KickingTires: FFH beats 2010 Prius

[mirak]

Cars.com's KickingTires blog recently took a look at 6 gas-saving cars, and found the Ford Fusion Hybrid to be a better daily driver than 2010 Prius or Honda Insight. The FFH finished 3rd place overall, just behind the two diesels in the line-up, the VW Jetta TDI and Audi A3 TDI.

 

KickingTires based its evaluation on 7 categories: price, fuel costs, interior quality, cargo space, driving comfort, ride quality, and driving fun. The goal of the evaluation was to rate "the best daily driver," so KT awarded double points to driving comfort, ride quality, and driving fun.

 

Fourth place, 60 points: 2010 Toyota Prius. We found the Prius less engaging to drive than the Insight, but it felt like a more substantial car, with the sort of ride quality and interior detailing Honda couldn’t muster. Best-in-class gas mileage helped, but our goal was to find the car that best suited everyday driving, and Prius never made any of us want to go for a spin. By the second day, Toyota’s mission became all too clear: Whenever the two must collide, fuel efficiency trumps fun.

 

Third place, 65 points: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. That the Fusion Hybrid was the highest-ranking hybrid may land us a few pitchforks from hybrid fans. But Ford has a good thing going here: The Fusion Hybrid very nearly aped the driving experience of a regular family sedan. We found the seats quite comfortable, and power and handling were impressive. Unfortunately, interior quality couldn’t match the Europeans, and the firm ride had us wondering exactly what sort of family Ford was targeting.

 

The FFH had the second-highest "comfort" rating (just below the VW Jetta), and second-highest "driving fun" rating (again, just below the VW Jetta). [Ed. I can't compare to the Jetta, but I do agree that the FFH trounces the Prius in these categories.]

 

Way to go, Ford!

[DaveM]

Cars.com's KickingTires blog recently took a look at 6 gas-saving cars, and found the Ford Fusion Hybrid to be a better daily driver than 2010 Prius or Honda Insight. The FFH finished 3rd place overall, just behind the two diesels in the line-up, the VW Jetta TDI and Audi A3 TDI.

 

KickingTires based its evaluation on 7 categories: price, fuel costs, interior quality, cargo space, driving comfort, ride quality, and driving fun. The goal of the evaluation was to rate "the best daily driver," so KT awarded double points to driving comfort, ride quality, and driving fun.

 

 

 

The FFH had the second-highest "comfort" rating (just below the VW Jetta), and second-highest "driving fun" rating (again, just below the VW Jetta). [Ed. I can't compare to the Jetta, but I do agree that the FFH trounces the Prius in these categories.]

 

Way to go, Ford!

I don't know what they met by interior quality but the ones I looked at were very sharp and the panels fit like a glove. Makes you wonder if it wasn't a pre production car.

[rfruth]

Good article, I agree the FFH makes a great daily driver but where is the Camry hybrid ? (the Prius and Insight are after high MPGs not a spirited ride and comfort)

[cchaos]

Thanks for the article.

 

I must say, I'm curious what the author means by the statement, "That the Fusion Hybrid was the highest-ranking hybrid may land us a few pitchforks from hybrid fans." Why would hybrid fans be against a full hybrid like the Fusion Hybrid? Am I missing something? All I can figure is that maybe the author meant to say, ""That the Fusion Hybrid was the highest-ranking hybrid may land us a few pitchforks from Prius fans."

 

And yeah, a comparison with the Camry Hybrid would have been more fair, but it's also nice to see that the FFH frequently makes it into these select groups of hybrid reviews whereas the TCH and Nissan Altima Hybrid are often left out (it's probably because the three hybrids in this review are new/significantly updated, whereas the TCH/NAH haven't undergone any significant changes for awhile).

[Scott A320]

Just a few comments:

 

I just don't understand the FFH ride complaints! While my recent previous vehicles have been European, the FFH seems just right for a mainstream passenger sedan.

My singular VW purchase was an '03 Jetta TDI. The diesel experience was utterly transparent and the chassis dynamics were excellent. However the horrid build-quality and discrepancies by year 3 prompted an exit while the warranty was still in effect! Hope the current production is better.....

One of my shortest test drives was recently in a Prius. Great niche vehicle, but too many dynamic/comfort/accesory compromises for my taste.

[mirak]

I expect that KT ignored the Camry Hybrid because it tested only the highest mpg model from each of the manufacturers. The Prius is Toyota's highest-mpg model, so that's what they used. Anyway, who cares? It is almost unanimous among reviewers that the FFH is superior to the Camry. (One significant outlier, Consumer Reports, found that they were essentially tied.)

 

FFH v. Prius makes for a much more interesting comparison. And, it's a valid comparison because the Prius "Model V" and FFH are very similar price-wise. It's dissapointing that more reviews have not pitted these two cars head-to-head.

 

Looking at the hybrids, this review is in line with why I chose the FFH over the Prius. The Prius may get better mpg, but the FFH is more fun to drive. Even the hypermiling is more fun because of the FFH's vastly-superior instrument panel.

 

I have no problem with a driving enthusiast blog ranking diesels ahead of hybrids - especially not when the "driving" factors are more heavily weighted. The FFH may be considered by some to be a "no compromises hybrid" - but that's a relative term. Certainly, the FFH has a lot less compromise than the Prius, but the FFH's ride is almost certainly not as "sporty" as a european diesel.

[bkcarner]

I just bought my FFH on Saturday and I love it. The only major negative is the ride quality. There are a few more features I wished it had like smartkey, cooled seats, memory seats, homelink, and gas door lock.

 

I did compare and test drive the Prius IV and almost bought it (put 500 down to hold it). I found that the Prius does have a softer ride. It's not as firm as the FFH(felt every bump in the road). But Prius doesn't switch from electric to gas as seamlessly as the FFH.

 

The Prius also has some interior quirks like the shifter and the placement of the instrument panel in the middle. Also there are no power seats on the IV. The sales guy almost had me sold with quality/reliability being all Japaness parts and build.

 

After sleeping on it and test driving the FFH again I knew I had to get it. The normal driving, interior, sportier exterior and features put it over the top. Toyota did make the Prius look a little sportier by changing the headlights/spoiler and such but it wasn't enough for me.

 

I tried to test drive a Camry hybrid but there were none in north Dallas. I think the CFC deal sold them all? Toyota dealerships didn't have much inventory on Camrys after that deal.

 

There are very few loaded FFH's around too. Only 1 on the lot at the dealership near me. I had to drive 1.5 hours to get the color combo I wanted...

 

BK