Has anyone gone from a 5 Series BMW to a Ford Fusion Energi Titanium?

[dmackdaddy]

Not sure if this is the right forum but Has anyone gone from a 5 Series BMW to a Ford Fusion Energi Titanium? I currently lease a 2011 BMW 535i which is on the last 180 days of the lease. I'm looking to save money on my next car, so I am not going to buy a Tesla and so I am seriously considering a 2014 or 2015 Ford Fusion Energi Titanium. I've take two 2014's and one 2013 for test drives and so far I like the car. I wish I could rent one for a week to make my choice easier but I cant seem to find a place that rents them. So my question is, are there any folks in here that have made the switch from BMW to Ford FET? With a fully loaded 2014 FFET I would be saving about $300 a month on payment and then about another $200 on fuel, so that would be about $500 a month in my pocket vs out the door. I know for that I would lose 0-60 speed when getting in on the Freeway but but would be gaining 100+MPGe and a few other bells and whistles like Parking assist and Rear view camera that my current BMW does not have. Then I can also think about the $6000 a year or $18K over a 3 year lease I'd be gaining as well as Car Pool lane stickers. At this point the only thing I think I would lose is that 300HP Turbo engine, the awesome BMW design. But then again I really like the Ford FET interior and exterior as well. The only thing I'm not totally in love with are the rims but I've seen a few ppl swap them out for the Hybrid version rims, which I would also do after 3 months or so.

 

Looking forward to hearing anyone on their switch so far, so thanks in advance!

[jeff_h]

There are many users at www.fordfusionenergiforum.com - don't remember if anyone has that particular model, but there is a varied assortment of previous vehicles... come on over.

[corncobs]

I didn't switch from a 535i but my coworker has one.

Even if you probably would have a bit more space in the second row I think the first is far more comfortable in the Fusion.

Even if I like the body lines on newer BMWs I would never buy one because of the interior it's just not mine. The Fusion wins hands down in style inside and out considering the price difference to a BMW.

$ 500 savings would be reason enough for me.

 

Good luck with your desicion.

 

Edit: I wrote some stupid stuff 11 hours starring at a PC monitor got to me.

Edited December 10, 2013 by corncobs

[dmackdaddy]

I've had like 6 BMW's in a row and I'm ready for a change. Looking to enjoy EV technology and save money on gas. I drive my car about 1 hour a day to and from work, the rest of the time it sits in a lot or my garage. My commute is about 18 mils each way, so I could enjoy 18 EV miles in and Hybrid the rest of the way home if I dont charge somewhere at lunch. I live racing cars now and then but the majority of my commute is at 75MPH on the freeway where I could be going all EV. I just fear buying one and then regreting the loss of power at street lights and freeway entrances or when you just wanna pass someone that is in your way. I really need to drive one for a full day on and off the freeway. My coworker has a 2013 but I cant get him to lend it to me for a day lol.

[dmackdaddy]

I really dig the interior too! Not far if if not better than my BMW now:

 

 

[acdii]

When I want power, I drive my 365HP AWD Flex, but for a daily driver, the FFH works great. I put over 2 hours a day behind the wheel and not once did I ever feel it didn't have enough power, even after driving the Flex. What I love the most about driving the HyTi is when the BMW driver blows past me, and I catch up and EV past them at the next light. You just used how much gas to get to the red light? Enough that would get me across town with some to spare! LOL The Fusion is surprisingly fast for being a Hybrid, drive a Prius then the Fusion, you will then know! :)

[B25Nut]

One member here switched from a MB CLS to the FFH and is very pleased. The vast majority of people here will tell you "Buy it, you won't regret it". If the small trunk space of the Energi is a barrier, go for the Titanium Hybrid.

[dmackdaddy]

I dont think the small trunk space will affect my decision. I harldy carry anything in my current huge bmw trunk. I'm glad to hear folks have the power you need! I just dont want to feel like a whimpy driver on the road. I dont need to be 1st at the light as long as Im not the last :) Thanks for the input folks! Hopefully more of you will chime in! I've got 5 months left on my lease!

[bsondhi]

I have a Lexus ES350 with 265HP and brought FFH (Not Energi). I can say for sure, Ford steering is very precise, the handling and suspension is better than Lexus, interior comes close. I do miss the power when driving on freeway but 47MPG v/s 25MPG is unbeatable.

 

Enjoy your ride. Drive it like a cruiser.

[dmackdaddy]

That's what I keep telling my friends. I punch 0-80MPH only about 5-6 times a day when getting on the freeway and passing here and there but the majority of my daily drive does not require that. My Friday drive to and from work consisted of 36 miles with lunch included and avg speed of 25MPH and I got a whopping 19.9MPG! So I'm sure I will be getting a lot more out of the car, specially on the weekends when I just drive around town. Keep them coming folks!

[B25Nut]

Dmack -Check this out:

 

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20131209/CARREVIEWS/131209886

[dmackdaddy]

Good read, thanks B25nut!

I think I'm sold. The only thing I need would be to test this bad boy getting on the freeway and off the lights a little more to be 100% convinced. I know its not going to be a speedster but just wanna test it in more real life like driving. :) But as one of the members said above, the EV at lights seems decent and I really like the stop/start tech (which BMW's have now) cuz some traffic lights on my commute are sometimes 5+ minutes, specially if a train is coming and you have to wait for it and miss a light. I just need to find a black to charge close tow work but I'm sure they will pop up more and more in the next 5 months. Today the wife and I ran a bunch of errands and drove exactly 21 miles, which would have been perfect for the FFET and then BOOM I charge it and put it away for the night!

[hybridbear]

That's what I keep telling my friends. I punch 0-80MPH only about 5-6 times a day when getting on the freeway and passing here and there but the majority of my daily drive does not require that. My Friday drive to and from work consisted of 36 miles with lunch included and avg speed of 25MPH and I got a whopping 19.9MPG! So I'm sure I will be getting a lot more out of the car, specially on the weekends when I just drive around town. Keep them coming folks!

Your habit of accelerating like that will likely change when you get a hybrid and discover how wasteful it is and how it really isn't necessary. I encourage you to test drive an Energi and test the acceleration both in "EV Now" (running only on battery) and "EV Later" (hybrid mode, running just like the FFH with gas & battery). I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how fast the car accelerates in EV Now because of the high torque electric motor.

[jsolan]

I know there probably aren't many on lots, but if you can find one (even one without the options you're looking for) talk to the dealer. A good dealer, especially one competing in the luxury sales, will let you take the car on an extended (i.e. daily commute) test drive if you're looking to purchase a $40k+ vehicle. The last thing you want is to be saddled with something you're not comfortable with for 2-3 years. A BMW 5 series to any Hybrid or PEHV is going to be a big drop in horsepower.

I went from a 225 HP V6 in my previous vehicle to this, which is not as big of a difference as you'll have. There are times I miss the extra power, especially on short entry ramps, but I've never found a situation where I didn't have enough power.

[acdii]

The Flex Ecoboost is 365HP AWD, when it launches, or just accelerates at speed, it puts you back in the seat, however, I never felt that the Fusion was under powered, ever. It has enough nutz to get up and get going, and can be surprisingly quick. With a full charge I have even laid rubber with it...... OK I squeaked the tires. :)

 

To me it is just something I am accustomed to, having driven hybrids now since 2007, it's what is expected, and does put you into a totally different perspective when it comes to saving fuel. Once you go down the trying to eek the most out of every drop, you come to realize how wasteful racing to red lights and driving 20 over the limit actually is. In fact it has helped me get better gas mileage out of the Flex, a difference of 3 MPG, the 2010 I had I got 18 in it, the current one I get 21.

 

I found the difference between 65 and 70 MPH is 3 MPG in the Flex, quite a difference. I was driving home from Chicago a week ago and had the cruise set at 70(non Eco-Cruise in the Flex), and was getting roughly 20 MPG, dropped it to 65 and was getting up to 24.

 

In the FFH, I did some testing, with 5 people in the car, 3 adults and two children, roughly 800# when adding in the luggage, at 80 MPH the car got 35 MPG, at 65-68(Eco-Cruise set to 68, right lane with trucks was roughly 65 with ACC) the car got 43 MPG. At 70 MPH its roughly 40 MPG, anything faster than 70 and it drops quickly.

[williape1]

I have a FFH as a company car and a 2012 BMW 750Li as a personal car. I drive them pretty interchangeably and actually drove them back to back earlier today.

 

Let me start with how much I love the Ford. I really think that the FFH is the best car in its class and miles above the Fords of yesterday. It has a distinctly modern and even European feel. Little things like the digital door locks (VW group has been doing this for years), electronic turn signal (depending on the FFH year), and general design are all very European. I love driving the Ford, I'm constantly reminded of how thoroughly modern the car is. The hybrid drivetrain is awesome, I'm sure the Energi is even more enjoyable.

That being said. . . I drove my 7 for about six hours earlier today and then got into the Ford for an hour immediately afterwards. These are two VERY different cars. While the Ford is a nice car, it's not a luxury car by my definition. Admittedly it costs a quarter of what the BMW does, I just want to call out the differences for the purposes of the initial request. For example, every surface in the BMW is of the highest quality, even hidden components are top notch. Every piece of the driving experience feels very high quality. The Ford has some very cheap looking plastic on the dash front and center. They've spent the money in the right places, most items are soft touch or at least look nice but ultimately there's a ton of cheap plastic. They've tried to hide this by making it high gloss and attractive but I don't expect it to age well. The infotainment system in the BMW is top notch. Any reviewer these days will tell you that iDrive (most recent QNX version) is the best system out there. They had App integration way before the rest. It's reliable, easy to use, and extremely powerful. MyFord Touch by comparison is generally regarded as the worst infotainment system in the business. While it has the capacity to be fairly powerful, the hardware is very outdated, and the software is buggy. I can't imagine that this generation of MFT will stick around for too much longer. The suspension in the Ford is nice but seems to struggle with the weight of the hybrid components, I notice that it can bounce a bit around corners if you're not careful. This is something that I constantly have to keep in mind. The BMW at nearly 5k lbs seems to defy physics whereas the Ford seems to easily overcome its limits. It's a very different driving experience. When the weather is bad, I always drive the BMW as it's incredibly predictive. Ultimately they're just two very different animals. The Ford at the end of the day seems like a mainstream family sedan. The BMW is a good deal more upscale and much sportier (even in the least sporty guise).

 

I really love my FFH and wouldn't trade it for anything however I think that's because I still get to drive the 7 when I want to. If faced with getting rid of it, I wouldn't go with the Ford. There are plenty of compromises between the two in terms of cost and driving experience. I think I'd lease a 328i or perhaps even a Volvo. Folks on the forum are easily getting mid 30s to low 40s mpg in the right conditions in the 328, similar to what many get from the FFH (non energi). It's much cheaper than a 5 but is luxurious enough while being fun to drive. There's also the Lincoln, although I'm not a fan you might like it. . .

Edited December 17, 2013 by williape1

[B25Nut]

"Folks on the forum are easily getting mid 30s to low 40s mpg in the right conditions in the 328, similar to what many get from the FFH (non energy)"

 

Something isn't right here. The BMW 328i is EPA rated at 35 hwy, 23 city. With a 2.0 engine, I would also think you'd be giving up a lot of the power you expect from a BMW.. The 328i is also in the high $40K range equipped with the tech similar to Ford's.

Your report is a very good, honest evaluation. Thanks.

[acdii]

When a car cost twice as much as another car, I sure would HOPE it was better quality! :) The 750Li I something like a $73K starting price car. The FFH is a $28K starting price car. If the Fusion were made of the same high quality materials, everyone who now owns one wouldn't be owning one. Besides those looking to buy a fuel efficient Hybrid would not be looking at BMW.

 

Compared to the other Hybrids, the Camry, Honda, Prius, Avalon, the only one so far that has what Ford has to offer is the Avalon, and to get the same options you are at least $6K higher in the Avalon, but the Fusion is a better handling car. If you compare direct apples to apples, then only the Fusion has the best in options, since the Avalon is considered a full size sedan.

[hybridbear]

When a car cost twice as much as another car, I sure would HOPE it was better quality! :) The 750Li I something like a $73K starting price car. The FFH is a $28K starting price car. If the Fusion were made of the same high quality materials, everyone who now owns one wouldn't be owning one. Besides those looking to buy a fuel efficient Hybrid would not be looking at BMW.

 

Compared to the other Hybrids, the Camry, Honda, Prius, Avalon, the only one so far that has what Ford has to offer is the Avalon, and to get the same options you are at least $6K higher in the Avalon, but the Fusion is a better handling car. If you compare direct apples to apples, then only the Fusion has the best in options, since the Avalon is considered a full size sedan.

I agree completely. In the mid-size sedan market the Fusion is one of the best in interior materials quality. In the hybrid sedan market the FFH is the clear leader. It isn't as nice as a BMW, but it's a lot nicer than a 2012 Volvo SUV a friend of my wife's drives, and her SUV cost over $10k more than a comparably equipped FFH. The interior quality in her Volvo is terrible in comparison. Everything is cheap, hard plastic, like the Toyota Camry.

[dmackdaddy]

Well that is why I am getting the Titanium, cause I dont want to "chimp out" on the luxary and superior interior, since I am coming from a BMW 535i. Which BTW, the BMW is nice but I could point out some parts where they cut corners, likek the paint on the inside of the doors insnt perfect and I can never get the driver side door to open and stay open when I push it open. Hard to soft or medium, it always wants to swing back to close on my leg lol. Wat a pain in the ass! Sothe 535i was $60K but I leased it for 3 years, so I did not pay that. The FFET that I'm considering our be $40K, so that is $20K cheaper than the BMW is and I would be saving a crap load of $ on fuel. I cant get more that 21MPG out of the BMW driving has or slow on a 60Mile trip, always is about 21MPG - with 38MPG @ 80MPH on straights no passengers, just me.

 

Does anyone know if there are any other cool features coming in the 2015 FFE?I have 5 months to go for my lease to end. BTW, I think I'm going to go with a 2 year lease and then see how I feel about EV cars and where technology and pricing has gone in 2016. Maybe we'll be able to fly by then? Naaaa....

 

Thanks again folks, keep it coming!

[hybridbear]

Lane Keep Assist, Adaptive Cruise, Active Park Assist. All awesome features. I've gotten used to the front sensors on the FFH and almost scraped another car in a parking lot today driving the Prius since it doesn't have sensors to tell you how close you are to other objects in front.

[srogers]

Here is a short article you may be interested in.

 

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1070803/

[dmackdaddy]

All great replies, folks! 3 months left till my 535i lease is over. Now I'm trying to decide if I should take on a 2014 in June 2014 and probably enjoy a sweet deal on a fully loaded Silver FFET... OR.... wait 2 months (borrow a car) and get a 2015, which is rumored to go from 21 miles on EV to 25 miles. Have you guys heard any rumors about that? Doesn't sound like much but but 4 miles x 7 days is 28 miles a week or 1455 a year more.

[hybridbear]

All great replies, folks! 3 months left till my 535i lease is over. Now I'm trying to decide if I should take on a 2014 in June 2014 and probably enjoy a sweet deal on a fully loaded Silver FFET... OR.... wait 2 months (borrow a car) and get a 2015, which is rumored to go from 21 miles on EV to 25 miles. Have you guys heard any rumors about that? Doesn't sound like much but but 4 miles x 7 days is 28 miles a week or 1455 a year more.

There are rumors of a 25 mile EV range Focus Energi, but nothing official. I'd be inclined to make a deal around the time that your lease ends or shortly thereafter. Ford has a rather long-running promo deal where you get $1000 cash back if you currently lease or have just ended a lease on a competitive model. The later into 2014 you can wait, the better the deals will be on 2014s sitting on a lot. However, don't wait too long after your BMW lease ends that you miss out on the $1000 competitive lease conquest offer.

[dmackdaddy]

Right! I'm wondering if its even worth it to wait for a 2015 car to come out for 4 extra miles, when I have to incur fees to rent a car in the meantime and lose out on the deals Ford will have on the 2014's. Hopefully I can find one out there still that meets my colors choice with all the extras :)

Edited March 7, 2014 by dmackdaddy