Ford Fusion Hybrid: The car of the future?

[Fusion Hybrid Guide]

Ford Fusion Hybrid: The car of the future?

 

As we know from the literary works of Cormac McCarthy, despair can be kind of gratifying. And yet, as much as I hate to disturb our national mood of decline, I have some good news regarding the auto industry. You may return to your comfort drinking presently.

 

The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, and its twin, the Mercury Milan Hybrid, are mid-to-full-size sedans that seat five in surprising comfort and offer a full-size trunk measuring around 12 cubic feet. They measure 190.6 inches and weigh a goodly 3,720 pounds. The gas-electric output is 191 horsepower and 0-60 mph acceleration is under 9 seconds.

 

The retail price of a nicely equipped Fusion Hybrid -- with blandishments such as rearview camera, blind-spot alert and 17-inch alloy wheels -- is $27,270. With the applicable federal tax credit, the car should cost consumers about $25,000, I estimate (final numbers have not been announced).

 

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On a test drive of a Fusion Hybrid recently in traffic, I managed, without much trouble, to get 52 miles per gallon in mixed city-highway driving.

 

Wait, so, has somebody invented the car of the future and didn't tell us?

 

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[Grey]

I feel like the 2010 Fusion Hybrid is the car of the day. The next generation will likely have plug-in recharge capabilities and new technology batteries which can recharge much faster - 80+% charge in less than 10 minutes would be nice. The Fusion Hybrid of tomorrow may be capable of 82 MPG instead of 41. :happy feet: :happy feet:

 

But, I will enjoy my 2010 Fusion Hybrid until tomorrow comes.

[PJFW8]

I feel like the 2010 Fusion Hybrid is the car of the day. The next generation will likely have plug-in recharge capabilities and new technology batteries which can recharge much faster - 80+% charge in less than 10 minutes would be nice. The Fusion Hybrid of tomorrow may be capable of 82 MPG instead of 41. :happy feet: :happy feet:

 

But, I will enjoy my 2010 Fusion Hybrid until tomorrow comes.

Well said. There is always a better car due out in just a few years...I'm still waiting for my Accord diesel (due in '08), Chevy Wankel('74), Corvette 4 rotor mid engine Wankel('75),Chrysler turbine ('64), Ford Sterling('75?), and many more. There are a lot of great ideas.

I give Ford credit for getting the Fusion Hybrid on the street and out of the Auto-show circuit! Mine will be here in early May!

[Mercury Milan]

There is always a better car due out in just a few years.

They already have a Fusion/Milan in the pipeline that gets around 125 MPG :superhero: The guy from Ford who was explaining it to me said "Imagine going to the gas station just 3 or 4 times a YEAR" :shift: Congrats to Ford for doing such a good job on all of their new cars :)

[Fordfan]

I was at the Minneapolis Car Show last week. Ford in general was getting good attention, more than GM.

The 2010 Fusion Hybrid and the 2010 Taurus were hits. Too bad the $3400 rebates end tomorrow. I think for the next 1/2 year it will be $1700. They didn't have a 2011 Fiesta their, that would have been fun to check out. If gas prices go back up, these cars will save Ford.

[Mercury Milan]

Ford in general was getting good attention

Yeah these cars are going to do well. When I drove the Milan Hybrid and parked it in front of the dealership, every single person that walked by it stopped and looked at it for at least 5 minutes. An older couple was walking into the dealership after they looked at it and the guy said to his wife something to the effect of "If it's priced right I'd rather buy that than the toyota prius model". All Ford has to do is to get people into the dealerships and I think they will do well with these new cars. Of course that will be hard since the economy is so bad, but once these cars start to get good buzz maybe people will make an exception and stop at a Ford dealership to see what they are all about. One thing is for sure, Ford is definitely in the best shape of all the American car companies, both financially and car line-up wise.

[peteostro]

Yeah these cars are going to do well. When I drove the Milan Hybrid and parked it in front of the dealership, every single person that walked by it stopped and looked at it for at least 5 minutes. An older couple was walking into the dealership after they looked at it and the guy said to his wife something to the effect of "If it's priced right I'd rather buy that than the toyota prius model". All Ford has to do is to get people into the dealerships and I think they will do well with these new cars. Of course that will be hard since the economy is so bad, but once these cars start to get good buzz maybe people will make an exception and stop at a Ford dealership to see what they are all about. One thing is for sure, Ford is definitely in the best shape of all the American car companies, both financially and car line-up wise.

 

Another reason this will be hard is they are projected to only make 25,000 of these cars this year. That seems crazy to me, hope they will ramp up production of the Hybrid.

[Mercury Milan]

Another reason this will be hard is they are projected to only make 25,000 of these cars this year. That seems crazy to me

This is the one thing that really upsets me about Ford. If people want to buy these cars (and i'm sure once they see them in person they will) then why in the world would they limit making them? :doh: This car could easily be a prius killer if they were available. With the car sales market in such a huge slump, you would think Ford would welcome all sales that they could get, instead of turning customers away. I'm thinking the management team at Ford that made this decision - is the same one that decided it was a good idea to discontinue the Taurus :finger:

 

BTW-I just ordered the DVD service manual for the new Fusion/Milan. It's the latest April '09 disc. I'll let you know if the Hybrid is included :)

[fffbobl]

Did you order the DVD service manual thru the Ford service department or where and about how much?

[akirby]

This is the one thing that really upsets me about Ford. If people want to buy these cars (and i'm sure once they see them in person they will) then why in the world would they limit making them? :doh: This car could easily be a prius killer if they were available. With the car sales market in such a huge slump, you would think Ford would welcome all sales that they could get, instead of turning customers away. I'm thinking the management team at Ford that made this decision - is the same one that decided it was a good idea to discontinue the Taurus :finger:

 

The thing that really upsets me is people who complain about things that they don't bother to research.

 

Ford WANTS to sell more hybrids. They'd be stupid not to. But they CAN'T GET MORE BATTERIES right now. They just went from 25,000 Escapes to 50,000 Escapes and Fusion hybrids by adding a new battery supplier. They are battery constrained, not marketing restrained. Get your facts straight before you go off on an undeserved rant.

 

:finger: :finger: :finger:

[Grey]

Looks like the Federal Government is going to take some money from us and ramp up battery production in the U.S. Perhaps the problem will be resolved within a couple of years.

 

Apparently there is a huge financial commitment to build these battery packs. If someone like JCI gets into it, availability should improve.