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

[jeff_h]

Having the Energi also mitigates the effects of those who don't pay as much attention to driving style. I am very cognizant of starting off smoothly and braking evenly to get 98-100% brake score on almost every stop. My wife's driving style, however, is either GO... or.... STOP!!! On the MyFordMobile app there is a log of all trips with MPG and brake score, my average brake score (when driving her car) is normally about 10 points higher than hers. So for her, most of her trips are crosstown (about 1,000-1,200 miles per month, mostly local) and hybrid mode comes into play now and then, it has still turned out to be the best move, IMHO.

 

1) The way it was with her driving an AWD Edge: Fill up with gas every 3-4 days, driving style of GO...STOP resulted in about $300-400 per month in gas.

 

2) The way it is with her driving an Energi: Fill up with gas every 3-4 weeks (have had 4½ fills since April), driving style of GO...STOP doesn't matter nearly as much in EV mode, resulting in about $30-40 per month in gas. I haven't done a fine-tooth comparison of when the cost of electricity is factored in, but since the electric bill could be almost twice what it is for the entire house and I'd still be saving money, well that is good enough for me and I don't see a need to delve further into it.

 

3) The way it likely would have been with her driving a Fusion Hybrid: Fill up with gas every 1-1½ weeks, driving style of GO...STOP would defeat purpose of the hybrid efficiency, likely resulting in about $100-150 per month in gas. Also, the $3,751 tax credit for the Energi means that it won't take as long for the difference in monthly gas cost to add up and make the Energi the best move for her driving situation and habits.

Edited August 1, 2013 by jeff_h

[David Henry]

For me it was my 48 mile one way commute and no where to plug in at work. Extra cost wouldn't be worth the benefits

[Eddie Sessum]

I would have gotten the energi if it could have competed with the volt. But the range is very low and the extra weight makes it get alot worse mpg on gas than a standard hybrid.

 

 

And no the volt turned out to be a dead option for me. I know someone who has one and loves it but all its technology is under the hood not inside where i can see it and use it :)

[mrswoodchuck]

I actually would have loved to have gotten the Energi. Unfortunately, we were down to one car and desperately needed another one in March. The Energi's hadn't hit our local dealer yet.

 

Sometimes, I see them, or a Titanium Hybrid and I think that would have been nice, but we have truly enjoyed our FFH a lot. We could have waited forever for just the right car.

 

Jean

[hermans]

I actually would have loved to have gotten the Energi. Unfortunately, we were down to one car and desperately needed another one in March. The Energi's hadn't hit our local dealer yet.

 

Sometimes, I see them, or a Titanium Hybrid and I think that would have been nice, but we have truly enjoyed our FFH a lot. We could have waited forever for just the right car.

 

Jean

They have been out for quite awhile now. I suspect your dealer is not certified to sell them.

[MaineFusion]

They have been out for quite awhile now. I suspect your dealer is not certified to sell them.

But as Jean said, they weren't widely available back in March when she was buying a car.

[hermans]

But as Jean said, they weren't widely available back in March when she was buying a car.

Thanks for taking the time to correct me.

[Gigi]

My first concern when I looked at fusions on the dealer lot was trunk space. I asked for the keys to a gas, a hybrid, and an energi. The salesman opened the trunks one after another beginning with the energi, which he described as "large," then the hybrid, which he called "larger," and the gas model which he called "humongous." I thought, "Large? Yeah, right! Quit the sales BS." My first trip to the dealer, I didn't even sit in the energi.

 

Trunk space was in the hybrid's favor. Our Hondy Odyssey had just dropped its second transmission after 259,000 miles. My wife and I were used to being able to put our adult children, their luggage, and sundry stuff in the car for a trip. 8 cubic feet of trunk space would not work. On second thought, 12 cubic feet of trunk space in the hybrid wasn't really enough, either. Buying either car would mean a lifestyle change. I decided to get a hard tonneau cover for my F-150 Lariat for the few times when we want to have five people and a lot of stuff in the car for a trip. 17-18 mpg for highway driving in the F-150 is horrible, but it is not that much worse than what we were getting in the Odyssey. When there are only two of us traveling, the small trunk in the energi will be no problem. Plus we have the folding back seats. Most of the car's daily use is not traveling, but commuting and errands with one or two people and no luggage. 8 cubic feet is plenty of trunk space for groceries and shopping.

 

I bought in late November. Between incentives, dealer discount, and the $4,000 federal tax credit, the purchase prices of the energi and the hybrid were within a couple of thousand dollars. I figured that the cost difference between electricity and fuel for our kind of driving would make up the difference in purchase price in about five years.

 

My wife has permission to plug in at work. We got a 240V EVSE for faster charges at thome. We are able to drive a substantial number of miles in EV. Driving on battery power is a pleasing experience - quiet and satisfying. I enjoy it so much, that I'm thinking of buying a Focus EV and parking my F-150.

 

I think that choosing to buy a hybrid is a wise, economical, environmentally responsible choice. The PHEV choice can be justified economically with enough charging opportunities. I cannot see myself ever buying another gas-only vehicle.

[hybridbear]

My first concern when I looked at fusions on the dealer lot was trunk space. I asked for the keys to a gas, a hybrid, and an energi. The salesman opened the trunks one after another beginning with the energi, which he described as "large," then the hybrid, which he called "larger," and the gas model which he called "humongous." I thought, "Large? Yeah, right! Quit the sales BS." My first trip to the dealer, I didn't even sit in the energi.

 

Trunk space was in the hybrid's favor. Our Hondy Odyssey had just dropped its second transmission after 259,000 miles. My wife and I were used to being able to put our adult children, their luggage, and sundry stuff in the car for a trip. 8 cubic feet of trunk space would not work. On second thought, 12 cubic feet of trunk space in the hybrid wasn't really enough, either. Buying either car would mean a lifestyle change. I decided to get a hard tonneau cover for my F-150 Lariat for the few times when we want to have five people and a lot of stuff in the car for a trip. 17-18 mpg for highway driving in the F-150 is horrible, but it is not that much worse than what we were getting in the Odyssey. When there are only two of us traveling, the small trunk in the energi will be no problem. Plus we have the folding back seats. Most of the car's daily use is not traveling, but commuting and errands with one or two people and no luggage. 8 cubic feet is plenty of trunk space for groceries and shopping.

 

I bought in late November. Between incentives, dealer discount, and the $4,000 federal tax credit, the purchase prices of the energi and the hybrid were within a couple of thousand dollars. I figured that the cost difference between electricity and fuel for our kind of driving would make up the difference in purchase price in about five years.

 

My wife has permission to plug in at work. We got a 240V EVSE for faster charges at thome. We are able to drive a substantial number of miles in EV. Driving on battery power is a pleasing experience - quiet and satisfying. I enjoy it so much, that I'm thinking of buying a Focus EV and parking my F-150.

 

I think that choosing to buy a hybrid is a wise, economical, environmentally responsible choice. The PHEV choice can be justified economically with enough charging opportunities. I cannot see myself ever buying another gas-only vehicle.

Congrats!! Sounds like the Energi really is working well for you. I agree that I'd never buy another gas only vehicle.

[acdii]

My first concern when I looked at fusions on the dealer lot was trunk space. I asked for the keys to a gas, a hybrid, and an energi. The salesman opened the trunks one after another beginning with the energi, which he described as "large," then the hybrid, which he called "larger," and the gas model which he called "humongous." I thought, "Large? Yeah, right! Quit the sales BS." My first trip to the dealer, I didn't even sit in the energi.

 

Trunk space was in the hybrid's favor. Our Hondy Odyssey had just dropped its second transmission after 259,000 miles. My wife and I were used to being able to put our adult children, their luggage, and sundry stuff in the car for a trip. 8 cubic feet of trunk space would not work. On second thought, 12 cubic feet of trunk space in the hybrid wasn't really enough, either. Buying either car would mean a lifestyle change. I decided to get a hard tonneau cover for my F-150 Lariat for the few times when we want to have five people and a lot of stuff in the car for a trip. 17-18 mpg for highway driving in the F-150 is horrible, but it is not that much worse than what we were getting in the Odyssey. When there are only two of us traveling, the small trunk in the energi will be no problem. Plus we have the folding back seats. Most of the car's daily use is not traveling, but commuting and errands with one or two people and no luggage. 8 cubic feet is plenty of trunk space for groceries and shopping.

 

I bought in late November. Between incentives, dealer discount, and the $4,000 federal tax credit, the purchase prices of the energi and the hybrid were within a couple of thousand dollars. I figured that the cost difference between electricity and fuel for our kind of driving would make up the difference in purchase price in about five years.

 

My wife has permission to plug in at work. We got a 240V EVSE for faster charges at thome. We are able to drive a substantial number of miles in EV. Driving on battery power is a pleasing experience - quiet and satisfying. I enjoy it so much, that I'm thinking of buying a Focus EV and parking my F-150.

 

I think that choosing to buy a hybrid is a wise, economical, environmentally responsible choice. The PHEV choice can be justified economically with enough charging opportunities. I cannot see myself ever buying another gas-only vehicle.

This is why trunk space never was an issue for us either. For our average use we rarely ever fill the trunk, and in the event we need to, we take the other car.(except for the one time I hit a damned deer!)