Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Green, Ford, First Drive
First Drive: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
by John Neff on Dec 13th 2008 at 12:00AM 
Click above for high-res image gallery of the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
In addition to our own reviews of the 2010 Ford Mustang GT and Fusion Sport/SEL, AutoblogGreen has also published its First Drive of the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The new gas-electric version of Ford's mid-size sedan feature more advanced tech than its competitors, specifically the Toyota Camry Hybrid, and should have best-in-class fuel economy when the official EPA numbers are finally revealed. ABG averaged 43.1 mpg during its First Drive of the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, which tells you that Ford has managed to pack Prius-like mileage in a larger, more useful and fun-to-drive package. Click on over to ABG to read the full review.
[Source: AutoblogGreen]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Torrent 12:52AM (12/13/2008)
43.1. I want to cry. Great job Ford!
The thing is- the car looks normal. Not like a Potato wedge... like a duo of cars that rhyme with Binsight and Blius.
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Matty 1:19AM (12/13/2008)
You do realize that the "wedge" shape is the most aerodynamic one right? Furthermore, the distinctive shape of the Prius (the current Insight came later so I'm leaving it out) is probably what drove its sales so much. Early adopters of hybrid technology wanted to stand out and make a clear, conspicuous argument for going green. Lots of capable hybrids didn't sell early on because they didn't have this easily recognizable, branded look. I mean, this car accomplishes that other automakers have already done, but packages it as a Ford. I applaud Ford for finally getting something like this right, but you can't deny that other automakers (Toyota and Honda) have a huge headstart on Ford when it comes to hybrids.
Just because you don't like the car or the philosophy that underpins it, doesn't mean that Prius isn't the most important car that's come out in recent memory. I don't own one, nor plan on owning one, but its impact on economics, design, engineering, and culture is not to be ignored. Ford's adoption of hybrid technology is more an acknowledgment of what Toyota has done than an effort to improve upon it.
Randy 2:53AM (12/13/2008)
Sniffle Sniffle...
Ford is really really really doing an excellent job! I can't WAIT for them to open a can a whoop ass with the Festiva and the new Mercury! He he he! Can you say "Market Share Increase". :)
Torrent 3:24AM (12/13/2008)
Matty- I'm just saying it's about time that we can get a car (besides the Jetta TDI) that looks normal, but can still get just-as-great Fuel economy as the wedges.
Sea Urchin 8:38AM (12/13/2008)
Great, i thing 43+ sound amazing.
Now what if Ford had this car on sale last year?
david 10:00AM (12/13/2008)
Matt,
When you refer to the economic effect, please remember that almost every expert in the auto journalistic world come to almost the same conclusion. It's not cheap to own a Prius. When you factor in the price paid for the car vs. average time owned and miles driven, then compare it to the mpg and price of a cobalt or focus, the owner of the prius never wins.
As far as looks, I think everyone here agrees that the Aztec was one of the ugliest cars ever produced. Put a prius next to an Aztec and you have an Aztec suv with a Aztec sedan, or maybe it should be a Prius sedan and a Prius suv. No matter what you wish to call it, they look like siblings. Yuck.
Matty 4:15PM (12/13/2008)
Well I think that the first hybrids had to be distinctive in order to justify the extra costs of ownership. Buying one allowed someone to have a fuel efficient car and make a conspicuous statement of their beliefs. Think about the situation in reverse. Someone who wanted to take a decidedly anti-green stance would probably buy a Hummer H2 over a Chevy Suburban, despite their similar performance numbers (or lack thereof).
Now, the time has come for hybrid technology to proliferate to less-conspicuous packages. More and more Americans are considering hybrid technology due to the increased salience of fuel efficiency. Paying a little extra for a Fusion Hybrid over a base model doesn't seem like such a bad idea with the threat of high gas prices always looming on the horizon. For what it's worth, if I was in the market for a new car, there is NO way i wouldn't have the Jetta TDI as one of my top candidates. I understand that styling is so very crucial in the decision of what car to by. On more than one occasion, I've argued on this blog that many posters actually neglect the importance of styling and fixate on 0-60 times and 'Ring laps. Still, the harsh reality of it all is that lots of people actually like the way the Prius looks for the very reason that some people can't stand it. The ability to achieve great MPG numbers and be a moving advertisement for the green movement is certainly worth it to a lot of consumers.
That said, I would place Ford ahead of GM and Chrysler in terms of going green at the moment. The Chevy Volt will of course be a huge deal if it lives up to all of its promised, and Dodge can certainly help itself out if it figures out a way to sell EVs. Still, I think Ford has a lot of work to do to catch up to Toyota. The base Fusion has always been outsold by the base Camry, and if Toyota improves the Camry Hybrid to achieve similar performance, Ford will again have to fight uphill. I'm not saying I prefer one over the other. I'm just saying that I fear sales of this model will remain underwhelming.
happy_penguin 5:37PM (12/13/2008)
Distinctive? No it just stinks. The Prius is a hideous nightmare. Sure the shape is conducive to the aerodynamics but why so ugly? The Volt uses essentially the same shape and looks a hundred times better. And Toyota ran around giving the damn things to the ignorant Hollywood t*ats like Cameron Diaz so she should show everyone what a non driving idiot she is and people bought them. Gas mileage is ALL the Pruis has going for it.
Derek 9:11PM (12/13/2008)
Matty doesn't realize that the Prius is hardly anything special in terms of aero drag. The GM EV1 was a far more efficient shape (lower Cd), as is the Mercedes Bionic concept, yet both look better than the Prius.
Matty 4:32AM (12/14/2008)
Ok but no one is admitting what is underpinning all of my remarks so far: the Prius sells. It's actually come to market and has sold like crazy. it generated a serious waiting list and did a great job on the resale market. I'm sure other automakers have made vehicles that perform like the Prius, but no automaker has made a hybrid that has sold like the Prius. Even now, with the Fusion Hybrid making numbers like the Prius, we are all waiting to see if the consumers will show up.
I'm not a fan of the Prius' styling. I think it's boring as well. Still, I'm not going to assume that everyone who buys it has bad taste or just wants to be like Cameron Diaz. If consumers really wanted something different, then I think the market would reflect that. It's not like there weren't other cars at that price point. The choice set over fuel-efficient cars was indeed well-defined. Still, the Prius remains the face of hybrid technology, and will continue to sell until its public image as the most desirable hybrid foes away.
Dan 1:00AM (12/13/2008)
Ford is by far the best American automaker. This fusion looks like it is superior to the Camry and Accord. I thought they have a redesign in the Taurus in the pipes and now if they would bring over the Euro Fusion, they would easily have the best lineup of cars in the industry.
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zamafir 2:02AM (12/13/2008)
Yup looks great!
Lee 4:01AM (12/13/2008)
Yup, they just need barnstorming Falcon G6E Turbo now to round out the line up.
Under Pressure 9:19AM (12/13/2008)
The wedge shape is only beneficial in that it allows the greatest amount of cargo volume for a given coefficient of drag. There are plenty of other ways to design a hybrid, and quite frankly there are thousands of buyers willing to purchase a hybrid that is not a rolling jelly bean or derivative of a family 4-door sedan or SUV.
Honda really dropped the ball on the Insight design. It looks like they reverse engineered a previous-gen Prius. They had a chance to really make a statement. Let's hope they get the CR-Z right. I may trade my WRX for one.
And as for Ford being behind in the Hybrid game, lest not forget the experience gained from the Escape Hybrid (released in '04 as an '05 model).
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nardvark 11:21AM (12/13/2008)
Really, this car should be a runaway hit for Ford, unless gas stays at $1.50 a gallon. But I think it'll be back up over $2.00 by the time this thing hits dealers.
The only thing stopping me from jumping to buy one of these is that you can't fold the rear seat down in the hybrid. We do a lot of dog-hauling, and our Focus sedan is surprisingly dog-friendly if you fold the rear seat down.
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StickShift 11:49AM (12/13/2008)
Your ABG links redirect to the test drive gallery, not the test drive itself.
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P.V. 12:07PM (12/13/2008)
Ford does not deserve to die. I also don't think it will, with products like these.
I wish the very best of luck to Ford. Maybe people will look PAST the Camry Hybrid (and see how much superior this is to that in terms of materials/build quality, fuel economy, and driving dynamics).
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wvuquentin 1:34PM (12/13/2008)
How is a sedan more useful than a hatchback? I know this place is run by anti-Prius types, but you'd have to be an idiot to think that a sedan is more practical than a hatch.
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Frank Thomas 1:44PM (12/13/2008)
Nice car, but the mileage is fas from Prius like. Most Prius owners driving NORMALLY get ~50 to 55 MPG, when they "hyper-mile" like you guys did to get 43.1 MPG people get 70+ MPG out of the Prius.
Call a spade a spade.
BTW normal driving in a Camry hybrid yields high 30's to low 40's MPG with hypermiling getting them to 50+ MPG.
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Amit 2:01PM (12/13/2008)
CarandDriver.com says that they averaged 34 mpg on a 300 mile loop. Nowhere close to the 43 mpg mentioned here, but still 3 mpg better than the camry hybrid. This calls a comparison test with the prius and the camry hybrid.