Low Payload Limit?

[EntropyAvatar]

I picked up a 2010 Fusion Hybrid (Brilliant Silver) last week and I'm quite happy with it so far. One thing I found a bit disconcerting though was the passenger+payload limit listed on the door sticker. I have just the Moons and Tunes package and mine is listed as just 850 lbs. Now, for a 5-seat vehicle, that seem fairly low to me. Five guys at a reasonably trim average weight of 180lbs each is already 50lbs over the limit and that's not even counting anything in the trunk!

 

Looking online, the difference between curb weight and gross vehicle weight rating for most cars of similar size seems to be about 1100-1200lbs. For the Fusion Hybrid it's a tad under 1000 lbs. So it looks as though the hybrid components do eat a bit into the payload limit.

 

Now 5 guys in the car is not my typical commute and I don't envision using the fusion to cart around iron ore or something, but 850lbs seems as though I would go over the limit with fairly normal use scenarios. So I guess my question is, how seriously should I take this limit?

[acdii]

With a grain of salt. I think the reasoning is more of a load on the drive train than anything else. The platform is no different than the non hybrids, but the powertrain sure is. They don't recommend towing with it either, but the other ones can tow. The Hybrid uses CVT, the others use regular transmissions, so add all the factors together, and it adds up to less overall weight capacity.

[Oman]

The load factor takes into account safety and handling limitations. For instance at maximum load the car has to safely navigate mountain roads and passes, as well as potholes and speed bumps. Here in flatland we don't have many mountains. If I were taking the car where I would be experiencing the limits of severe terrain for a car I would stick to the load limits. Otherwise I would not worry about an extra 50-100 pounds.

 

Jon

 

 

With a grain of salt. I think the reasoning is more of a load on the drive train than anything else. The platform is no different than the non hybrids, but the powertrain sure is. They don't recommend towing with it either, but the other ones can tow. The Hybrid uses CVT, the others use regular transmissions, so add all the factors together, and it adds up to less overall weight capacity.

[EntropyAvatar]

Ok, that's very helpful. I hadn't considered the scenarios the load limit would have to cover.

[bbf2530]

With a grain of salt. I think the reasoning is more of a load on the drive train than anything else. The platform is no different than the non hybrids, but the powertrain sure is. They don't recommend towing with it either, but the other ones can tow. The Hybrid uses CVT, the others use regular transmissions, so add all the factors together, and it adds up to less overall weight capacity.

 

 

Hi acdii. :D Just as an FYI, so others do not get confused: Ford specifically states not to use any Fusion model for towing and that no Ford Fusion model is rated for towing. This has been the case for all Fusion models, from 2006-2010.

 

This is a copy and paste from the 2010 Owners Manual: "WARNING: Never tow a trailer with this vehicle. Your vehicle is not equipped to tow. No towing packages are available through

an authorized dealer."

 

The only "towing" instructions in the Manual deal with towing the Fusion behind another vehicle, not towing anything with the Fusion.

 

Hope this information helps.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

Edited February 4, 2010 by bbf2530

[acdii]

Sorry got it mixed up with the Camry, the Hybrid can't tow, but the other models can, not much, but they can.

[Waldo]

As mentioned above, load ratings are meant to cover many things, but I'll add another one. The suspension (including the tires) are engineered to a certain load. The suspension doesn't care if the weight comes from 5 dudes or a pile of hybrid batteries. So when you start with a heavier car, you're going to end up with a lower payload capacity for a certain suspension design. Remember those suspension components were originally designed for a 2003 Mazda 6 that weighed about 3000lbs, those engineers would have never envisioned a bigger, heavier, hybrid weighing around to 3800lbs.