New Fusion Hybrid gets 41 city & 36 highway

[Daox]

Ford scores marketing coup with thrifty Fusion hybrid - USATODAY.com

Not too bad, not too bad at all IMO. Ford definitely seems to be more on its game than its domestic counterparts. While its still no Prius which is rated at 48 city, 45 highway, it is a larger vehicle. To boot, its far superior to the Camry Hybrid's 33 city & 34 highway. Also, to compare, the Civic hybrid is rated at 40 city, 45 highway. Kudos to Ford, I hope to see more of this.

[bikin' Ed]

Me too since I own their stock

[cfg83]

Daox -

Most excellent, but I think you meant "Fusion" in the title, not Focus. New EPA MPG of 41/36 rocks!

CarloSW2

[Daox]

Ah yes, that is what I meant. Thanks for pointing that out. Corrected.

[cfg83]

Daox -

What I really like is that this is great MPG for a family sedan, not a compact. I think of the family sedans as the "bread and butter" cars. A 2007 Camry Hybrid is rated at 33/34 new EPA MPG, so this looks like a class leader.

Personally I don't want a family sedan, but I want a hybrid in this car segment to succeed.

CarloSW2

[trikkonceptz]

I am salivating to get my hands on the new hybrid ... Hell I can get 40mpg out of the 4cyl manual trans Fusion now with no modifications to the car ..

I can easily see 50+ mpg with sensible driving, hyper inflated tires and creative use of the electric motor.

[cfg83]

trikkonceptz -

I think this would also be a vindication of the Ford Escape Hybrid SUV :

Praveen Cherian, engineering team leader for the Ford Fusion, says the automaker was able to get Fusion's mileage to over 40 miles per gallon by taking a lot of little steps.

One of the biggest fuel savers is the air conditioners. On the Ford Escape hybrid, the air conditioner is powered by the gas engine, so once it's on, fuel savings are minimal. But in the Fusion, the air conditioner is electric-powered.

The car's battery is also 50 pounds lighter than the Escape hybrid's battery, and there are many small tweaks that improve its aerodynamics.

Improving on the Escape Hybrid powertrain and using newer batter tech to get lower weight. Me likey , .

I wonder if the GM "hybrid tranny" will migrate into an Impala in the near future ...

CarloSW2

[NeilBlanchard]

Hi,

Just for reference, I know someone who owns a Camry Hybrid, and he was getting ~42mpg in the summer and fall in combined/overall. His wife, who doesn't ecodrive, got ~37-38mpg. If that's any indication of how the EPA ratings relate to the "real world", the numbers on the Fusion do look pretty good.

[MetroMPG]

trik: you're probably the first person I know who may get a chance to drive one of these. Let us know when you do. Have you driven any other parallel hybrids for comparison's sake?