Eugr

WInter tires make a lot of difference, really! Doesn't really matter which ones, I prefer Michelin X-Ice. Completely different driving experience. I don't understand why people use so called "all-season" tires in snowy places...

Lots of Fusions in San Diego North County. There are 3 Fusions on my office's parking lot, excluding mine, none of them are hybrid, though.

It does, actually. It uses Dolby ProLogic II algorithms to convert stereo to surround when listening to regular stereo music. It doesn't always sound better than stereo, but generally, I like the sound more.

I have 2011 FFH, and I can use Surround Sound when playing music from USB.

Hi Steve, What a coincidence! I bought this car for my wife too, and she was also driving Volvo before :) I own 2008 Mazda CX-7 and it's a great car! And now we have another great, technologically advanced car in the family. I wasn't specifically looking for a hybrid, actually, I didn't even consider it until I read some reviews and gave it a try. Other options were Hyundai Sonata and Elantra, Volkswagen Golf TDI and Mazdaspeed3 (because it's too much fun to drive). And a regular V6 Fusion SEL, of course. I bought my FFH from Encinitas Ford in Encinitas, CA (San Diego County). It's rather small dealership, and they had only one FFH in stock, priced at $33,585 MSRP. I talked to several larger dealerships before, with multiple hybrids in stock, but they didn't want to negotiate the price at all! They all said that they can give me a good deal on any other model, but not this one, because they have absolutely no problems selling it. All dealerships didn't have basic FFH, only fully loaded ones (I wasn't interested in basic ones anyway). And I walked into this small and very friendly dealership just before the closure, test drove this car, and then was going to head back home, because I really wanted my wife to drive it first. The problem is she is out of the country right now, and will come back on January 1st. So, I told them I'll be back on 2nd, and we'll think about this one, but it's kind of on the expensive side... Then they asked me would I buy today it if they give me an unbeatable price. Well, after a short negotiation and a call to my (still sleeping) wife, I bought it for $31,790 before tax and fees. I too thought that it would be easier to negotiate with larger dealerships with a lot of cars in stock, but I was wrong. Large dealerships don't care if they close this one deal, but small ones count every penny... And it depends on salesperson, too. Mine wasn't too pushy, but once he saw that I'm ready to buy, he kept bargaining until I drove away in the new car (they washed my Mazda and I picked it up today) :)

Thanks guys! Actually, I've read the manual (including the Sync one) before even buying the car to make sure everything works like I think it should :) I really like the color - I was thinking about getting a silver one, but while looks very nice, and is very practical in Southern California.

Hi there, Just bought 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid, fully loaded! Wasn't going to buy until early January, but the dealer gave me a price just $500 over the invoice (almost $2000 discount), so I couldn't resist, and now I'm a happy owner of a brand-new Fusion Hybrid! Platinum white with light leather interior, with all the bells and whistles :) Interesting thing - I really never considered a Ford as an option - I've always had Japanese cars (Mazda). Ford Fusion and the upcoming 2012 Focus are the only ones that got me really interested, and after I drove Fusion Hybrid, I immediately moved it to the top of my list. Well done, Ford! Will post more detailed review later :) Eugene.