Drove the FFH yesterday

[rico567]

After several months of test drives, we finally drove the Fusion hybrid yesterday. They had the SE pretty well equipped, but with none of the driver assist tech. A dealer ten miles further had a hybrid Titanium with all the tech, but we didn't see the point, since we're not fronting $40K out the door for any car. The car we drove was pretty much what I'd been led to expect from research here and in other places.

 

1. Looks: yeah, it's James Bond all the way. Undoubtedly the best looking car we've driven. The color (some ice-thing) sucked, but there are other colors.

 

2. Drove well. Steering, brakes, pointing, all good. But pretty much every car we have tested was equivalent, too.

 

3. Acceleration was predictably underwhelming, but after driving the Prius, we were prepared for this.

 

4. Front seat was very accommodating, in the top three we've driven. This is crucial, since I'm 6'6".

 

5. Back seat was somewhat smaller than the Accord or Passat, as we had been led to expect.

 

6. One of us was insistent that all the voice notifications had to go. I assured her they could be turned off.

 

7. In the hybrid configuration, a lot of the trunk is gone. Not sure we can live with that.

 

8. The fuel efficiency issue will be decided by research, since obviously no test drive can determine how the car will do. We have accepted the fact that we will have to change our driving habits to get the maximum mpg out of a hybrid, if that's the way we go.

 

In all, a positive experience....and with this dealer, there's always the siren song of proximity, since it's only about a 6 minute drive. But we're determined to base this decision on the car we want, not the dealer. Now we decide (having driven the conventional Accord) whether we're going to wait and drive the non-PHEV model when it comes out this Fall, or go ahead and buy something now. Since the ICE Accord was a front-runner otherwise (along with the VW Passat TDI and the FFH), I suspect we'll wait.

Edited May 11, 2013 by rico567

[mokee]

I thought the Accord a great car, aside from the suspension's stiffness and interior tending toward blandness. It would have been a possible choice, but my wife didn't like the dashboard. VW was never in the picture for us. She wouldn't drive a Prius as the local dealer really offended her a couple trades ago with the offer he made for her Taurus. He made it clear he didn't want her car in trade, and she is very particular about how she cares for her cars keeping them immaculate and all. She fell in love with the FFH the 1st time she drove it. I got the dealer to order one equipped the way she liked it, and when it came in we test drove it and we made the deal.

[B25Nut]

" In the hybrid configuration, a lot of the trunk is gone. Not sure we can live with that."

 

You'll be amazed at how much you can put into the FFH's trunk. And when everything won't fit, you fold down the rear seats. The quietness of the Fusion Hybrid should be a big factor in your decision. It really improves your driving experience. Acceleration on the highway is of primary importance to me, and the FFH has never disappointed me there.

I saw my first 2013 Honda Accord Sport for the first time last week and I was impressed with its looks. At first I thought it was a BMW. But I think you'd still be paying more for the Accord, and the FFH still has the edge on looks.

Edited May 13, 2013 by B25Nut

[VonoreTn]

" In the hybrid configuration, a lot of the trunk is gone. Not sure we can live with that."

 

You'll be amazed at how much you can put into the FFH's trunk. And when everthing won't fit, you fold down the rear seats. The quietness of the Fusion Hybrid should be a big factor in your decision. It really improves your driving experience. Acceleration on the highway is of primary importance to me, and the FFH has never disappointed me there.

I saw my first 2013 Honda Accord Sport for the first time last week and I was impressed with its looks. At first I thought it was a BMW. But I think you'd still be paying more for the Accord, and the FFH still has the edge on looks.

You can fold down the rear seats? I didn't know that was a feature of the 2013 model FFH. Please elaborate about how much room that adds. We can't fold down the rear seats in our 2010 model. I did add a trailer hitch, not for a trailer since that's not allowed, but for a luggage platform and a bike rack. And you are right, we did manage to get all of our luggage including a set of golf clubs and using the rear seat area, for my Wife and I to take to a take a trip to Florida for a month in January.

[rjent]

You can fold down the rear seats? I didn't know that was a feature of the 2013 model FFH. Please elaborate about how much room that adds. We can't fold down the rear seats in our 2010 model. I did add a trailer hitch, not for a trailer since that's not allowed, but for a luggage platform and a bike rack. And you are right, we did manage to get all of our luggage including a set of golf clubs and using the rear seat area, for my Wife and I to take to a take a trip to Florida for a month in January.

Here is a video for the seats .... :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqqdpDDci_s&fwid=1251735343024

[milleron]

I've been an Accord guy for the last ten years. My 2003 Accord STILL runs like a scared deer, gets up to 33 mpg freeway, and has been ultrareliable.

So I was really glad to learn that 2013 is a redesign year for the Accord. I expected big things, but when I sat in the driver's seat, I gotta tell you, I had to look hard to tell I wasn't sitting in my ten-year-old Accord. That was disappointing, but when I found out that it doesn't have a true blind-spot warning system, that was the deal breaker for me. There are certain safety features that start out as options, like padded dashes and seat belts in the 1960s and air bags in the 1980s, but quickly find their way into the must-have department. Having driven my wife's 2010 LaCrosse for a few years, I became convinced that under no circumstances would I ever have a new car without BLIS.

On every competitor hybrid, except perhaps the Avalon, there were one or two FFH features missing that I just didn't want to do without. The Ford thus would have won by default, but it had me at styling. This car is a head-turner. I actually had a guy pull up beside me on the street yesterday asking me to roll down my window. I though I might have cut him off or something, but he just wanted to ask me how I liked my Hybrid Titanium. I've never had that happen before.

 

BTW, the lithium ion battery is enough smaller than the nickle metal hydride battery that the you now get the rear-seat fold-down feature. The energy density of the former is literally twice that of the latter, so it can make a big difference in size, space regained, and weight reduction.

Edited May 12, 2013 by milleron

[neod192]

You can fold down the rear seats? I didn't know that was a feature of the 2013 model FFH. Please elaborate about how much room that adds. We can't fold down the rear seats in our 2010 model. I did add a trailer hitch, not for a trailer since that's not allowed, but for a luggage platform and a bike rack. And you are right, we did manage to get all of our luggage including a set of golf clubs and using the rear seat area, for my Wife and I to take to a take a trip to Florida for a month in January.

Went to IKEA yesterday and got 3 boxes :) Unfortunately the smallest box was 1-2 inch too big to lay down in the trunk next to the battery .. It had to go on the rear seat. Good news, they all fit, including the really long one (81 inch)!

 

 

[Aquineas]

OP thanks for your thoughts on the FFH. I have test-driven a 2013 Fusion but not a FFH. I suspect the acceleration would be fine for my wife, but I'm used to a V8, so...

 

On a side-note, neod, good luck putting together your furniture kit! :-).

[neod192]

On a side-note, neod, good luck putting together your furniture kit! :-).

Thanks! We love small projects like that :) We're already put together one of them, the 2nd one will be really easy and the third one will take some time (just like the first).

[djminfll]

I gave up on Honda when I had a total lemon Accord lease - 2006 Accord EX-L lease, loaded with everything but navigation. That car was in the shop all the time, the transmission could never be fixed properly, and the dealer treated me like crap the whole time. I swore I'd never go back to Honda again, and so far I haven't. I also was part of the Motor Trend "editor of the day" event in Miami last year, and in my opinion, the Honda clearly trailed the Fusion (although it was better than the Sonata, Altima, or Camry.)

[hybridbear]

I am curious to see how the new Accord Hybrid compares. If you aren't in a hurry to buy now I'd wait for the Accord Hybrid this fall and drive the FFH and Accord Hybrid on the same day together to do a real comparison. It would also be helpful to drive both cars over the same preset route on the same day to see how they do for fuel economy.

 

As far as trunk space we don't like the awkward shape of the trunk. It is adequate for most things we do but there are times that I need to fold down the rear seats and put stuff on there because the awkward shape of the trunk makes a lot of the space hard to use. Considering that no other hybrid sedan has fold down rear seats the trunk of the FFH is by far the best of all the hybrids out there

[rico567]

I am curious to see how the new Accord Hybrid compares. If you aren't in a hurry to buy now I'd wait for the Accord Hybrid this fall and drive the FFH and Accord Hybrid on the same day together to do a real comparison. It would also be helpful to drive both cars over the same preset route on the same day to see how they do for fuel economy.

 

As far as trunk space we don't like the awkward shape of the trunk. It is adequate for most things we do but there are times that I need to fold down the rear seats and put stuff on there because the awkward shape of the trunk makes a lot of the space hard to use. Considering that no other hybrid sedan has fold down rear seats the trunk of the FFH is by far the best of all the hybrids out there

You have hit on our current plan - wait for the Accord hybrid, then drive it and the surviving candidates we've already tested in quick succession, then make our choice.

 

Whatever our eventual ride I'll be sure to post the outcome here.

Edited May 14, 2013 by rico567

[HenryVIII]

Be sure to check out You Tube reviews on the FFH. You'll notice that even with the odd shaped trunk (because of the cooling/vent fans for the batteries) you can still fit plenty in there. There's one video where they actually toss in several pieces of luggage in there. Great point of reference. I'll try to find it while I'm on night shift. Honestly it's good enough to take the car to the airport or a drive out of town for a while. Not to mention that the seats can fold down too for added storage.

 

Yes the performance (acceleration) is underwhelming, but way better than a Prius by almost 2 seconds on a 0-60. It's on par with compact sedans and competing models with 4 cyl. engines. But you'll get better fuel economy.

 

The thing I noticed is that this car slowly starts to rival that of BMW, Mercedes and Audi, especially in terms of value. Add in the tech features and it's an excellent luxury car option. Not sure if that was Ford's intention but compare it to those brands and you're getting more value for your money.

 

That's why imo it does not compare to Nissan, Hyundai, Kia or Toyota, even though it competes in that class.

 

This car is dead quiet. Notice the front windshield from the top. You'll see an extra layer sandwiched in between. Again luxury features.

[hybridbear]

You have hit on our current plan - wait for the Accord hybrid, then drive it and the surviving candidates we've already tested in quick succession, then make our choice.

 

Whatever our eventual ride I'll be sure to post the outcome here.

Thanks. We would have liked to have waited to see what the next gen Accord Hybrid can do, but with how slowly Honda is rolling it out I'm skeptical. Plus we didn't want to wait that long because our previous car (2006 Accord Hybrid) was going to need lots of routine maintenance within a year including 4 tires since it still had the original tires after 65,000 miles and the only 60,000 mile maintenance I had done was changing transmission fluid because I did that myself.

[acdii]

Appliance, Cool car, Appliance, Cool car, man tough choice!

[HenryVIII]

Around the 7 min mark:

 

 

That should give you an idea on what you can put in there. As you can see you can add luggage just fine, however for more than one person you may have to stack luggage and place it on top of the battery pack.

Edited May 22, 2013 by HenryVIII