New Ford Fusion Hybrid Threatens Toyota & Honda

Ford's New Hybrid Brings Serious Competition to Hybrid Market

Keith Newsham
When anyone thinks about hybrid vehicles they immediately think of fuel efficiency. If this your primary concern, the Ford Fusion Hybrid should be at the top of your list. The EPA reports the Ford Fusion Hybrid averages 39 mpg between the city and highway. I tested it myself and it averaged almost 37 mpg in one week of normal daily driving.

The Ford Fusion Hybrid just passes the Toyota Camry Hybrid by 5 mpg and came close to the Honda Insight which enjoys 41 mpg efficiency. While focusing on fuel efficiency, the Ford Fusion Hybrid is also fun to drive. The Ford Fusion Hybrid excelled as a smooth driving mid-size sedan that gets great fuel mileage as well.

The Ford Fusion Hybrid has an excellent drive train that Ford designed for the Fusion. The four cylinder 2.5 liter engine modifies intake timing and increases the compression ratio to allow increased efficiency. Power on the low end suffers a bit from this, but the electric motor picks up the slack and the gas/electric combination give you 191 horsepower. The Ford Fusion Hybrid weighs 3,720 lbs. And takes 9.2 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph.

The hybrid system used in the Ford Fusion Hybrid has none of the lag or shudder usually found in hybrids when the electric motor switches off to the gasoline engine. The transition from electric to gasoline is seamless in the Ford Fusion Hybrid, the transmission is an electronic continuously variable transmission that Ford says is "proprietary" . The Ford Fusion Hybrid is a full hybrid which allows you to run solely on electric power and the engine comes on only if you need a little extra power to get up a hill or pull away from a stop sign. The electric power can provide speed up 47 mph if you have a light touch with your right foot. The engine will kick in automatically to keep the battery charged. The Ford Fusion Hybrid has the ability to get approximately 700 miles on one 17 gallon tank of gas.

The Ford Fusion Hybrid is an impressive mid-size sedan giving you great fuel efficiency and a joyful driving experience. While you won't be winning any late night street races with the Fusion, Ford stepped up to seriously challenge Toyota and Honda. Its fuel efficiency beats the Camry hyrbrid and nearly matches the Insight. I found the Ford Fusion Hybrid to be exactly what a hybrid should be.

Published by Keith Newsham

I work as a freelance writer for a number of different blogs across the country. I love my job as it allows to spend most of my time traveling around the world for place to place.   View profile

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