The technology sounds great. Having to look through the steering-wheel and dealing with your hands blocking the view... no. .
So, according the Ford the Fusion Hybrid is getting the BEST fuel milage out of all Hybrids? HMMMMM.......I guess they have never heard of a Prius.
The Ford guy said it was the most fuel efficient mid-sized sedan on the market. Ford is targeting the Camry Hybrid not the Prius.
Ford has done a remarkable job with the new Fusion. Both the non-hybrid and the FHH are the leaders in FE in the midsized segment. It's a legit competitor. Serve to Toyota...The new 2010 Camry was announced at NAIAS. The new EPA ratings for the 6 spd AT 2.5L 2AR engine are a little disappointing IMO. Highway EPA only goes up from 31 to 32 mpg, better than most but a step below the Fusion and even below the 6 spd AT Malibu. The new Focus apparently will be a winner too if reports hold. With Mulally and Farley running the show at Ford there is a different feeling of success IMO.
The guy makes a big deal of the fact that it can go up to 47 mph with just battery power. I know this is what a lot of ill-informed consumers want, thinking it means less gasoline, but don't the Ford engineers understand that encouraging this actually hurts fuel economy in the long run? Then again, I notice that Toyota does the same thing in the brochure for my Prius - pointing out that you only need to use the gasoline engine for climbing a steep hill or driving at high speeds. There is no mention of using gasoline to recharge the battery. I guess car companies aren't marketing their products to physicists. Anyway, it does look like a good car for someone who wants something bigger than the Civic Hybrid, but doesn't like the styling of the Prius. But once the tax credit phases out people will be paying a $5,000 premium over the Prius to get 45 extra horsepower, 4 extra cubic feet of interior space, a more conventional body style, and about 15% worse fuel economy. Tim
That's a pretty sly marketing ploy to call it the most fuel efficient midsized sedan available. What method are they using to classify these cars? Inside volume? Number of passengers? Outside dimensions? Do they really think people in the market for a hybrid aren't going to compare it to the Prius? Oh, wait, the size isn't even important here. The Prius isn't a sedan, it's a hatchback. Obviously apples and oranges.
Vehicle 'classes' are defined by the EPA and you can find them at: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ Bob Wilson
Yeah, but my point was that they can get away with their statement of best fuel economy based on the technicalities of a few liters or different body styles. It's misleading. As with all advertising their words were chosen very carefully by their marketing dept and it's up to the consumer to educate themselves. It's like hearing "the truck with the most cargo capacity*" * in its class
