Disclosure: TMC was not paid for this post. Products received are for review purposes only. Opinions are TMC’s only.
2014 Ford Fusion Energi
Interior shots shown here.
Earlier this summer I had the chance to drive Ford’s Fusion Energi. The last time I drove a Fusion it was recently redone and was not a hybrid of any sort, I was curious to see if I noticed a real difference.
First, what is a Fusion Energi? Simply put it is a plug-in hybrid. It has a 7.6 kW lithium-ion battery and an electric motor with a gasoline engine. You can go all electric for about a 21 mile radius and plug it in to recharge using a 120-volt outlet (a 240-volt at home charging station provides a full charge of about 3 hours/620 miles). When the battery is depleted the car goes into a more traditional gas/electric hybrid mode. It has Regenerative Braking, which captures braking energy to use for later use. That right there gets me every time. It seems so alien-like and I love it! It is also the most fuel-efficient sedan in its class beating out the Volt and Prius.
The Energi is a basic 5 passenger (4 comfortably) Fusion but with a few differences. While the ride is on par with what you can expect from today’s Ford vehicles (read more about that here) with smooth, fairly low road noise ride and good brakes there are a few differences. First one being, trunk space. There isn’t much because of the lithium ion battery. If you want this car because it is energy-efficient and saves you money on gas and is eco-friendly, then great. It is a great car for a single person, couple or commuter. If you have one or two kids then you might want to look for something with more cargo space. It’s not in the Fusion Energi. It was the biggest drawback I saw to the car the whole week I drove it. That isn’t a huge issue for many drivers so we can move on.
What the Fusion Energi has going for it is that it is stylish without going being too in your face and maintaining Ford’s safety features and much talked about, fun to use and very practical advanced technology including on board navigation, iPod input, Bluetooth, MyFord Touch and satellite radio. Convenience features abound in Ford’s these days and that makes the every day buyer happy. Ford has been making drivers feel like they are getting more bang for their buck for a few years now and this car is no exception. The cabin is roomy and feels nice and polished while driving. It gets about 44 mpg for city and 41 for highway. For me, it hovered between 38-40 mpg while driving around my town running errands and testing it out. You will not regret purchasing this car as the ride is nice inside and out.
The sticker price on the Fusion Energi is just over $40k for the Titanium model with an incentive of up to $3,750 federal income tax credit. State incentives vary (VA currently has none) If you are seriously looking for a car that goes a bit beyond the regular Fusion Hybrid (about $30k) and can spend the extra money to do so take a look at the map and find out what your state offers in additional incentives.
It looks like a pretty car! Alas, with three small children, I’ll be driving the minivan for years to come. 🙂 But we love our new Explorer – Ford has really come a long way!