Thoughts on the Ford Fusion Hybrid?

[joe77]

Hello everyone,

 

Everything I've read so far seems to point to the fact that Ford had really stepped up their game lately. The Fusion, in general , seems to get decent reviews. However, I haven't read much if anything on the hybrid model.

I tend to hold onto my cars for ten years or more. I am really curious about long term ownership of hybrids in general and obviously I am more curious about the Fusion Hybrid.

The idea that I could potentially get north of 40 mpg in a full size (mid size?) car is fairly attractive. If I have to drive something boring, I might as well get the best fuel economy I can.

So, what are your thoughts on this car?http://tradevenue.se/

Edited January 9, 2020 by joe77

[ethermion]

Our stable has a gas only '10, and a hybrid '13. Best cars I have ever bought, and I have been through a bunch of cars.

 

Boring? Test drive the hybrid. The ICE and batteries will kick in in parallel. Not a sports car, but it can hustle. Composed in the twisties too.

 

Gas is cheap, so I don't really care. But it is crazy luxury nice to not pump gas but once every few weeks. All systems normal, north of 40mpg should be cakewalk.

[Cobra348]

Hello everyone,

 

Everything I've read so far seems to point to the fact that Ford had really stepped up their game lately. The Fusion, in general , seems to get decent reviews. However, I haven't read much if anything on the hybrid model.

I tend to hold onto my cars for ten years or more. I am really curious about long term ownership of hybrids in general and obviously I am more curious about the Fusion Hybrid.

The idea that I could potentially get north of 40 mpg in a full size (mid size?) car is fairly attractive. If I have to drive something boring, I might as well get the best fuel economy I can.

So, what are your thoughts on this car?

I had a '15 hybrid and now the current one. I love the car. Unfortunately Ford - in their infinite wisdom - has decided that passenger cars production for North America is to shut down. Focus and Taurus already have, Fiesta has this model year. Fusion I have not heard a specific drop dead date, but either '19 or '20 MY will be the last. The assembly plant for FFH and the MKZh is gonna becaome assembly for the Transit Connect (changing from Spain) according to what I have read.

 

What galls me is that Ford touts increasing activity in the hybrid and all-electric fields yet has killed Focus electric and plans on Fusion hybrid, the Energi plugin hybrid and the MKZ hybrid all going away. It's like a WTF moment for me.

 

I have already started looking at some of the hybrid offerings out there and have narrowed the list to:

Chevy Malibu hybrid - smaller HVB and ICE, but slightly higher MPG and 25% larger trunk (15 cu ft vs 12 in FFH). Price is about same as Fusion.

Hyundai Sonata hybrid - same as the Malibu and $1,ooo or so more than a Fusion. Slightly higher MPG and larger trunk. The 2020 model is what I'm going for as it's a styling change at least.

 

IF - and I mean IF - Ford makes a 2020 Fusion hybrid then I will get one over anything else. Between the 2 FFH cars I've had only one minor glitch in the keypad needed repair.

[mwr]

I've had my 2015 FFH 4 1/2 years and 65K miles with no problems. Gas mileage always in the 40s with no special technique. I know that's not 10 years, but so far so good. Good handling car (for a mid-size sedan) and "enough" power that usually seems effortless.

[Waldo]

 

What galls me is that Ford touts increasing activity in the hybrid and all-electric fields yet has killed Focus electric and plans on Fusion hybrid, the Energi plugin hybrid and the MKZ hybrid all going away. It's like a WTF moment for me.

 

 

Did you miss the part about the new Explorer hybrid, the new Escape hybrid, the coming soon F150 hybrid, the all new electric vehicle and the $500 million deal with Rivian? It's not Ford killing sedans, it's the paying customers.

[ethermion]

Yeah, Ford ain't stupid. Why make thoughtful 4 door family sedans if nobody buys them. That is why they are still in business. GM went bankrupt, Chrysler went bankrupt, Ford stood firm.

 

The new Escape hybrid, maybe if it is 4wd. We get some difficult weather here from time to time, and 4wd would be awesome. If just a pudgy CMax,not for us. Anyway, hopefully Ford will have some happy surprises for us.

[Cobra348]

 

Did you miss the part about the new Explorer hybrid, the new Escape hybrid, the coming soon F150 hybrid, the all new electric vehicle and the $500 million deal with Rivian? It's not Ford killing sedans, it's the paying customers.

They'd stated the F-150 as far back as late '16 ... along with a hybrid Mustang. Escape had a hybrid about '08 - '10 and this is a reintro. Rivian is new and after all the stuff I wrote of. Fusion was #4 in the US sales in 2017. It was the breadwinner in the economy tanking in '08. It's kicked to the curb when it is still a viable car.

 

Back to the original point of that statement ... why brag about all the hybrid/electric stuff when you are axing 3 (4 with Energi) electric/hybrid lines? You know they had wanted a Focus Active and there were Fusion model similar to an early Dodge Magnum in looks. What happened to them? Oh yeah, since Focus was to be made in China they scrapped it instead of making it here. The Fusion never got off the starting block AFAIK.

Edited May 8, 2019 by Cobra348

[Waldo]

They'd stated the F-150 as far back as late '16 ... along with a hybrid Mustang. Escape had a hybrid about '08 - '10 and this is a reintro. Rivian is new and after all the stuff I wrote of. Fusion was #4 in the US sales in 2017. It was the breadwinner in the economy tanking in '08. It's kicked to the curb when it is still a viable car.

 

Back to the original point of that statement ... why brag about all the hybrid/electric stuff when you are axing 3 (4 with Energi) electric/hybrid lines? You know they had wanted a Focus Active and there were Fusion model similar to an early Dodge Magnum in looks. What happened to them? Oh yeah, since Focus was to be made in China they scrapped it instead of making it here. The Fusion never got off the starting block AFAIK.

 

Please define "viable". Most business people would define "viable" as a product that is profitable. The Fusion is not profitable no matter how high it ranks on the sales charts. If people don't want sedans, they won't pay for them. The only reason people are still buying sedans is because they are cheap. Selling cheap products that cost a lot to make isn't a path to good business.

 

Bottom line is when the Fusion hybrid is no longer produced, Ford will have available more hybrids/electrics then they do now. Why can't you brag about something when you are introducing more new hybrids than you are killing?

[mwr]

 

The Fusion is not profitable no matter how high it ranks on the sales charts.

I haven't seen that anywhere. I have seen that sedans are not as profitable as SUVs and trucks and that sedan sales are down.

[Waldo]

I haven't seen that anywhere. I have seen that sedans are not as profitable as SUVs and trucks and that sedan sales are down.

 

Well sometimes you have to read between the lines a little bit. In 2017 Ford made ~$8 billion. The F-series made $5 billion, the Explorer made $3 billion. What does that mean about the rest?

[murphy]

In my experience the only way someone could buy a Fusion Energi was to order it from the factory. I did and the salesman tried to tell me I could only drive it 21 miles. This was an electric certified dealer. If a car isn't available on the dealer's lot it will have very low sales figures because many people don't want to wait for a special order to be built and shipped in from Mexico.

 

I expected Ford to have a competitive car by now. The Honda Clarity PHEV is rated at 47 miles per charge. My friend has one and gets over 50 miles.

Since Ford didn't provide a car I wanted I bought a 2016 Tesla model S90D. I still have the 2013 Energi but it is only used for short runs now.

 

In the late 1960's I was a Ford employee until they shut down Philco-Ford.

 

I have zero interest in trucks and pseudo trucks (SUVs).

[Cobra348]

 

Please define "viable". Most business people would define "viable" as a product that is profitable. The Fusion is not profitable no matter how high it ranks on the sales charts. If people don't want sedans, they won't pay for them. The only reason people are still buying sedans is because they are cheap. Selling cheap products that cost a lot to make isn't a path to good business.

 

Bottom line is when the Fusion hybrid is no longer produced, Ford will have available more hybrids/electrics then they do now. Why can't you brag about something when you are introducing more new hybrids than you are killing?

Is there money made on selling a Fusion? Even after discounts and various plans it makes money. Is it as much as a F-150, Mustang or Escape? No, but it does satisfy a segment of the buying public. And $30+K is not cheap. $2950 is cheap ... which is what I paid in 1969 for my first Ford (Torino GT). If Ford wanted more hybrids/electrics then why the hell aren't they keeping ones that have already been tried in the public market?

 

As for Fords future offerings, I refuse to pay anything for vehicles that to me are overpriced for the utility that I want. Oh wait ... was that a buying public opinion? Yup. To make sure that my feelings are known ...

 

I will not buy Ford (or any) products that do not fit my needs!

Edited May 10, 2019 by Cobra348

[Waldo]

Is there money made on selling a Fusion? Even after discounts and various plans it makes money. If Ford wanted more hybrids/electrics then why the hell aren't they keeping ones that have already been tried in the public market?

 

You can think that they make money because to you it seems like a lot of cash, but the bottom line is that when you add up the cost to manufacture and the investment required in the capital equipment and overhead required to maintain the model, the Fusion comes out negative. Now that Ford has more economical SUVs/Trucks, the Fusion doesn't need to be a "loss leader" to help Ford meet CAFE requirements. So why would they keep making it when it's hurting their bottom line?

[Cobra348]

 

You can think that they make money because to you it seems like a lot of cash, but the bottom line is that when you add up the cost to manufacture and the investment required in the capital equipment and overhead required to maintain the model, the Fusion comes out negative. Now that Ford has more economical SUVs/Trucks, the Fusion doesn't need to be a "loss leader" to help Ford meet CAFE requirements. So why would they keep making it when it's hurting their bottom line?

Fiesta made even $500/unit when discounts plans applied. That's from a salesman I bought 4 of them from. Now I'm sorry that profit doesn't meet the 25-30% that Ford want to deliver but it is a profit. Focus made at least a grand, so Fusion has to be somewhere N of that.

 

It's not always that the almighty dollar that should drive EVERYTHING. The SUVs, trucks, Mustang make a lot, but why can't smaller lines help too? I know several truck owners that believe Ford has screwed the pooch ... because their daily driver is a passenger car - usually a Ford.

[dogo88]

Fiesta made even $500/unit when discounts plans applied. That's from a salesman I bought 4 of them from. Now I'm sorry that profit doesn't meet the 25-30% that Ford want to deliver but it is a profit. Focus made at least a grand, so Fusion has to be somewhere N of that.

 

It's not always that the almighty dollar that should drive EVERYTHING. The SUVs, trucks, Mustang make a lot, but why can't smaller lines help too? I know several truck owners that believe Ford has screwed the pooch ... because their daily driver is a passenger car - usually a Ford.

 

Agree totally.

 

We have two vehicles. A 2019 FFH Titanium and a 2019 Subaru Forester. Absolutely love both. I have owned and driven cars, vans, pickups, SUVs, and minivans. I prefer a comfortable passenger can nowadays, but realize that sometimes an all weather vehicle is necessary. While this is our second FFH and second Forester, you couldn't give me a Ford SUV. The 2010 FFH was the best vehicle I have ever owned, and the 2005 Ford Escape was the worst. Total money pit. While it was getting repaired the dealer lent us a Subaru Forester, and when the repairs were done it was promptly traded in on a new 2015 Forester. Never even drove the Escape after the repairs.

 

I too believe Ford is making a big mistake in not making cars anymore. It will be a decision that they will possibly regret. At some point the buying public will stop loving, and buying, station wagons. Ooops I mean SUVs.

[ethermion]

A friend of mine worked as a contractor for Ford some years ago. Despite the fact that he was on a software project for HR, all meetings ended with the chant "Sell More F-150s". Ford is a truck manufacturer that sells cars just for sport. Been true for decades.

 

I still miss my 1989 Taurus station wagon. I tear up just thinking about it.

[Waldo]

Fiesta made even $500/unit when discounts plans applied. That's from a salesman I bought 4 of them from. Now I'm sorry that profit doesn't meet the 25-30% that Ford want to deliver but it is a profit. Focus made at least a grand, so Fusion has to be somewhere N of that.

 

It's not always that the almighty dollar that should drive EVERYTHING. The SUVs, trucks, Mustang make a lot, but why can't smaller lines help too? I know several truck owners that believe Ford has screwed the pooch ... because their daily driver is a passenger car - usually a Ford.

 

That sounds like what the dealer made on them, not what Ford made on them. Ford never made any money selling Fiesta's or Focuses in North America. Never.

[devon]

Fiesta made even $500/unit when discounts plans applied. That's from a salesman I bought 4 of them from. Now I'm sorry that profit doesn't meet the 25-30% that Ford want to deliver but it is a profit. Focus made at least a grand, so Fusion has to be somewhere N of that.

 

It's not always that the almighty dollar that should drive EVERYTHING. The SUVs, trucks, Mustang make a lot, but why can't smaller lines help too? I know several truck owners that believe Ford has screwed the pooch ... because their daily driver is a passenger car - usually a Ford.

I agree with you on every aspect, I have seen a number of trolls of various ford forums praising fords decision to get rid of all sedans, they don't seem to understand some of us have owned ford sedans for decades upon decades or maybe had a ford sedan as a first car. Yes I understand the business position and not wanting to lose money. However every time ford pulls out of a segment, they lose more and more market share to the japanese who never seem to pull out of any segment whether they are dominating it or not. To me Ford pulling out of the sedan market is playing the short term game of showing greater profits despite selling less. We will see how well the 2020 explorer hybrid sells at $50k base and gets 24mpg what a joke ford.

Edited May 14, 2019 by devon

[billford]

Was told today that 2020 is the last year for the fusion hybrid.

If you want a new one, better get it soon...

Edited May 15, 2019 by billford