'13 Ford Fusion Hybrid.. don't be in a hurry

better to get it right than get it early.

 

Until your stand in line is as long as a Tesla buyer's you don't have much to complain about. Maybe Bill Ford is personally inspecting every one.

 

The fusion looks great, their technology legit, and their options much better priced than the GenIII. But the lack of a push start button, which would make it easier to steal, and of a spare tire give me pause. What did you base your decision on?

 

How is that so? A keyed ignition can be as electronic as a button. A push button start can still require the fob to be inserted into the a slot. Base gen2s worked this way. Plus, car keys have been incorporating an ID ship in them for decades now.

 

Good to know that keyed start is also safe. So it's just the spare tire that is missing.

 

Push button start is a gimmick. Not a must have feature in any way, in fact, one with as many negatives as positives. Tire mobility kit vs. temp spare is a safety issue though the Tire Pressure Monitoring System plus the Roadside Assistance make that less of an issue.

Key will be Ford hybrid getting the specified mileage. My Ford Hybrid Escape exceeded the rated mpg so I'm expecting the Ford Fusion Hybrid/Energi to meet or exceed mileage specs. If Ford Fusion/Energi gets legit 20 mpg EV, I'm in as the Fusion is a great looking car with lots of great options that my Prius lacks.

 

I won't trade reliability for a little bit of mileage and style. I'll just stick to my Prius"v'."

I've made the mistake of buying in the first year of introduction twice.

The first car in 1977 took a year to get all the bugs worked out of it. And, after 11 years, the "creaking" noise that happened after the first year, when pushing down on the right front fender turned out to be a long term "stress" crack that opened up fully only after 11 years and 250k miles.

The second car I bought that was first introduced in 1995, lasted 3 years and 95K miles. The valve train was shot. I sold it as scrap in 1998 for $2,500. I replaced it with a 1998 Mazda MPV, the last of a 10 year run. It has been wonderful.

While the Prius"v" has a new body, everything else including the drive train and the suspension are basically GenIII Prius introduced in 2010.

After I was burned twice, I'm chicken hearted.

 

A new model of existing vehicle just like Fusion Hybrid which is in it's second generation. My Ford Escape Hybrid was very reliable, excellent vehicle so I'm lining up a Ford Fusion Energi to double my current Prius mileage and to get a lot of the necessary standard features Prius lacks, power seats, auto dimming mirrors, auto headlights, blind spot warnings etc.

 

Buy it, an try it......It's like the song about McGilla Gorilla.

Hope it works out for you.

 

It's try it and then buy it. Worked for buying Ford Escape hybrid, a Prius hybrid. Should work for buying 2nd generation Ford Fusion hybrid plug in.

Always funny to see how threatened and defensive Prius cultists are over other vehicles.

 

Not threatened....................just bad experience with Ford.

I owned the original 1971 Pinto.

 

Don't see an internet anecdote of a recovered memory of Pinto from 50 years ago is reliable much less relevant any more than another "worst car ever", the '82 Toyota van.

In the real world of the 21st century, the Ford Fusion, Ford Escape hybrids get good marks. I'm 6 months from my 40,000 mile Escape Hybrid AWD which was totally reliable with mileage as advertised.

Fusion Hybrid plug-in will be a great car, 3rd generation in the Fusion Hybrid over last five years. Key will be the EV miles which need to be in the 20 range.

 

I have 33K on my 2010 Fusion Hybrid, and other than a clogged MAP sensor from a horny spider, it has been trouble free. It gets me anywhere from 37 to 41 MPG depending on the weather, the traffic and my right foot. 100% reliable, cant say the same for the 2009 Camry Hybrid I had. Sticking sunroof, squeaks, wind noise, cheap materials in the seats, and this was NOT a first year car. The 2010 is a First Year Car and 100% reliable.

Oh, it was also Car of the Year too. So stop knocking Ford, they aren't the same car company of the past. Their past cars were junk, if it weren't for their trucks, they would be in the crapper along with GM and Dodge. They finally got their heads on right with the Fusion, and their latest lines of cars are all pretty dang nice.

Coach, I test drove a loaded Fusion Hybrid last night, What a CAR! Hands down the BEST hybrid short of a Lexus out there. You will love it when you get it. At least you didn't special order a Cmax, with GE buying 2000 of them, the wait time is pretty darn long!


EDIT;, there is a 98% chance the Fusion I test drove on Tuesday will be ours on Friday. I will be keeping the 2010 FFH, and trading in a recently purchased f150 Ecoboost. They are going to exceed the listed trade in value of the truck and apply the balance towards the car.

I also test drove the Cmax, and in the short drive started getting up to 38 MPG, but the trip was not long enough to fully warm up the car, but even so, brand new car, a 3 mile trip and got 38 on Rural roads of 55, not too shabby. Its better then my current Fusion can do on such a short trip when cold.

 

Update, 100% chance! LOL, after extended drives in both the Cmax and the Fusion, the Fusion won out over one small issue in comfort. It was close though. All I can say about the Cmax is, it is different! Its like a cross between a minivan in how you sit in it, and a car in how you drive it and how it handles, and an SUV in its utilitarian styling. You dont climb into the drivers seat, you step into it, because the door opening is tall. It has tons of head room, like the Flex, and you sit pretty much upright, not down and in like a car. It is nimble in handling, has very little body roll, and is pretty peppy too.

Cons, there are only two I came up with, the first is the window ledge on the door is up pretty high, so if you tend to rest your arm on the sill while driving, its up high, and gets uncomfortable, I could over look this, but the second, which was the deal breaker for me, the center console is too close, and my right calf was pressing against it while driving, and I couldnt get comfortable unless I held my leg away, which was tiring, and not how I like to drive.

It still held a high spot as possible purchase, that was until I took the Fusion out again after getting the seat and steering wheel adjusted properly. It fit like a glove, and drove just as nice as the Cmax, but has more room over all. Really nice car, you will like it when you get it.

 

Aside from the difficulty obtaining anywhere near EPA, the car really is a nice car to drive. Drove to Florida and back to Rockford IL in it, and have no complaints, except that dang Mytouch, which Ford said they have a fix for it coming soon.

 

One tip though, if you get NAV, dont trust it! LOL It has 3 options when planning a route, fastest, eco, and shortest. I made the mistake of choosing fastest, and it took me off the main highway, down rural highways, and lo and behold, a Ferry. Had no clue I would cross the Ohio on a Ferry until I came to a stop sign, and ran out of road.

Thats not the worst part though. We get across the river, and the nav has the gumption of saying, turn left, caution this is an unknown road, drive at your own risk.