Next-Gen Ford Fusion Could Get Up to 48 MPG City

Here is my SWAG:

1) a diesel is a tough engine to start. MG1 is going to be huge. The HV Battery may need to be bigger.

2) at least in the US, Toyota dealers have no expertise with diesels.

3) Atkinson Cycle has minimal low end torque, the motors make up for that, but do not help much with top end power, which the gas engine has 'lots' of. (Every Toyota time raises the Redline, there is more HP up there, the Otto cycle variants spin as high as 6400 RPM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_ZR_engine#2ZR) A diesel HAS low end torque but lacks top end, so you are not hiding any weaknesses when you combine power sources.

 

Actually they don't. Honda has virtual gears in their conventional cvt insight. This gives the driver a measure of control, which in the right hands can improve handling and provide better control of acceleration. I doubt they can add to efficiency, in the review using them car and driver speculated that it hurt their mpg. I think virtual gears would be a nice addition to a car like the lexus ct200.

The 47-48 mpg city did come from the linked ford pr piece, but it made no mention of the transmission, and I doubt it has 8 virtual gears. That seems like too many gears to bring driver enjoyment. Other ford press releases have said they are bringing the manufacture of design of the cvt of the next generation fussion in house. This along with engine efficiency, battery improvements, and software might get the city mileage up there. The extra weight and worse aerodynamics mean the fusion will not be challenging the prius highway mileage.

A future more aerodynamic ford may challenge a prius in the future, but ford definitely is not putting out this idea. They seem to be happy building cars that do not challenge the prius directly, and IMHO that is a good strategy. The author of the referenced article does seem like he is an idiot.

 

I would add that toyota wishes to comply with at-pzev emissions standard, which no diesel has been able to do.

A diesel is more expensive, and some do not want to have to find diesel gas.

These two items would likely preclude a diesel even those top three technical reasons were overcome. MG1 is already quite large, and can start a diesel, the diesel should be designed for large numbers of rapid starts and stops though, things other automakers are looking into, but by no means an easy task. Toyota already had to overcome hybrid haters, they would have a harder time over coming diesel haters at the same time, so it made no sense. Even the VW group, with all its diesel expertise has gasoline hybrids on the market and no diesel hybrids.

Diesels, especially with autostop, can get really good mileage. I think the stragegy hyundai has with its convential 6 speed, with a clutched motor instead of torque converter is the way to get highest highway mpg. VW could drop one of those in a diesel dsg without much problem, but the Porsche hybrid tech they are using seems a little behind Hyundai. The VW transmissions are well in advance.

 

Cost. Turbo diesels add another $2k+ premium over gas engines.

 

That would be an inverse. You can tell because it is miles per gallon, not miles per 10^gallon.

Double the mpg, half gas used. 2 => 1/2; 4 => 1/4; etc.

 

Let's hope Ford's future offering does better the the author's attempt at describing it.