so few miles that's kept indoors?

Driver side shot after the jump

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Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

  I visited my mom in Denver over Memorial Day weekend. She has a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid that's pretty much identical to our long-termer, and I ended up driving it around quite a bit. No surprises here -- the Fusion Hybrid is just a great car. It handles securely, the interior is quiet and comfortable, it'll go more than 500 miles between fill-ups and, yes, the fuel economy is quite good.

  The trunk's smaller than a regular Fusion's, but it was still enough to fit four small suitcases and a couple bags on my trip from the airport. Acceleration was a bit pokey, but everything normally aspirated in Denver suffers due to the elevation.

One thing I did notice was that my mom has the thick rubber winter floormats. The first time I got in the car the mat was actually covering the throttle a bit (as pictured). It didn't seem to affect things, thankfully.

  I've since gone back and read Dan Edmunds' Fusion post about sticking throttle pedals and the winter floor mats. It turns out my mom was stacking the winter mats on top of the original's, something that the dealer did when she bought the car. I've since told her to remove the original mats, and everything's good.

Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor

Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

Bi-fuel vehicles that run on both CNG and gas are big in Italy and other parts of Europe, as well as in emerging markets like Brazil, India and Argentina. These vehicles allow you to toggle between both types of fuel when you're at the pump. You can take advantage of CNG's clean-burning nature when it's convenient, but if you're not near a CNG filling station and need to fuel up, you won't be left stranded -- your car will rise to the occasion by throwing back some good old-fashioned gasoline. 

I had an exchange recently with someone who was wondering why these bi-fuel vehicles aren't available here on the retail market -- he'd just gotten back from time spent in Brazil, where bi-fuel cars, trucks, wagons, vans and buses are a common sight. His feeling is that bi-fuel vehicles make a lot more sense than hybrids.

CNG never caught on here -- factors like lack of consumer interest, lack of government support and lack of adequate fuel-station infrastructure all played a part in that. But it seems like bi-fuel capability adds some measure of convenience and makes the whole undertaking a more reasonable proposition.

What are your thoughts as to why gas/CNG bi-fuel vehicles haven't taken off here? Do you think they make more or less sense than hybrids like our Fusion? 

Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor 

Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

554 miles to empty displayed thanks to a 17.5 gallon fuel tank.

And that's not assuming the displayed MPG average of 32.7 mpg. With that math we'd go 572.25 before sputtering out of fuel.

And with my final MPG reading of 37.8, we're at 661.8 miles before I have to stop again. I hate the gas station. Not the price, but the annoyance (one reason I really dig this plug in thing -- just click it when you go home for the night and you're good) is something I just can't tolerate. Whenever I've got a car with more than 500 miles of range, I'm a happy guy.

Mike Magrath, Associate Editor Inside Line @ 12,462 miles

Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

We recently published an article that looks at break-even times for various hybrids. Hybrids are often more expensive than their gas-only equivalents and the break-even time is the length of time it takes for you to earn back this extra investment via fuel savings.

According to our calculations, it'll take a buyer 6.6 years to earn back the Fusion Hybrid's price premium relative to the equivalent, gas-only Fusion. Is break-even time something you consider, if you're a hybrid shopper?  

The hands-down winner (or loser) when it comes to loooooong break-even times is the Lexus LS 600h. In that case, you're looking at a whopping 121 years.

Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor

Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

Ford recently released some figures that revealed something kinda interesting: In the case of its Lincoln MKZ -- available as both a hybrid and a gasoline model -- the take rate on the hybrid model has tracked at more than 20 percent since January 2011.

Meanwhile, the MKZ's less tony but mechanically similar relation, the Fusion Hybrid, had a take rate of just 6 percent last month.

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Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

I was all ready to write some deliciously snarky Dan Neil-like post about this car today. About how sanctimonious it is, what with its little sprouting-leaves display. About how unexciting it is to drive. About its bland exterior.

Then I tuned in to this morning's news: Oil prices rose $2 a barrel today. The average price of a gallon of gasoline has jumped 7 cents over the past two weeks, and the national average price is now $3.57. And I had to ask myself: If I were buying a car right now, how would the Fusion look to me?

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Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

No, that isn't our Ford Fusion Hybrid in the midst of the Mauna Ulu lava field in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Driving there is a bitch, so I flew and rented (quite thankfully) a 2010 Ford Fusion for my vacation on Hawai'i last week.

It's one thing to be impressed by the Fusion in its top-dog Sport or Hybrid trims, but a car's true merits are often best seen in its more basic form. No leather, no Sync, no navigation, no fancy-pants hybrid gauges, no fancy-pants hybrid system, no Sport steering, no Sport engine and no Sport suspension. This was the Fusion most people will buy, and you know what? It's damn good.

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Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

So this happened... (in Venice, CA anyway).

Last time we saw prices spike like this, small cars became the next big thing and hybrids (especially those with HOV-lane stickers) began selling above sticker in Los Angeles and elsewhere. As our Green Car Advisor, Scott Doggett just reminded us, Toyota surpassed the 3-million mark on hybrid sales.

Are you now considering a hybrid like our 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid (averaging 31.7 mpg), or something more traditional like our 2011 Mazda2 (averaging 31.2 mpg), or are you simply going to keep driving (more efficiently) what you have because it's paid for?

Chief Road Test Editor, Chris Walton @ 11,534 miles

Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

Our Fusion Hybrid has a Valet Mode that allows you to limit functionality on the navigation system when handing the car over to a valet. When in Valet Mode, you need to enter a PIN code to get full use of the nav system. The thinking behind this is that since you've likely got a lot of personal destinations saved in your nav, this feature can keep your home address, for example, private.

Now if only they could come up with a feature that prevents valet-induced dents and dings.

Do any of you have a car with Valet Mode? Do you remember to use it when handing over the keys?

Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor @ 11,198 miles

Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

With amenities like rear parking sensors, Sync and dual-zone climate control, our 2010 Fusion Hybrid is pretty nicely equipped when it comes to standard features. But one amenity that's not on this list is MyKey, a safety feature that's standard on the 2011 Fusion Hybrid and other Ford models.

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Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid