2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid: His Turn, Her Turn Car Review

His Turn – Her Turn : 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

His Turn – Paul Fix

Pros:

• I liked the dashboard’s SmartGauge scales. The visual display (a tree branch that grows or looses leaves) made me want to try and keep the car in conservation mode as much as possible.

• I was surprised by how much power the Fusion has when needing to pass.

• I took the car to a cruise night and discovered a few people milling around it. They were curious and asking questions – odd for car enthusiasts who love muscle cars.

• As expected, the fuel mileage was great.

• The Fusion has a nice front-end design. I guess that’s all that manufactures can do now since the green house (roof design) seem to be all the same in this category.

• It was nice to find a lot of controls built right into the steering wheel.

• I found the “Easy Fuel™ capless refueling” feature interesting as we’re all used to gas caps and there wasn’t one.   This certainly made it easier to fill the tank.

Cons:

• I found it difficult to hear if the car was running on start up. I had to actually put it in gear to see if it would move.

• The trunk is small but this is a small car segment anyway.

• I took the Fusion to Ellicottville, NY (a 2 hour driving loop).  Although it ran nicely, once I hit the rolling hills I had to make sure I had the pedal down to keep it at 65mph.

• I have reservations about the battery situation and that this model can’t sit for over 30 days without external charge etc. It’s in the owner’s manual – you have to read that too!

• Strange storage in middle of the dash on top – but it utilizes space well.

Her Turn – Lauren Fix

Pros:

• At first it’s hard to tell the difference between the hybrid and gasoline versions of the Fusion, especially while driving in NYC.  It felt almost like a golf cart that ran smoothly and had great brakes for those quick driving cabs.

• We were able to obtain over 36mpg on the highway, which matched the window sticker. That’s great—and rare.  The handling and brakes were tight and it was fun to drive.

• I appreciated the satellite radio with traffic alerts as it saved us time in Albany during rush hour.  There are a lot of great options including the “moon and tune package” that gave us great tunes and the ability to changes the interior light colors.

• One of my favorite options was the lane change departure and backup camera.  Locating the camera in the rearview mirror was a nice touch. It makes a lot of sense; you should be checking your mirrors anyway.  The lane change departure lights are located in the side view mirrors and were quite helpful in city and highway driving. It helps you locate those drivers who like to hang out right in your blind spots.

Cons:

• Like Paul, I had an issue with being unsure if the car was actually running.

• Once we got on the West Side Highway to take the long trip to Buffalo, I found it a fun challenge to see how many leaves I could grow on the SmartGauge tree.  Unfortunately,  it actually made me more aware of my fuel economy but less aware of the road.  I had to switch to a more traditional gauge layout, which still allows you to challenge yourself on fuel economy.

• After stopping at my favorite outlet mall, we were just able to pack our luggage and new purchases into the trunk and back seat.  I wish there was more space – but then again we would only have been tempted to buy more deals.  So maybe less space would help save my budget on both gasoline and clothes.

Overall, we were both impressed with the Ford Fusion; but before you make the purchase do some calculations. It may take you 5-7 years to earn your money back.  If you live in a busy city or spend a lot of time idling this is a great choice and a lot of fun too.