The jury may still be out on whether or not hybrid cars are going to save our planet but one thing is clear...if you are making cars these days you better have a few on the showroom floor. That's why Ford was showing off their new five passenger hybrid in Seattle this afternoon.
Ford has taken its hybrid gear which has served motorists well in its popular Escape and Mariner SUV's for the past few years and dropped it in the Fusion sedan hoping to give hybrid versions of Toyota's Camry, Honda's Civic and Chevy's Malibu a run for their money .
Driving the Fusion through Seattle traffic you really don’t notice that it is a hybrid. The transition between the electric and gasoline powerplants is seamless, the CVT transmission smooth in its shifts and the car providing plenty of get up and go out of the 156 horsepower gas engine and the 106 horse electric plant. Mom’s not going to know the difference between this and a gas only car from driving it.
Where the difference really jumps out at you is when you slip behind the drivers seat. Turn the key and it’s like you fired up your Wii! LED screens light up, power indicators start moving around and its more jet plane than sedan. Ford says the system is supposed to Inform Enlighten Engage and Empower. Its sure a long way from a couple of idiot lights!
Ride wise the Fusion was quite comfortable, plenty of room in the front seats, quality materials in the interior, good legroom for rear seat passengers and a ride that was tuned to be soft enough to absorb the potholes left over from winter but athletic enough to give you a good feel of the road.
Nicely equipped the Fusion Hybrid should roll off the showroom floor at about $27,000 and should get you 41 mpg in the city and yield about 700 miles from a tank of gasoline! You also may qualify for federal and state tax credits by buying a hybrid.
Ford sees Seattle as a prime market for the Hybrid Fusion and also hopes the Fusion is a car that the auto industry can hang its crown of recovery on. Judging by my ride today they are on the right track.
