2010 Prius versus Ford Fusion Hybrid: My Review

Its not hard to get 42-44 mpg in the Ford Fusion Hybrid.

 

Whoa, close to $40k? I got my fully loaded FFH with 502a package for $30,120 before taxes.

 

I hope Ford sells a lot of them---both for the economy's sake and the ecology's sake. The US has to have a viable car company, and it looks like Ford will have to be it. The only problem I have with the Ford is that it looks so, well, boring. Like something my grandpa would drive. To many, the Prius may look ugly, but at least its unique. And, it looks that way for a reason---.25 coefficient of drag (whatever that means).

 

IMO (and only my opinion), the majority of people do not have an aesthetic sense. They like what they grew up with, and or are used to. This tendency to design conservatism is opposed by people's desire for improvement and being a little bit better than the neighbor. GM ate at the trough of teeny weeny design changes to the grill and headlights for decades, by encouraging people to interpret an oval or wider grill gap as a profound metaphorical shift in image.

An interesting exception happened in the 60's and 70's, when the imagination of comic book graphic artists drawing rocket ships led to a brief foray into cars as wannabe spaceships. At least people were enjoying a creative fantasy of that era where the distant horizon of space beckoned. So much more interesting than just hoping that a long hood implies a big penis.

The G2 Prius' design appealed to a lot of people who dream of the future. When I saw the design the first time and read the meaning of "Prius", I imagined a car from the future brought back to 2003. It was a rare post in 2004 that said "love the tech, hate the looks." I remember the dominant message being "EV is great!" For those few moments, the driver was in a vehicle without a combustion engine. As a matter of fact, I bought my Prius not too long after returning from Disney World, still under the influence of my favorite ride: the monorail.

 

The monorail is a great analogy to how you feel when gliding along in EV mode at 30 or 40 mph. Or when creeping around a parking lot looking for a space.

 

This was exactly what I found myself after trying both, but I got a lot more bashed here because I just have a rougher way to say the same thing I guess ...

It's too bad I'm buying Prius 3, because if I was willing to spend about 30K in a nice hybrid, the FFH would have really been a no-brainer for me... it is state-of-art...

 

The Pruis is the King of all hybrids and rest are His children.

 

2010 Prius versus Ford Fusion Hybrid Pricing

As a new owner of a 2010 Prius, I checked out a FFH before I bought the Prius.

Although I thought the Fusion was a well-built car, I was most disturbed about the pricing. Most of the Fusion models were well equipped in the $31,000+ range, although you could order a "stripped" Fusion for $27,000.

Although you can pick up a Prius between $22K - $32K, there seems to be more flexibility on pricing of different trim levels.

 

31+ is closer than almost 40 but is still pushing it - anyway thanks all you Prius drivers for helping Ford see the light !

 

I hope Ford does well with the FFH and that it gets great reliability ratings in long term testing/actual use. After owning an American car for the last eight years, I won't be buying American this time around. Maybe in five to eight years it will be a FFH. However, I don't like the long hood - to Oldsmobile/Buick like... like my dad's cars.
Anyway, looking to the future, form will follow function and in this case, more and more the function part will focus on mpg, so get used to the Insight/Prius look as it will become more dominant for hybrids and electric vehicles.

 

Alright maybe 40K is an overstatement (at least the one in the showroom was 35K+ it had a fancy spoiler and paint and wheels). Its still priced significantly more than the Prius.

Ford is the last hope for the American make and they are doing ok comparatively.

 

If a dealer adds multiple thousands of dollars of added overpriced junk accessories and markup, that is not the price you use to compare to the MSRP of the Prius. Some Toyota dealers add the same type of markup and accessories to the Prius too.
The Fusion Hybrid maxes out at somewhat over $30K and then there is a tax $1700 credit.
When you try to match/adjust for equipment levels at the higher end, there is not much net price difference.
There is alot over overlapping pricing depending on how you equip them, so they are very comparable in price except for base II and III models since it's pretty easy to get in the $28K to $30K range in the Prius IV and V without even adding the Advance Technology package.

 

My girlfriend is trying to decide between the FFH or wait for the Lexus 250h. A big consideration for her is the dealership experience. She takes her cars in to have scheduled maintenance done on all her cars and when something goes wrong, of course. She had a Mustang GT convertible and thought the Ford dealership was staffed by a bunch of idiots. The top never did fit right, and after multiple visits, they just gave up (Wth!). On the other hand, she currently drives a Lexus, and the dealership has been a dream to work with. Her second car is a Benz and that dealership is on the same level as the Ford dealer.

It's importent to look at the whole picture. I want to support Ford for coming out with such a well executed car. I've been pushing her to go test drive the FFH, but the dealership gives me pause.

My $0.02

 

Where are you getting your information?

I didn't think this sounded quite right, but I thought I'd go to a Ford site to find out. The first FFH that came up showed an MSRP of $31,940:


2010 FUSION HYBRID
VIN:3FADP0L33AR104072Stock ID:Exterior:
TUXEDO BLACK METALLIC
Interior:
CHARCOAL BLACK
Engine:2.5L I4 HEV ENGINE
Transmission:E-CVT AUTO TRANSMISSION
Available in stock

Window Sticker | Photos & Details | Send to Friend

MSRP: $31,940

And what are the options that made this car so expensive?:

Optional Equipment: 2010 MODEL YEAR, TUXEDO BLACK METALLIC, CHARCOAL BLK LTHR BUCKETS, 2.5L I4 HEV ENGINE, E-CVT AUTO TRANSMISSION, P225/50R17 V-RATED TIRES, FRONT LICENSE PLATE BRACKET, 50 STATE EMISSIONS, DUAL ZONE A/C-EATC

The next 7 FFH that showed up as available at several dealers in my vicinity were priced at $31,275, $27,995, $29,590, $32,550, $29,590, $31,940, $31,940. These 8 cars AVERAGED $30,853. The one I highlighted wasn't even the highest priced bunch in the group!

I guess I'll look into this assumption, as well. I'm beginning to question whether you've looked carefully into this issue.

As I've stated MANY times before, I sincerely hope Ford does very well with the FFH. I'd really prefer to see the support for the FFH be its real performance, comfort and reliabitlity.

 

If there are any higher than that price in the dealer stock, then it has dealer add-ons since that is the highest price that comes up when you configure the Fusion with the top option package.
It doesn't matter what they "average." You only buy the one you want. What would a 2010 Prius average if the dealer only had Prius Vs listed on their web site? It doesn't matter if you are going to buy a III.

I remembered it being in the very low 30's so I said "Somewhat over $30,000" instead of about $30K. I knew it was much closer to $30K than to the $40K that was bandied about earlier and I knew that the top price was lower than the top price of a Prius.
If you are looking at a IV or V, then you are easily in the range of a nicely equipped Fusion Hybrid and you can't even spend as much on it as a Prius V with AT costs unless there are dealer added accessories tacked on.
If you're buying a II or a III without options, then the Prius is more comparable to an Insight in price.
Just as people step up in price a bit from the Insight to the Prius for a quieter and more refined ride in the Prius, people do the same from the Prius to the Fusion. People make some similar comments when they test drive a Prius after and Insight as when they test drive a Fusion Hybrid after the Prius.

 

I'm not trying to get into some big argument with you, but I don't think you just throw out numbers without some kind of support or basis. I definitely don't want to start setting up an FFH-bashing. All I want is to make certain there is no concept of the Prius and the FFH being similarly priced. For comparably-equipped cars, the comparison really should be between the FFH and the Camry Hybrid. Once you start comparing the high-priced Prius V w/ AT to the FFH, you are really in an apples and oranges scenario. One is comfort, the other is high-tech.

I gave the prices of the only 8 FFHs that showed up when I asked the Ford online sight for all available Ford Fusion Hybrids anywhere near me.

Sure, I could avoid "average" price and say only the high number, but I thought I'd just give the info that was there. I specifically listed ALL of the optional equipment, and it doesn't look to me as though there are any dealer add-ons at the $31,940 level.

True: You only buy the one you want, but you have to pay the dealer starting from the dealer's asking price. You were talking MSRP, so I looked to see what the dealers were offering.

The highest price you can pay for a 2010 Prius is for the Prius V w/ AT at $31,770. When you add floor mats (the most common accessory) and delivery, processing and handling fees, the MSRP comes to $32,720.

Perhaps what I'm missing is the top MSRP for the FFH with no dealer installed extras (or with floor mats and delivery, processing and handling fees). If the number you've given before is exactly that (or pretty similar!), then I apologize for not understanding what you've been saying about pricing. I couldn't quickly find the way on the Ford site to get to that information.

 

I owned 75 Ford Pinto. I don't recall it has any Cup holder. I think Ford bought Pinto from Germany (may be just the engine).

 

Here are the actual list prices with all factory options for both. This is with zero dealer add-ons, not even floor mats for the Prius. Mats are standard in the Fusion.
This isn't even the highest factory MSRP or the Prius because I didn't select the optional extra cost Blizzard Pearl paint.
Currently, in the 90210 zip code, the V can only be configured with the AT package. This changes from time to time, but that's how it is now.
There is also currently a $1700 tax credit on the Fusion. That won't last forever, but that's how it is now.
The Fusion most definitely is comparable in pricing to a well equipped Prius IV or a V.

 

Here in Canada (or at least BC), a fully loaded Fusion Hybrid is significantly cheaper than a top 2010 Prius. This is mainly because of "Employee pricing days" currently going on at Ford.

A Fusion with power moonroof, heated leather seats, 17 inch wheels, voice nav, blind spot info, traffic info, rear view cam and sony audio costs $39674 cdn MSRP - $3656 discount = $36018 cdn.

Now my Prius (to be) with tech costs $38305 cdn MSRP (calculated with destination fees etc. because that's how Ford calculated theirs). Considering both qualify for $2000 alternative fuel discount, it's a pretty good time to buy a Fusion in BC! ...if you like Ford.

I have to admit I'm not really a car person. The only reason I'm enthusiastic about getting a car is because I'm fascinated by all the interesting tech in the new Prius! The fusion has some cool stuff, but really, it's barely a consideration for me. I bet the interior is pretty nice compared to the Prius, but on the outside, as some other people have said, it's too "mature" looking.