2013 Fusion Hybrid

[sarasbluegroove]

Hi,

This year is the year where i take the plunge and buy my first new car, ever. i am looking for an attractive vehicle with some power (not a whole lot, but more than i get in my current 98 corolla). Gas milage is a huge deal for me. I hate going to the gas station, and i hate paying for gas. I was thinking about going for the the sonata or optima hybrids, however i don't think my mileage will be as good as they say it will.

 

I'm not into hypermilling, i want to continue to drive the way i do. (always in fast lane on highway going 65-85 mph, start fairly quickly, stop slower than i start, no grandma driving stuff). So i know because of my driving habits, my mileage will be lower than even those the EPA estimates as the lowest MPG.

 

So, can i expect to get at least mid 30's in my mpg in the new 2013? Can any ford fusion hybrid owners estimate the costs for this car? Will it be around the same as a fully loaded 2012? I think i calculated it to be around $35000, but i might be wrong. With any research anyone has been doing, are the real life mpg numbers from the ford fusions better than the sonatas or optimas? What is realistic to expect to be able to order/drive away with one? I was going to purchase my new car in may, but if i can get a better vehicle with better gas milage by waiting a few more months, i can wait. Thoughts?

[CometFlash]

If you do a lot of highway driving, you may very well get better MPG buying a conventional gas fueled car than a hybrid. Hybrids do great in city driving, but they don't have lots of ooomph if you like to get up & go for the sake of the feel or speed of it. Plus on the highway you won't see any added benefits from the hybrid powertrain since it'll never be able to go into EV mode. If 50% of your commute is city & 50% highway, perhaps then I'd consider it. But if it's mostly highway I bet you'll find cars out there with a lot more ooomph and great highway MPG. I love my FFH, but if I was doing a lot of highway driving I'd rather be in an all-new 2013 Fusion w/EcoBoost, or all-new 2013 Taurus w/EcoBoost, or even the newly redesigned Focus if it isn't too small.

 

At any rate, you're right about waiting a few months for the new model to hit if you do decide to go with the Fusion or Taurus. The hardest thing for me to get used to in my FFH was the lack of luxury. I mean, it came with everything there was possible to add. But it just felt very ho-hum compared to my F-150 Platinum, and yet they were both the top-of-the-line for their respective model lines. Huge luxuriousness difference between the two. Looks like the new Fusion takes this in to consideration, if that's a selling point for you. If you go with a current model soon, the MKZ does look & feel more like you'd expect for a top-of-line model to be, although the price differential is substantial. I bought my FFH to pay off my mortgage faster, and in 1 year after buying my home I've already paid off 6 years of the mortgage, so it's working very well. But 97% of my driving is city not highway. I fill her when she is at half-tank, which is every 3 weeks or so. 44.4 MPG in summer, 39.6 MPG winter.

 

If you find a preowned FFH you could try it for awhile and if you didn't like it trade it back in at not too much of a loss. That was my plan when I bought mine. But surprisingly, it's been the most fun-to-drive vehicle I've ever owned. It's not close to the sheer majesty of any of my F-150's over the years, but it truly is actually fun to drive for maximum efficiency.

 

:dogwalk: <-- I don't know where this smiley came from, but it was too cute not to post, even though it has nothing to do with anything I'm talking about. :D :P

[sarasbluegroove]

Right now my future is unknown as to my driving :-( In my current situation, i am driving 50/50, with lots of 30-45 mph for the "city" aspect. But i will be moving in May, so then my driving will be 30/70 city/highway, so lots more highway. But everything could change if my BF gets his job in GA (just dropped him off at the airport) and i could be moving down there. Looking at the job opportunities for me down there though, i have a feeling i will have to drive quite a distance to work. What kind of incentives can be expected on this? I can get about $900 off a new sonata. Can i expect something similar for a ford? I just don't know if i want to wait that long, i was going to buy a new car in may when i move. Right now i'm getting around avg 23 mpg with my corolla :-( I want to pay less and fill up less when i start having to do lots of highway driving.

[dennisw]

My FFH will get mid to high 30's on the highway driving like the majority of people at 70 +. Slowing to 65-70 gets it to 40's. It is much better than a non hybrid even on the highway it does not go in EV above 47 but the electric motor does assist on the highway, which is why it does get better than the non hybrid. My all time mileage since new is 43.6 mpg. I do not hyper mile I accelerate normally then back off to go in EV mode. In my town the highest in town mph is 50 so I always stay at 45 or below to conserve fuel. My current tank of gas is at 453 miles and the trip says I have 255 miles to empty this is with 80 city 20 highway on this tank. The acceleration is much better than the Corrola you are driving now, in fact it is by and away as much as anyone will ever need, and high speeds over 100 do not even brake a sweat with this car. I had a 9 mile drive today and at one time was at 105 and the trip said 37.4 mpg this would never happen in a no hybrid car. The FFH is much smoother in operation and gets better mpg tha the two vehicle you mention and in my opinion is much better looking and built better.

[Scott A320]

The running average for my '10 FFH is 42.2 MPG. My overall experience with the FFH has been so wonderful I'm actually planning to purchase the same make/model vehicle for the first time ever! June 2012 will mark the 3rd year of what has been the flawless experience of owning my first Ford since a 1975 Pinto! Unless the competitive landscape changes*, a 2013 FFH will be the replacement sometime later this year or early 2013. Just want to wait a bit to see the in-service history and get familiar with the available packages.

 

 

 

* There really AFAIK no direct competitor to the 2013 FFH in the segment except for the Camry. Won't even "shop" that slug!