Ford Fusion Hybrid - Safety - Fuel Economy and Environmental Performance

Fuel Economy and Environmental Performance

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has rated the fuel economy for the 2010 Fusion Hybrid at 41 miles per US gallon (5.7 L/100 km; 49 mpg) city, 36 miles per US gallon (6.5 L/100 km; 43 mpg) highway. The following table compares fuel economy, carbon footprint, and petroleum consumption between the hybrid version and other drivetrains of the Fusion family as estimated by the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy:

The Ford Fusion Hybrid EPA's fuel economy rating is better than the 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid (32 miles per gallon city, 33 highway), the Nissan Altima Hybrid (35 miles per gallon city, 33 highway), and the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid (26 miles per gallon city, 34 highway), considered its main competitors in the mid-size sedan segment. The newer 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid LE model (43 miles per gallon city, 39 highway) now has an advantage over the 2012 Ford Fusion (41 miles per gallon city, 39 highway) by a slight margin in the city.

In 2009, Edmunds tested a Fusion Hybrid over two days of mixed city and highway driving against other hybrids or fuel efficient cars like the Toyota Prius, the Honda Insight, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI automatic and the MINI Cooper with manual transmission. The results are summarized in the following table:

Motor Trend found that their Fusion Hybrid delivered only 33.5 miles per US gallon (7.02 L/100 km; 40.2 mpg) in 500 miles (800 km) of mixed driving, 5 mpg off the EPA combined rating. Over another 160 miles (260 km) of testing against a Toyota Camry Hybrid, the same car only achieved 31.8 miles per US gallon (7.40 L/100 km; 38.2 mpg), while the Camry Hybrid delivered 32.7 miles per US gallon (7.19 L/100 km; 39.3 mpg). "If our early numbers hold up, the Fusion Hybrid would be a rare instance of the EPA relapsing into the world of mileage make-believe." However, they noted that when driven very conservatively, the EPA numbers could be achieved. "In typical driving, you might as well throw the Fusion's EPA numbers out the window. But if you decide to really work at it, they're possible." Car and Driver also tested a Fusion Hybrid and achieved no more than 34 miles per US gallon (6.9 L/100 km; 41 mpg) over 300 miles (480 km) of driving, which was greater than the Camry Hybrid (31 miles per US gallon (7.6 L/100 km; 37 mpg)) or Nissan Altima Hybrid (32 miles per US gallon (7.4 L/100 km; 38 mpg)) though not by the margin indicated by the EPA ratings.

According to Ford, the vehicle was built to have a fuel efficiency of 41 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway by EPA standards. On December 2008, Autoblog Green staff reported they had obtained in-city mileage of 43.1 mpg on the streets of Los Angeles. In addition, a Los Angeles Times reporter informed in December 2008 that he had obtained 52 mpg in mixed city-highway driving with little difficulty.

On a single-tank publicity stunt conducted on April 2009, a Fusion Hybrid managed 81.5 miles per US gallon (2.89 L/100 km; 97.9 mpg) on a 1,445.7 mile trip.

Edmunds' InsideLine received a 2010 Fusion Hybrid as a long-term test car. Over 11,000 miles (18,000 km) of driving, their vehicle had only averaged 31.3 mpg (7.51 L/100 km; 37.6 mpg), with a best tank of 37.7 mpg (6.24 L/100 km; 45.3 mpg) and a worst tank of 24.4 mpg (9.64 L/100 km; 29.3 mpg).

Payback time

According to Edmunds.com, the price premium paid for the Fusion Hybrid takes 5 years to recover in fuel savings as compared to its non-hybrid sibling, and is one of the quickest payback periods among top selling hybrids as of February 2012. Edmunds compared the hybrid version priced at US$27,678 with a comparably-equipped gasoline-powered Fusion priced at US$24,493 and found that the payback period is 6 years for gasoline at US$3 per gallon, 4 years at US$4 per gallon, and drops to 3 years with gasoline prices at US$5 per gallon. These estimates assume an average of 15,000 mi (24,000 km) annual driving and vehicle prices correspond to Edmunds.com's true market value estimates. For the same two vehicles, the U.S. EPA estimates the Fusion Hybrid annual fuel cost at US$1,431 while the gasoline-powered Fusion has an annual fuel cost of US$2,2,320. EPA estimates are based on 45% highway and 55% city driving, over 15,000 annual miles, and gasoline price of US$3.72 per gallon, the national average as of February 2012. The Lincoln MKZ Hybrid has no price premium.