2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid '1.21 Gigawatts of Love!'

Ford got this one right.

This is the best all-around mid-sized hybrid in the states. I may not have a ton of love for hybrids (clean diesels perform better) but I do respect the idea of high mileage in vehicles that have no business being so efficient. I especially like hybrid vehicles that not feel or SCREAM ‘hybrid’ when driven.

The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid drives like a good ol’ car.

Never satisfied with what most would consider good driving performance; I openly wondered what would happen to a Ford Fusion Hybrid if stricken with a bolt of lightning. The batteries which are situated in the rear bulkhead behind the rear seats would probably melt if surge protecting safety devices failed. I was rather hoping for a sudden explosion of speed.

If you recall the thunderstorms we had last week – I nearly had my curiosity quenched as I drove through a few nasty storms. I drove through a few nasty thunderstorms on a few testing loops. I gained a fair understanding of how the Ford Fusion Hybrid performed in inclement weather. It drove exactly like a competent “regular” car.

On the back roads near Franktown the well balanced Ford Fusion Hybrid handled easily, just like a regular car. On I-70 and C470 the Ford Fusion Hybrid coasted along, well controlled and comfortable like a regular car. Zooming around Morrison, Denver, Aurora, DTC and Hyland’s Ranch’s streets – it drove like a car.

What was un-regular-car-like was my overall fuel usage of 33 mpg.

I flogged this machine and utterly refused to drive economically and it still returned damn good mileage. The electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (CVT) kept the RPMs high when I was abusive, yet the electric motor was capable of running up to 47 mph without any help from the gas unit (provided the driver is a light touch with the accelerator).

0 to 60 times were about 8.7 seconds and 60 to 0 stopping distances were excellent at about 126 feet. These regenerative brakes (which cycle lots energy from braking back to the batteries for later use) were strong and a tad grabby. If you work the brakes too much, fad is very noticeable. All the same, in regular driving, fade was not an issue. Nonetheless, these numbers were very competitive with regular cars and bested many hybrid sedans in its class.

If you’re a green-loving driver, in love you shall fall with the customizable digital display. In normal mode, there is a mpg gage, battery gage, fuel gage, speedometer along with a nifty ivy-like plant that grows greener as you drive conservatively. The easier you are on the gas and brakes (coasting to a halt and easing on the accelerator to depart) along with coasting at proper times – leaves grow and thrive on your digital plant.

I attempted to drive like such a Neanderthal that all vegetation would disappear. It worked and I was able to keep most of my driving as narrow-minded as a reality stars’. Finally, I began to interface with the digital equipment and began paying attention to unhelpful driving habits. Aside from greening-up my dark side, I had genuine fun finding the right combination of driving to yield the best mpg results. This is a very clever system as it can inspire a fool like me to drive logically.

At 3,720 lbs I half expected the Ford Fusion Hybrid to handle like a pig. I was pleasantly disappointed as cornering feel (despite the electric power steering) felt good and the loud-ish CVT did a great job of pulling the Fusion out of corners and allowed plenty of ‘go’ for freeway passing. It never felt as timid as smaller hybrids and gave a robust feel to ‘power’ driving, superior to other hybrid sedans in its bracket.

Nice.

There are three modes to these interactive gage displays that give you as much information as you desire. Even with the full mode showing you exactly what the consumption is, I never felt like my attention was pulled away from safe driving.

Sure, I still slammed the accelerator to the ground and squealed the 17 inch tires around a corner or two – but I was able to calm down and drive properly a few minutes later. The 156 horsepower (which makes 136 lbs feet of torque) 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine can bump up to 191 horsepower (166 lbs feet of torque) when the electric motor kicks in. This combination gives the Ford Fusion Hybrid damn good oomph.

The new Ford Fusion design with sharper corners and a big three bar grill is beginning to grow on me. It looks a damn sight better than the Camry and is reminiscent of Ford’s outstanding European designed vehicles. I like its less than conspicuous design as it does everything other than scream ‘hybrid.’

This is a comfortable machine with plenty of space up front. Even with Ford’s “Earth-friendly seating fabric in the Fusion Hybrid is made from 85 percent post-industrial materials -- polyester fibers that would otherwise have ended up in landfills.” Seating was comfortable. The back seats are adequate; however, you will lose the utility of folding rear seats as the batteries now take that space. Still, there is a good sized trunk and a spare tire under a hatch.

This is a technologically advanced vehicle that doesn’t wear it on its sleeve (thank god). There IS a price for this high level of technology as the base price is about 27K and my mid-level tester with excellent stereo and sunroof came in around $30,000. That’s quite a bit more than a very well equipped, normal Ford Fusion.

Look at it this way, if you want to be green and not annoy the living hell out of your friends and neighbors, this Ford Fusion Hybrid is more than worth the price. In the end all these gizmos and wiz-bangs make for a regular feeling machine that’s easy to live with.

Well done Ford.