2010 Prius versus Ford Fusion Hybrid: My Review

Being restricted to a 12 cu ft trunk is really the most noticeable shortcoming of the Fusion for me, but I see more plusses for the Ford if I'm spending over $27K on a Prius. I'm satisfied with MPG in the 40s instead of 50s.

I had X-Plan pricing available when I was working for a previous employer. I didn't know I could still use it after changing employers.
That makes the Fusion more atractive especially combined with the $1700 tax credit. I am really tempted now except I am not really in the market until 2010 or 2011 since my current car is still under factory warranty. I'm not sure how losing the $1700 tax credit if I wait vs trading in a car while it's less than 2 years old if I don't wait works out financially.
I have both warranty and maintenance covered for 2 more years, so it may be better to wait and forfeit the tax credit as long as X-plan pricing is still available in 2 years. In 2 years, X-plan may not be needed anyway since, by then, you will be able to negotiate a similar price through haggling with the dealer or using Costco, CarBargains or Carsdirect.

 

You can get the Milan Hybrid too. Many people forget about it so it might be easier to get the x-plan price on one in stock, but if you order at least you know you are going to get the exact color and option package you want by a certain date.

 

You can also include the Prius III with solar package. I compared the Prius III with sunroof against the Fusion package 501A. I did have one dealer in Louisville who would allow me to use X-plan pricing (about a 6% discount from MSRP), so the cost was essentially the same on the road. Then the Fusion would kick in a $1700 tax credit.

I didn't go through a pointed list like you did, mirak, but I did make a list. They're both very good cars, but different. For the comparison I made, a Prius III plus Solar against a Fusion 501A, here's what I had.

The Prius
* gets better mpg, roughly 50 vs 38 EPA
* is smaller in wheelbase for city parallel parking
* has remote AC/solar cooling, helpful in the South
* has a better cargo layout, as the lack of folddown rear seats in the Fusion is a substantial problem.
* has known Toyota reliability; the Fusion has had good reliability reports from the Mexican plant where it's built, but the hybrid technology is still new, and it's still Ford.

The Fusion
* has a better ride; it's more powerful when driving, softer, and lets less road noise through the tires.
* has interior features such as power seats and SYNC system I liked a little better, though others will disagree.
* does not block the rear view with a spoiler bar; also, the backup camera appears on the mirror in the 501A, which is better than lower on the nav screen.

Since I'm not writing on fusionhybridchat, I wound up selecting the Prius. Reliability and MPG won in the end. Nevertheless, I liked the Fusion a lot. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a non-hatchback car or an American maker car (though it's built in Mexico) that gets great mileage. I have already, since not everyone wants the Prius look. Just as I hope there are many happy Prius owners, I hope there are many happy Fusion hybrid owners. High efficiency cars help everyone. Good competition helps everyone, too.

 

I still don't understand the currency exchange rate. If the FFH loaded costs approx $32K to $33K in US$ and the Canadian dollar is worth (substantially) more then why are the cars not considerably less?

 

Canadian dollars are worth less than U.S. dollars, not "(substantially) more". Today's rate of exchange is 1.16582 CAD = $1.00 U.S.

Tom

 

1.00 CAD

=

0.860681 USD


Thanks, I should have looked it up. I thought just a few months ago it was the other way around. I do see the Euro still has about a 40% advantage so it must be the taxes making these higher in many of those countries

 

Not trying to chose sides, but like someone said earlier, other than price the Ford Fusion compares with the Camry and Accord. In my case, I need that hatch back in the Prius.

Here is a professional car guru, ED Wallace from the Dallas/Ft Worth area. A guy with over 40 yrs experience in just about everything, from selling cars, to running dealerships, etc. He drives each new car he reviews all over north TX for a week and then does his take on the car live on Dallas Channel 4 every Friday morning. Enjoy:

Ed Wallace: Ford Fusion Hybrid
Ed looks at the all-new Ford Fusion Hybrid model. The base price is $27,270; as reviewed, $33,705. That comes with leather, great navigation, backup video cameras and lots of other extras. Watch his review, you might be surprised!
Ed Wallace: Ford Fusion Hybrid

 

And speaking of Hybids, here's the latest news from Korea. Remember, Korea is one of the world leaders in development and manufacture of batteries:

Equipped with a 1.6-liter liquefied petroleum gas engine and electric motors, the Avante LPi Hybrid is the world's first hybrid electric car that uses a combination of LPG engine and electric motor. The car, which took 43 months and 250.8 billion won ($196.2 million) to develop, is also the world's first commercially available hybrid car that uses lithium-ion polymer batteries.

Hyundai will not be exporting the vehicle but plans to hold promotional test driving events in countries where LPG is used as motor fuel including Australia, France and Italy. The company is also said to be considering developing taxi versions of the Avante LPi hybrid.

Next year Hyundai will launch a gasoline-electric hybrid version of the mid-sized sedan Sonata, which according to Hyundai Kia Automotive Group vice chairman Lee Hyun-soon will be more fuel efficient than Toyota's Camry hybrid.
The Korea Herald : The Nation's No.1 English Newspaper

 

Here is the latest Prius test by CNET,,,they liked it!

2010 Toyota Prius

The good:
Getting around 50 mpg on average, the 2010 Toyota Prius is a stellar car for fuel economy, and you can choose accelerator sensitivity. Traffic reports are integrated with the navigation system.

The bad:
The Prius isn't designed for handling. There isn't full iPod or USB drive integration for the stereo. The DVD-based navigation system reacts slowly.

The bottom line:
The 2010 Toyota Prius is a better car than its predecessor, although there are some areas, especially in the cabin, where we would have liked to see more improvement.
2010 Toyota Prius Coupe/Hatchback reviews - CNET Reviews

 

I think Prius owners do not give Ford enough credit. Ford is trying to break-in the market the way the Prius II did. Both the FFH and the Prius II are supposedly losing money for Ford and Toyota. Just as the Prius II was a bargain, the FFH aims to do the same.

Personally, I prefer the looks of the FFH and I dislike the cost cutting of moving the rearview camera and MFD to Model IV. Even though I drive a Prius II, I would be inclined to punish Toyota who "stripped down" the cheap Prius III editions and reward Ford for making it through this tough recession without taking my money.

Simply put there is no doubt that many Prius II buyers were making a statement. If I needed to make a statement now I would probably buy FFH. It seems like a car that offers more, though I believe the concerns about reliability and pedigree in producing quality cars make the Prius III an equally good decision.

Luckily for me, I try to give technological buys at least two generations of change rather than buy the immediate model. So maybe in 2015 I'll look at the Prius again. Judging by how the Prius II is driving, that will be an easy wait.

 

I researched and test drove both the Fusion Hybrid and Prius. The Fusion surprised me; I liked it better than I expected. When I did my test drives I checked out the physical car, I sat in all four seats . My choice came down to my comfort in the cabin, especially the drivers seat. This is very personal; I was more comfortable in the Prius and the other features were not persuasive enough to overcome the Prius.

TK

 

I drove both a Fusion, a Civic Hybrid and an Insight today back to back.

The Fusion was VERY comfortable. The electric seats make a big difference. I LOVED a lot of what they did better than the Prius including:
-Backup monitor on the rear view mirror
-Backup collision warning
-Blind spot warnings
-More comfortable seats (electric)
-Higher speed for all electric (if you have the charge) before gas kicks in

The Insight DEFINITELY felt cheap compared to any of these. You can't get leather seats, you can't get a sunroof, etc. Everything felt a little cheap. We were also in Econ mode and every time we stopped at a stop light, the AC would turn off. Fans would blow, but not cold air. Whoa...this was a deal breaker. It's too bad, as I love that price and I love Honda's record, but this was cheap.

That said...I'm probably going with the Prius. Ultimately, I really wish we had some of those Fusion features. I just think the Ford Fusion looks a bit "older" in it's body style and interior. While it had lots of modern gadgets, it's as if the design of things around the electronics have stayed the same for 20 years. Whereas the Prius looks and feels like it is an innovative invention. My $.02...which I need to save if I'm going to get a Prius soon.

 

Prius and Fusion are compared just because they are both hybrids. Otherwise, they are really two quite different cars. Prius has more space, is cheaper and gets better mpg... Thats really what people are going to look at, and thats why Prius sells so well - it gets the basics right. Fusion has more passanger space (but Yaris trunk), bigger engine and is really a much better compared to Camry which is very similar vehicle. Trunk included.

Prius outguns them both with combination practicality, lower price and much, much higher level of technology packed in - things like solar moonroof, LED headlights, SKS (cant believe Fusion doesnt have SKS!), Radar Cruise control, Line Keep Assist, Intelligent Park Assist, etc. Lucky European us get also HUD package and better NAV (yay!). Most of this stuff has been only available on vehicles like LS600h previously!

I wish Ford all the best with hybrids - i hope they realize that building an hybrid-specific vehicle is the best bet for mass acceptance and that they are already planning true Prius competitor... and of course, to bring it to Europe so we can all play with it too! Quite few Ford fans here too, bring it on!

 

Ask owner of the Ford Fusion 2006. Fusion runs FINE. It is just those small things that gets under the skin. Murphy's Law - All problems starts popping up after 36k warranty !! Ford refused to even discuss the issue at 37k.

* ALL door inside door handles cracked or broke (not uncommon problem on Fusion as per web forums).
* Front Passenger side glass stopped working.
* Back passenger door can not be opened from outside.

Again driving is fine-excellent, but If I have to buy another car, my choice would be something else more likely Japanese.

 

Why just until Oct 1? Don't tell me that you think the iPod connector available in September for Prius equiped with NAV will change it... I hope you're talking about something else...

 

This is my very first response as I am a Newby.After reading this post I felt the need to respond.I have been driving Toyotas for 17 years now and is because I had so many problems with the domestics.Having said that I honestly wouldn't buy any other Hybrid than Toyotas.They have over 10 years of experience in this area that no one else can boast.I also understand that Toyota has indeed worked with Ford in getting their Hybrid program going and is a clear sign of their leadership in this area.The new Gen 111 Prius alone has over 100 new patents on it pushing their program even further ahead of all others.You will not find even one Toyota on the do not buy list in any category, unrivalled success in the industry.So even with Toyotas help I don't think they are even close in this highly technological field though I wish Ford well.