B25Nut

https://www.autoweek.com/news/future-cars/a32365684/ford-fusion-active-wagon-details/

The Fusion Active should be available late next year. As a plug-in hybrid, this may make me a Ford owner again. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a32064857/ford-fusion-active-confirmed-2022/

Unfortunately, I have lost most of my faith in Ford. The ugly C-Max was a significant factor in Ford's decline, and now they have the even uglier EcoSport. Ford considered the C-Max to be a replacement for the Escape Hybrid, which was a big mistake. If Ford had produced a crossover (or wagon) version of the FFH and Fusion Energi, I'd still be driving one of their vehicles.

"This is also one of many reasons SUVs are popular - they are easy to get in and out of." Whenever we visited my 92 year old mom, I chose to spend the extra money on gas for the 5 hour drive and took the 2006 RX instead of the FFH so that we'd have no trouble taking her places. People consider me to be in good shape, but since the RX has been my vehicle the past two months I really appreciate being able to slide into and out of the car, instead of falling in and climbing out. I boosted the height of the passenger seat for five years on the FFH using a pad and seat cover, but the comfort (and especially the looks) just wasn't the same as the standard SE seat. I got tired of looking at it and went back to the standard, lower seat the last 8 months I drove the Fusion. Starting with the 2017 FFH (with a light colored, adjustable seat available) this issue went away.

My wife never liked my 2013 FFH primarily due to the low passenger seat. It is probably the primary reason I traded in the Fusion instead of her 2006 Lexus RX 330 when we purchased our new Acura RDX. Saving money on gas on long distance trips wasn't worth the complaints I'd get.

I discovered one more thing last night that I like about driving the RX daily. We live on a flag lot with a very long driveway. Before the FFH I had a Pacifica in which I could load up the trash cans on the street every Tuesday to take back to the the house. Now I can do the same thing with the RX. I also won't miss worrying about what mileage I'm getting and hitting my head on the trunk lid while loading it. I do have, however, 99% good memories from the Fusion, especially the people on this forum.

We have been looking for a replacement for my wife's 2006 Lexus RX330 for the past three years. A month ago we found the perfect vehicle - the 2019 Acura RDX. My intent had been to trade in the RX, but since it still looks and is running great, I surprised myself and traded in my 2013 FFH. The Fusion has been a fantastic car, but this year I have fallen out of love with Ford and their poor corporate decisions. The fact that my wife never liked the FFH and that I was growing tired of falling into and climbing out of my vehicle influenced my decision. The trade in values were also the same. Somebody is going to get a dared good used car. So in November, I won't be writing a six year owner's report.

This should have been done three years ago. Here is more info: http://autoweek.com/article/rumormill/ford-fusion-may-live. Now the Energi version will have some cargo space.

This is how to reset the message that tells you to Service the Tire Mobility Kit:

"My 2013 runs fine, thank you." Mine also

The Fusion appear to be getting good changes and additions: https://blog.caranddriver.com/ford-refreshes-the-fusion-again-and-debuts-co-pilot360-safety-package/?src=nl&mag=cdb&list=nl_dvr_news&date=032318

On my last 300 mile trip I tried to keep my speed between 68-72 mph. I got 45 mpg. The same trip at 75 and above will get 39-41 mpg.

Total sales for the FFH in 2017 were 57,474, 70.8% higher than 2016. This figure is second only to the Prius Liftback, and is 273% higher than 2017 Camry Hybrid sales. http://www.hybridcars.com/december-2017-dashboard/

Update: Took my first long trip in a while over this past weekend. Templeton to Oceanside, CA, 300 miles. Averaged 45.1 mpg. I made an effort to keep the speed between 68-72 mph, which seems to make a difference. Many long stretches of level road felt like the Fusion was using minimum effort to maintain 70+ mph. I think I have my old FFH back!

From Autoweek: Ford Motor Co. plans to end North American production of the Fusion midsize sedan at the end of the decade, Automotive News has learned, casting doubt about the future of the nameplate in the U.S. as consumers shun cars for crossovers and SUVs. The automaker has begun informing suppliers that it will not build the next-generation Fusion at its plant in Hermosillo, Mexico, where the car is currently made, according to sources familiar with the discussions. It’s unclear whether Ford would stop selling the Fusion in the U.S., replace it with a different vehicle, or build it elsewhere. A spokesman declined to comment. The car will not be shipped to the United States from China, Ford said Wednesday, denying a Reuters report that the automaker would consolidate global production of the Fusion and Mondeo sedans in China. Ford currently builds the Mondeo in China for that market as part of its joint venture with Changan Ford, and it makes the European Mondeo in Valencia, Spain. “We have no plans to export the next-generation Fusion/Mondeo from China to North America and Europe,” Ford said in an emailed statement. “Fusion / Mondeo are an important part of the Ford car lineup. We will have more information to share about the next Fusion/Mondeo at a later date.” Ford planned to begin building the third-generation Fusion in 2020 for the 2021 model year, one source told Automotive News. Ford executives have long been hinting that the company's sedan portfolio would change. Executives in October said Ford would offer fewer car nameplates but did not offer specifics. Ford executives have said they believe the shift among U.S. consumers from cars to crossovers and SUVs is permanent. The Fusion would be the highest-volume car to go out of production in North America as a result of the crossover boom, marking a dramatic twist in the life of a nameplate that was key to Ford's turnaround after the recession that ended in 2009. As recently as last year, Ford was building the Fusion in Michigan and in Mexico. Suppliers have been told Ford also plans to stop producing the Mondeo at a plant in Valencia, Spain. Ford said earlier this year that the North American Focus would be imported from China, which is now the world’s largest vehicle market, instead of Mexico, where it had planned to build a $1.6 billion plant. The end of Focus production in Michigan became a thorny issue for Ford when President Donald Trump repeatedly attacked the plan to assemble it in Mexico during the 2016 presidential campaign. Ford has said moving the Focus to China will save about $500 million. Cost cuts have been a priority under new CEO Jim Hackett, who has vowed to reallocate $7 billion of capital from cars to light trucks in the coming years. Ford has sold more than 2.7 million Fusions in the U.S. since its introduction in 2005, but this year will mark a third consecutive decline in volume since annual sales peaked at 306,860 in 2014, according to the Automotive News Data Center. U.S. Fusion sales are down 22 percent this year through November, vs. a 16 percent slide for the midsize segment overall. And overall U.S. car deliveries are on track to decline for the fourth straight year in 2017. Ford is in the midst of reviewing its entire product portfolio under new CEO Jim Hackett. Executives in October said Ford would offer fewer car nameplates but did not offer specifics. “Every good business, over time, should be pruning its portfolio to make room for new stuff and remove some things that are past their time,” Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of global operations, said at the Automotive News World Congress in January. It’s unclear what vehicle would take the Fusion’s place at Ford's Hermosillo plant. The automaker also builds the Lincoln MKZ, which shares underpinnings with the Fusion, on the same assembly line. Ford last week revealed plans to build an electric crossover at its other Mexico plant, in Cuautitlan, where it currently makes the subcompact Fiesta. Ford said earlier this year that the North American Focus would be imported from China, which is now the world’s largest vehicle market, instead of Mexico, where it had planned to build a $1.6 billion plant. The end of Focus production in Michigan became a thorny issue for Ford when President Donald Trump repeatedly attacked the plan to assemble it in Mexico during the 2016 presidential campaign. Ford has said moving the Focus to China will save about $500 million. Cost cuts have been a priority under new CEO Jim Hackett, who has vowed to reallocate $7 billion of capital from cars to light trucks in the coming years. Ford has sold more than 2.7 million Fusions in the U.S. since its introduction in 2005, but this year will mark a third consecutive decline in volume since annual sales peaked at 306,860 in 2014, according to the Automotive News Data Center. U.S. Fusion sales are down 22 percent this year through November, vs. a 16 percent slide for the midsize segment overall. And overall U.S. car deliveries are on track to decline for the fourth straight year in 2017.

I finished by 5th year with my 2013 FFH three weeks ago. I still love the car. My brother drove it this morning and commented on how it still looks new. I’ve had a frustrating year, however. In late October of last year, I had all the recalls and updates I had put off performed by my local dealer, since I could not get the vehicle registered in California again without taking care of recall 15E04 for the fuel delivery module. 14E02 for the PCM reprogramming was also done with three other minor recalls. I had been getting mileage in the 43 mpg range for the past year and this continued for a week when my dealer called and said they needed to see the car again to check the fuel module. I got the car back the same day. I immediately noticed a drop in mileage, which went to 38 mpg. After a month I took it back to the dealer for them to check it out. They did what is probably their standard test drives to prove to new-to-hybrid customers that they just aren’t driving the vehicle correctly. Since I was seeing my biggest drop in my highway mileage, I’m sure their tests didn’t include any time over 62 mph or climbing of hills. I was told nothing was wrong. When I picked up by FFH, the Engage mileage reading was 48 mpg (which the dealer probably achieved by carefully driving it pre-warmed for a few miles). By the time I drove two blocks, it was down to 44 mpg and 38 mpg when I got home. I decided to give it time so there could be no doubt that something was wrong. Time flies, so it was almost another year before I made another appointment at the dealer. On November 7, the dealer agreed to do all the recalibrations over again to the current standards. They also discovered that my tire dealer had sold me the wrong Goodyear tires when I had them replaced two months before the original Ford dealer visit for the recalls. It’s strange that I did not see a difference in mileage during those two months, but I agreed that the tires were a factor in my mileage problem. The re-programming seems to have worked, along with putting the tires at 39 psi. I have been averaging 41 mpg for the past three weeks. My tire dealer admitted his mistake. He had done the same thing to several Prius owners who complained about drops in mileage. He has agreed to give me my next set of tires at his cost. This past spring I had a business trip to Oklahoma City. I rented a 2017 FFH Titanium. It averaged 43.6 mpg over five days. It also demonstrated to me that Ford has made all the changes I wish my 2013 had. My overall experience for the past five years has been excellent. Everything has always worked and run smooth. I have no regrets and never wished I had purchased another vehicle.

FFH is number one again in October. http://www.hybridcars.com/october-2017-dashboard/

The FFH was #1 again in September with 6,326 sold, more than triple the number of Camrys. FFH sales so far for 2017 are more than double that of 2016.

We added a new member to the family this month - solar panels. Since I have a 2013 FFH and not an Energi, they won't cut down my transportation costs, but they'll take care of my expenses for our pool (with a heat pump that I also added with the panels), the water booster pump needed for irrigation and for air conditioning, along with cutting my heating costs probably in half. Our area is close to ideal for the solar panels, with sunshine around 90% of the time during daylight hours. The panels have averaged 44 kWh per day output in the four days they have been hooked up.

An interesting article and video: http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-technology/a12019034/why-dont-electric-cars-have-multi-gear-transmissions/?src=nl&mag=pop&list=nl_pnl_news&date=081717

http://www.hybridcars.com/june-2017-dashboard/

The Car Connection changed their rating system last year, which dropped most vehicles rating by two points or more. Very few now score a 7.5 or above. They just gave the 2017 FFH an 8.0. http://www.thecarconnection.com/overview/ford_fusion-hybrid_2017