Just face it: You want a hybrid, but you don't want to be seen in a four-wheel wedge, whether it's named Prius or Insight. Enter the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, which sports the edgy — not wedgie — looks of Ford's sedan and gets 41 mpg. Kelsey Mays finds the technology Ford packs into the car quite impressive in his full review.
2010|Ford|Fusion
The hybrid tax credits that have already expired for Toyota and Honda are still in effect for other automakers, including Ford — but not for long. Ford, which just celebrated the production of its 100,000th Escape Hybrid, is seeing its full credit expire at the end of the month.
Until then, tax credits of $3,000 for the two-wheel-drive Escape, Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute hybrids, or $1,950 for four-wheel-drive versions, will still be available. Ford’s all-new 2010 Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids are eligible for a $3,400 tax credit. Those two new hybrids might not be on lots today, but they should arrive before the end of the month. The Fusion and Milan hybrids get 41/36 mpg city/highway. The Fusion Hybrid starts at $27,270, while the Milan Hybrid starts at $27,500.
The credit will be cut in half for vehicles purchased after March 2009, and then in half again for ones bought after Sept. 30. Starting April 1, 2010, the automaker won’t get any more tax credits.
Unlike other Ford Escapes, the hybrid version does not have any incentives on it.
In 2005, Ford handed quite a burden to the Fusion: Replace the Taurus and carry the water for the midsize sedan segment. While it may have started out a few paces behind the likes of Honda and Toyota, the Fusion has made impressive strides. Cars.com’s David Thomas got behind the wheel of the 2010 Ford Fusion and was pleased to find a number of areas in which the sedan has improved tremendously, making it one of the better deals out there among midsize cars.
Word’s come from the government that the new 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid are eligible for a $3,400 tax credit. Ford says this is the biggest federal tax credit a hybrid has received since 2005.
The Fusion and Milan hybrids were unveiled at the 2008 L.A. auto show. The Fusion Hybrid has an EPA rating of 41 mpg in the city and 36 mph on the highway. The Milan hasn’t been tested, but the two are mechanically identical.
That makes the Fusion Hybrid the most fuel-efficient domestic vehicle and the third most efficient overall, behind the 2010 Toyota Prius and Honda Insight.
With an asking price of $27,270 for the Fusion Hybrid, Ford’s tacked a hefty premium on the fuel-sipper, especially compared with the naturally aspirated four-cylinder version, which starts at $19,270. This tax credit should go a long way toward alleviating any potential buyer’s remorse.
Is there a catch to the tax credits? Of course! The tantalizing $3,400 credit will be cut in half on April 1.
Being the largest domestic maker of hybrids, Ford has already reached the government’s threshold of 60,000 vehicles for tax credit eligibility. If you recall, Toyota went through the same thing with the Prius.
The credit will be cut in half after March 2009, and then in half again on October 1. On April 1, 2010, the automaker won’t get any more tax credits. So if you’re dying to get a new Fusion Hybrid, you should probably act sooner rather than later. However, the company hasn’t set a firm date for when the 2010 Fusion will go on sale, only saying it will happen in the spring. Which to us begins in March.
This week, senior editors Joe Wiesenfelder and David Thomas discuss how recent additions to our fleet handled winter weather. Check out what they have to say about the 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara, 2010 Ford Fusion, 2009 Infiniti G37x and others.
You can get the podcast on iTunes here, or listen to it in a browser here.
Mike Hanley and I drove a 2008 Ford Fusion through a snowstorm to Detroit on Saturday from Chicago. It was a rough drive, but it gave me a nine-hour refresher course in the outgoing model. That’s a good thing, because I’m driving a brand-new 2010 Ford Fusion on the way home today -- coincidentally enough, just in time for a blizzard warning.
I’ll be writing a full review of the new Fusion later, but want to detail the trip and immediate differences between the two models here on the blog. If there’s anything you want to know about the 2010, leave a comment. And wish me luck as I take to the road.
Ford probably could not have picked a better time to roll out the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. Besting its Japanese competition, the Toyota Camry Hybrid by 8 mpg in the city and 2 mpg on the highway, the Fusion Hybrid looks like a major player.
The EPA rated the Fusion Hybrid at 41/36 mpg city/highway, which makes it the most fuel-efficient midsize vehicle sold in the U.S (the Prius isn't considered midsize). This means you could drive 700 city miles in it before you had to fill up the tank.
Ford has introduced a slew of new technology that allows the Fusion Hybrid to achieve those numbers, including a nickel-hydride battery that is smaller, lighter and produces 20% more energy. Improved regenerative braking technology manages 94% energy recovery as well.
Test drivers have reported different mileage numbers for the Fusion Hybrid, ranging from low 30s to low 50s. Largely, this fluctuation depends on the driving habits of whoever sits behind the wheel, but believe us when we say we can’t wait to get our hands on it.
So the new Ford Fusion is an attractive package that potentially has class-leading mileage — but what about its price?
Ford just launched a new consumer site for the 2010 Fusion, and overall the vehicle holds the line with aggressively low prices. The Fusion starts at $19,270, which is cheaper than the Chevy Malibu, Honda Accord and Nissan Altima, but is more expensive than the Mazda6, Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Camry (though by less than $1,000).
Keep in mind, too, that those are 2009 models, and this is a 2010.
The hybrid costs $1,000 more than a comparable Toyota Camry Hybrid, but is estimated to get 5-6 more mpg in the city than that car.
Another tidbit from the website: The inline-four with the six-speed automatic has better predicted mileage than the manual, at 33 mpg on the highway.
Here’s a detailed price list, including some features information:
Ford unveiled updates of three midsize cars at this week’s L.A. auto show: the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ. I had a chance to check all of them out. I prefer the regular trims to the Fusion Sport, whose compartmented bumper looks a bit too busy for my taste. Overall, Ford hasn’t dramatically altered the sedan’s slick shape, which I liked on the previous Fusion. The three-blade grille gets more aggressive but, thankfully, remains tasteful.
I’m less enthusiastic about the interior. It gets some overdue changes — the passenger airbag integrates seamlessly into the dash, the A/C adds dual-zone controls — but Ford still wraps everything in a grainy dash material that lacks the finish quality of the prevailing interiors in the family-car segment. By contrast, the Lincoln MKZ, which had similar cabin quality last year, has upgraded to vastly better surfaces for 2010.
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