I Purchased a Ford Fusion Hybrid instead of a Ford Fusion Energi Because...

[GrayStrider]

Just wondering why you chose the regular hybrid and not the Energi model?

 

For us, it was the additional cost - we didn't feel we'd recoup the extra cost of the vehicle in the gas savings. We have a 34 mile drive to work and there is no place to charge the car at work. An article I read comparing the C-Max hybrid model vs. Energi model suggested that the Energi model would be a good fit for those who typically travel 20 miles or less per trip, and recommended the regular hybrid for the typical driver who had a longer commute.

 

 

[acdii]

For me it was 2 reasons, Cost, and my regular dealer couldn't get it for me. The dealer that sells Energi models didnt seam much like they wanted to sell them, complaining about how much their charging station costs and how they can only order so many of them and not enough to make up the cost, blah blah blah. It would have been ideal as a drive to town to go shopping round trip is under 20 miles. Those are the trips that consume the most fuel for us. Now that I have a good working FFH, Very pleased with what I got.

[kuzzi]

Gray, I am in the same situation as you. Even with tax incentives it wasn't worth the extra $1 or 2k (after tax).

[djminfll]

The Energi wasn't available when I placed the order for my FFH. Plus the substantial additional $$$ made it not cost effective. I had a tougher decision choosing between the SE and the Titanium.

[vangonebuy]

For me, The trunk space thing is nuts...

I needed space.

 

Also, Our $.23 a kilowatt rate didn't really wow me on the return against gasoline per mile.

Cost 7.82 cents per mile elec.

Cost 8.51 cents per mile gas. @ $3.70 a gallon

According to the EPA sticker.

[corncobs]

Too far to drive to work 38 miles not sure if I could have been able to charge it at work. In addition to that roughly 8k more buys a lot of gas I have yet to break the $1000 barrier for gas bills based on fuelly it cost me less than 10 cents a mile in my FFH.

[neod192]

My commute is 11.6 miles one way, so an Energi would have been ideal for me. It was my first pick as far as wants, but it would take wayy too long to recover the "Energi premium". I think it came out to 10 years after the tax credit. The trunk space is sad, but something I would've been willing to deal with (by getting a carrier to put on top of the car for road trips). It just didn't make sense financially ... This is my first new car and I already spent 35k on it (before taxes).

 

Our electric company even has offers a $2,500 credit toward the installation of a 240V charger.

[milleron]

My dealer can get the Energi. He has a couple sitting on his lot gathering dust, but I didn't think it was cost effective. Like neod said, the payback period was too long.

 

That said, if I had it to do over again, I'd probably pay the premium. Driving in EV is just so very pleasant that I'd pay extra for it. I've never had the pleasure of driving an Energi, but I imagine that to a large extent it keeps the Growler -- aka ICE -- silent which can give me a sensation I compare loosely to flying a sailplane. My commute is short enough to pretty much get there and back on an overnight charge. I do not use my car for family vacations any longer, so the trunk space is not critical for me. And, in the end, if one waits long enough, it really is sort of a break-even proposition financially.

So, while I'm happy with my FFH, I have a little buyer's remorse just in this one small area.

[jsolan]

As others have said, biggest reason was price.

Also 50% of my driving is a commuting 15 miles 1 way. An Energi would be GREAT for that.

The other 50% of my driving is split between long highway trips and mountainous back roads. It would be terrible for that. So between the ultra high premium cost and only being able to make use of the EV advantage 50% of the time, a Hybrid over Energi was a no-brainer in my case.

 

I was much more torn between the Hybrid and 2.0 Ecoboost. The ONLY reason I went Hybrid over the non-hybrid was because the price difference was less than 2k and even at 37 mpg (my worse case expectancy) I would make up the cost based on how long I keep vehicles.

[Scott Sweet]

I am thinking of getting a Fusion Titanium but wanted to hear from people who actually have the car. Would love to chat with anyone who is online or you can post your experiences. I am leaning towards the Energi because in CA we can get access to the HOV lanes for free :).

 

Thanks,

[hybridbear]

Since both my wife and I walk to work and don't use the car to commute and only have the 1 car that we share the hybrid made the most sense. Living in an apartment there is no available outlet to charge and the Energi didn't make enough sense for me to ask the building management if they would consider putting in a 120V outlet in our parking space so we could charge. I think Ford has priced the Fusion Energi way to high to be a worthwhile purchase. The C-Max Energi on the other hand is priced close enough to the C-Max Hybrid that the Energi is a great buy. In MN there are no additional incentives for buying an Energi, but even with only the Federal Tax Credit the C-Max Energi worked out to about $800 more only after factoring in higher sales tax etc. Our decision was more between FFH, C-Max Hybrid, TCH or possibly C-Max Energi. Ultimately though the C-Max lost because of having no moonroof and thus the C-Max Energi also lost out for us.

 

But for my parents the C-Max Energi is perfect because they still have cargo space, unlike the FFE, and they should be able to go 3000+ miles on each tank of gas.

[Kingsfan830]

I had identical Sterling Grey Fusions sitting next to each other yesterday. (Titanium Hybrid and a Titanium Energi) The deal breaker for me was when I took out my golf clubs and couldn't fit them in the Energi's trunk. If it wasn't for the extremely tiny cargo space I would have shelled out the extra cash. I have a 30 mile commute with availability to charge at work.

 

That said, I love my Titanium Hybrid.

[jeff_h]

I have a 60-mile commute each way and don't have the ability to charge at work -- I asked about getting a charging station a couple years ago, was told that it would be considered... which never translated from 'considered' to 'implemented', so I didn't see the benefit of shelling out the extra bucks with only the means to charge on one end.

 

Wife only has 3-mile commute each way, with additional running around to drop off/pick up at school and other running around town, so it made sense for her and so that's what she now has.

[GrayStrider]

This is my first new car

Congrats on your first new car - a great choice!!

[GrayStrider]

I have a 60-mile commute each way and don't have the ability to charge at work -- I asked about getting a charging station a couple years ago, was told that it would be considered... which never translated from 'considered' to 'implemented', so I didn't see the benefit of shelling out the extra bucks with only the means to charge on one end.

 

Wife only has 3-mile commute each way, with additional running around to drop off/pick up at school and other running around town, so it made sense for her and so that's what she now has.

Wow, looking at your 'Ruby Begonia' numbers, I'm impressed!! 47.8 mpg average over 36 fuel-ups is amazing!! I would love to break into the 40 mpg range as an average.

[Willskx]

I'm still new here, but wanted to share a few things. I was in the market for a second "family" car. I am a contractor out here in California and have been driving my F-350 diesel utility truck since 2005, I'm used to spending $800 - $1,000 on gas monthly when I'm busy. Newly single dad, driving the kids around in my 11mpg standard cab truck got old quick. The test driving began. I built the Fusion Ti Hybrid I wanted online and began shopping around. After my test drive I was happy with the car and looking forward to purchasing one. This guy wouldn't let me leave the dealership after I repeatedly told him I was not interested in the black Hybrid we test drove. They had about a dozen Fusions on the lot that day, and the one hybrid. He said he could get the car I wanted, or built online but it would cost more and take a while. Honestly I didn't care, that was fine, I said ok and wanted to leave. Eventually I gave in like an idiot. I dropped a good amount of money on a car I want, but not exactly. That damn pushy salesman got over on me and now I'm stuck with a black car I'm washing 3 times a week. Keep in mind this is my second car, I come home from work in the truck, look over at the hybrid and it's dirty, wash it, wax it, it always shows dirt. The car sits all day outside in the driveway, so I get a car cover, now I have the antenna issue. I really like the car - overall, I'm happy, but damn this black color. I feel like an idiot for letting the pushy salesman get over on me. I read all the threads about the titanium package and kick myself. On my second tank of gas, if I could take it back I would.

[neod192]

I'm still new here, but wanted to share a few things. I was in the market for a second "family" car. I am a contractor out here in California and have been driving my F-350 diesel utility truck since 2005, I'm used to spending $800 - $1,000 on gas monthly when I'm busy. Newly single dad, driving the kids around in my 11mpg standard cab truck got old quick. The test driving began. I built the Fusion Ti Hybrid I wanted online and began shopping around. After my test drive I was happy with the car and looking forward to purchasing one. This guy wouldn't let me leave the dealership after I repeatedly told him I was not interested in the black Hybrid we test drove. They had about a dozen Fusions on the lot that day, and the one hybrid. He said he could get the car I wanted, or built online but it would cost more and take a while. Honestly I didn't care, that was fine, I said ok and wanted to leave. Eventually I gave in like an idiot. I dropped a good amount of money on a car I want, but not exactly. That damn pushy salesman got over on me and now I'm stuck with a black car I'm washing 3 times a week. Keep in mind this is my second car, I come home from work in the truck, look over at the hybrid and it's dirty, wash it, wax it, it always shows dirt. The car sits all day outside in the driveway, so I get a car cover, now I have the antenna issue. I really like the car - overall, I'm happy, but damn this black color. I feel like an idiot for letting the pushy salesman get over on me. I read all the threads about the titanium package and kick myself. On my second tank of gas, if I could take it back I would.

Sorry to hear you let that sales guy get to you ... The car should be less expensive if you custom order it ... but it would take longer to end up in your driveway. The dealer doesn't have to pay finance fees for a custom ordered car and they also don't incur the cost of storing the car on their lot.

 

They just wanted to get rid of the one they had on the lot and did whatever it took to do it ... Also if you were to order a new one, most likely it would have been a 2014 model (which might be a little bit more expensive??).

 

Look at the bright side: you saved a few grand by not going with a Titanium and you're already saving $ on gas:)

[LASooner]

T.....R....U....N......K

[MaineFusion]

For me when I bought my 2013 FFH, the Energi wasn't available yet. Later on, when looking at the Energi at the NY Auto Show, I decided I'm glad I didn't go with the Energi because of the lack of trunk space.

[TX NRG]

I had some concerns about the trunk space before getting my Energi but those were mitigated because I could use the backseat and fold the seats down and we also have the option of using a second vehicle (minivan) for larger things. I also don't use the trunk much except for stashing my laptop bag and gym bag during the week on my 22 mile commute, and maybe for groceries on weekends. The rare golf outing will see my clubs in the trunk and a second person's in the backseat.

 

Have only had the car for a month but we are using it more and more, including for most of our errands. The four of us went grocery shopping this weekend and packed a shopping cart and a half of groceries into the trunk and only the 8 pack of Bounty was in the backseat between the kids used for an armrest. Still have about 2/3s of the dealer's tank of gas after about 670 miles and it's averaging 112 mpg and costs me 60 cents to charge each evening ($0.09/kwh).

 

Everyone's situation is different so consider how you might use the vehicle for commuting as well as on weekends, short commutes vs long, can you recharge at your place of work now? how about 1-2 years from now? run a lot of short errands on weekends? how long do you plan to keep the car ( longer favors payback of the Energi, shorter favors the less expensive FFH)? Etc....

[caspian65]

My wife and I also thought the payback on the Energi wasn't worth the additional cost. Our optioned out FFH SE stickered for $35.5k. The dealer we bought from had about 8 Fusion Energi's, average sticker about $44k. Even the salesman we worked with said the Energi wasn't worth the price.

[LASooner]

I think advances in battery tech is going to benefit both cars in the next 5 years. Granted you will need to replace the existing ones, but they're only going to get lighter, better storage and faster charging.

[dalesky]

The cost is significant, and trunk space is important for me when road tripping. Have to have enough shoes along! We don't have kids, and don't often carry others, but when we travel we do take a lot of stuff. We have always carried a cooler inside the cabin covered with a white bed spread to keep it cool, but I don't want suitcases in there too, if I can avoid it.

Recharging is not easy here either, so it would have to be at home, and with a 220V charger to make sense. Really tho, how much difference is there if I can get over 40 on most of my trips with the hybrid. Today with AC on, running between 40 and 60 for 13 miles I averaged 51. Not much to dislike there for me.

[apm]

Really tho, how much difference is there if I can get over 40 on most of my trips with the hybrid.

There could be a big difference if you can stay in electric. My car currently has 3000 miles and I filled up last weekend for only the second time (plus the "free" tank from when I purchase the car). That's an average of about 1000 miles per tank. I used to get about 500 miles per tank on my 2010 Fusion Hybrid. Of course, there is a cost to the electricity I'm using but it is way lower than that the cost of gas per mile. Based on my electric rates, it cost me less than $1 to completely charge the battery and I get about 25 miles to a full charge. The gas is about 3.60 currently in my area. Even using the $1 per charge (which is high), I can get about 90 miles of electric range for the same cost of a gallon of gas.

 

Based on my driving habits the Energi is working perfectly for me.

 

Regards,

APM

[murphy]

Really tho, how much difference is there if I can get over 40 on most of my trips with the hybrid.

I picked my car up on April 15. I have only taken one short trip out of town. The majority of my trips are less than 20 miles round trip.

I have used approximately 2.8 gallons of gas and the odometer just turned 800 miles.