Ford Fusion Hybrid: Lean, green and back on top!
At this point in time, the slightest piece of good news coming from an auto maker should make headlines. Ford, for instance, if you believe the journalists who attended a recent event organized by the boys behind the blue oval, is looking calmly toward the future. Like every year before Christmas, Ford presented, under the cover of an embargo, several models that were introduced in Detroit in January.
There was the superb Mustang GT500, the Taurus, the Lincoln MKT and the regular and hybrid Fusion along with its American counterpart, the Mercury Milan. Of all of these vehicles, only the Fusion Hybrid could be publicized without incurring the wrath of Ford. We were even able to test drive it!
Significant aesthetic touch-ups
First of all, the touch-ups done to the Fusion go far beyond simple aesthetics. The entire front end and rear lights have definitely been modified. In general, comments heard during the presentation were positive but, for some reason I feel like something just isn't right. Is it the extremely rounded hood, the headlights, the three chrome bars that have become Ford’s signature? Note that at first I hated the grooves on the hood of the Chrysler Sebring but today, I find them very nice. Can't a guy change his mind?
The most notable changes are in the passenger compartment.
The designers didn't reinvent the wheel here. Heck, they didn’t even reinvent the previous Fusion’s dashboard, but the improvements made here and there are much appreciated. The quality of the materials is much better than before too, and you will no longer get the sense that you are in a bottom of the line car. Finally, gone is the large plate, a reminder of the airbag behind it, staring your passenger in the face. The cars equipped with a navigation system will even have an 8-inch screen, the largest in this category according to Ford. Only the Hybrid features the Smart Gauges dashboard system, but we’ll come back to that.
All eyes on the hybrid
Hybrid technology is the next big thing for 2010, and Ford intends to promote this technology over the next several years. And they don’t want to lag behind. If Ford hybrids are not the best in the industry, they are certainly among the best. Are these simply the words of overly chipper journalists? Until there are test drives to confirm this assertion, I’m afraid so, but the test drive of the Fusion Hybrid was very impressive!
Ford has taken a 2.5-litre, four-cylinder Atkinson engine and added an electric motor producing 106 hp for a maximum of 275 Volts. The total power is 156 horsepower. The different components of this second generation hybrid system are smaller and more effective than the ones they are replacing. For example, the battery takes up 30% less room than before.
Electric mode: Not just for show
For starters, it is very easy to drive using only the electric mode. Ford proclaims that you can even take it up to 75 km/h, which seems to me a tad optimistic. However, during our test drive, we were often able to accelerate normally up to 30-35 mph (48–55 km/h) before the internal combustion engine intervened, at which point we felt a very slight vibration that was soon forgotten after the first few times. As with all hybrid cars, the Fusion uses a brake energy recovery system. In a lot of hybrid cars, the pedal feels strange, but with the Fusion, you would swear that there is no recovery system at all. Even a simulated emergency stop didn’t reveal any faults, and we couldn’t help but like the sheer efficiency of the continuously variable transmission (CVT). Ford promises an average fuel consumption of 41 mpg (5.7 l/100 km). Although these manufacturer's numbers are often unrealistic, the fuel consumption announced by Ford seems entirely possible. During our half-city, half-highway jaunt, we went 39.2 mpg (6.0 l/100 km) according to the on-board computer without pushing it too much and in rather cold weather (about -5 degrees Celsius). A longer test in the spring or summer and our own fuel consumption measurements will tell us a lot, but for now, we are pleasantly surprised!
A unique dashboard system
The Smart Gauges dashboard also won us over. It is made up of LCD video screens located on either side of the speedometer that can be modified at will, but, trust us on this one, not when you are driving. It is always much safer to play with gadgets like these when you are stopped. There are four levels of information, each one more interesting than the last, but you will have to learn how to read the sometimes confusing information. One cool feature of the screen on the right is the pretty green leaves that appear the more you maximize fuel efficiency, and disappear when you let your let your right foot get carried away. There are few external differences between a Fusion and a Fusion Hybrid. Sure, there are a few stickers here and there but the main differences between the two models are the non-folding rear seat backs and the trunk, which is slightly smaller because of the battery.
Battery included
The new Fusion Hybrid will be on the market starting next spring and should prove very successful if the price is realistic. Technically, the car seems perfectly well-designed but you have to hope that it will not fall victim to its own success. According to the website hybridownersofamerica.com, the battery supplier has already been unable to meet the demand...It would be a real shame however if such a well-conceived car was not successful because of something as trivial as a supply problem.