Plugged In: The 2019 Ford Fusion Energi Titanium

The 2019 Ford Fusion Energi.

We've said a couple of things consistently during the 11 years that TireKicker has been in existence. One: The true value of a hybrid is in a larger car, where the fuel economy gains will be greater than they are in small cars.  And two:  A plug-in hybrid, done well, is a better alternative (and will be until range and charging issues are fully addressed everywhere in this country) for many people than a pure electric vehicle.

And really, the Ford Fusion Energi, doomed as it is (Ford is phasing out passenger sedans and the Fusion Energi may not see the 2021 model year), is the best of them.

Head Held High: The 2018 Ford Fusion Platinum Energi

The 2018 Ford Fusion Platinum Energi.

The Ford Fusion will probably be the last conventional four-door sedan the Ford Motor Company builds.  By now you've likely heard the news that over the next two years, Ford will end production of most of its passenger cars. The Fiesta, Focus and Fusion are goners.  Market forces at work. The trend is sharply away from three-box (hood, passenger compartment, trunk) cars.

The Ford portfolio in North America will consist of the F-150 and larger (F-250, F-350, etc.) pickups, the Expedition SUV, crossovers, a crossover variant of the Focus called the Focus Active, and the Mustang.

Word is the Fusion will outlast the Fiesta and Focus by a few months, making it the last one out the door.  But it will go with head held high.  This generation Fusion is the best, and I'll go so far as to say the best sedan Ford has ever built.

Alternative Energi: The 2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid

The 2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid.

Earlier this week, our Publisher and Executive Editor wrote a highly favorable review of the 2017 Ford Fusion Energi, which is a plug-in hybrid.  Plug-in hybrids have their advantages, namely greater pure electric range before switching over to the standard gasoline/electric hybrid mode, but they also have drawbacks.

For those of us who are apartment dwellers, a plug-in is less practical.  We are unlikely to have 240-volt chargers in our garage---or a garage, for that matter.  Running an extension cord from your apartment is likely to get you evicted, or at the very least, your extension cord stolen. And that's why Ford makes a non-plug-in version as well, which is what we drove.

Energi From Multiple Sources: The 2017 Ford Fusion Platinum Energi

The 2017 Ford Fusion Platinum Energi.

I said it about eight years ago on this very eight-and-a-half-year-old website:  The market for alternative power (hybrids, plug-ins) is not in little boxes that get great fuel economy with a gasoline engine.  It's with larger cars that experience a big jump in mileage when you apply the tech.

Case in point: The 2017 Ford Fusion Platinum Energi.

James Bond's Family Sedan: The Ford Fusion SE

The 2014 Ford Fusion (Titanium model shown).

American family sedans (Ford Fusion, Chevy Malibu, Dodge Avenger) were thought not to have a chance against the Japanese competition (Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima) not too long ago. Today, the Avenger is dead and gone, the Malibu is largely forgotten but not gone and the Fusion is a serious choice for a lot of intenders in that segment.

Chalk it up to the Aston-Martin inspired nose and the slick bodywork trailing it that debuted for the 2013 model year.  But the Fusion's beauty is more than skin deep.

2011 Ford Fusion Review

These have to be sweet days for Ford. Not only did they spare themselves the bankruptcies GM and Chrysler went through (by mortgaging the famous Blue Oval logo), they're making and selling cars.

That probably sounds like a no-brainer...I mean, Ford's a car company, right? But the fact is that Ford and the other domestics spent most of the last two decades selling trucks and SUVs. Sure, they made cars, but they weren't the company's prime focus (way more profit in the trucks and SUVs) and consumers had long since put Toyota and Honda on the top of their family sedan shopping lists.

Well, that's all changing...and three weeks (yep, an extended test) in a Ford Fusion SE (courtesy Bell Ford in Phoenix, Arizona) goes a long way toward explaining why.

We've said it before, we'll say it again: Want to know how good a car is? Get as close to the base model as possible. In this case, the tester was one level up...the four-cylinder SE. A base price of $22,830 buys a six-speed automatic transmission, 8-way power driver's seat, an AM/FM/SiriusXM Satellite Radio with CD, mp3 capability and six speakers, automatic headlamps, foglamps, floormats and 17" alloy wheels.

Loaded?  No. Nicely equipped? Absolutely.  Cloth seats breathe nicely in the summertime, so the lack of leather was actually a plus. And the interior design...the placement of all the controls...is so intuitive, so logical, that the Fusion went from a pleasant ride in its first few days to being an extension of the driver as the days and weeks went on.

As an automotive journalist used to a week at a time, multiplying the test window could expose serious flaws or at least niggling shortcomings, but not with the Fusion. It held up. I could see living with this car for the length of a 5-year car loan. Especially when you consider that the bottom line of this one is right at about $23,500 with delivery charges.

EPA estimates: 23 city/33 highway. Camry and Accord are still strong choices, but they can no longer take for granted that it's all theirs.

Lincoln Hybrid MKZ Unveil At NYC Auto Show

Lexus is rolling out the hybrids, so why not Lincoln? Expect an announcement this week at the New York Auto Show that there will be a 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid.

Not that big a stretch, really...given that the MKZ is a derivative of the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, both of which have hybrid models. We loved the Milan Hybrid...but will the MKZ be different enough to justify the Lincoln price tag?

The Detroit News talked to at least one analyst who isn't so sure. Story here.

Ford Admits Hybrid Brake Troubles; Launches Customer Satisfaction Program

Consumer Reports magazine has issued a safety alert for the Ford Focus  Fusion Hybrid and its corporate twin, the Mercury Milan Hybrid, citing poor transitions between regenerative and conventional braking.

Ford, insisting that this problem is totally unrelated to brake problems with the Toyota Prius, is not launching a recall, but rather a "Customer Satisfaction Program" for vehicles built on or before October 17, 2009.

Here's the offical Ford press release:

STATEMENT: FORD CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM


Ford is proactively announcing a customer satisfaction program to update the software of the regenerative brake system of some 2010-model Ford Fusion Hybrids and Mercury Milan Hybrids.

Dearborn, Mich., Feb. 4, 2010 – Today, we are announcing a customer satisfaction program to update the software of the regenerative brake system of some 2010-model Ford Fusion Hybrids and Mercury Milan Hybrids.

We have received reports that some drivers have experienced a different brake feel when the hybrid’s unique regenerative brakes switch to conventional hydraulic braking. While the vehicles maintain full braking capability, customers may initially perceive the condition as loss of brakes.

To be clear, the Fusion and Milan Hybrids’ brake system maintains full conventional brakes and full ABS function even as the customer sees visual indicators and hears a chime. The software threshold to transition from regenerative brakes to conventional brakes can cause the system to transition to conventional brakes unnecessarily.

The software upgrade will reduce unnecessary occurrences of the vehicle switching from regenerative braking to conventional hydraulic brakes.

Customers with affected vehicles will receive a notice in the mail. We are asking owners of affected vehicles to have vehicle software reprogrammed at dealers at no charge.

There have been no injuries related to this condition.

Ford Sweeps North American Car & Truck Of The Year

(11JAN10) Detroit, Mich. Mark Fields, Executive Vice President, Ford Motor Company, accepts the NACTOY Car and Truck awards. This is the third time in NACTOY's history both awards have gone to one OEM.

For only the third time in 17 years, a single manufacturer has swept the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards (announced today at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit).

The winner? Ford, for its Transit Connect van and Ford Fusion Hybrid (we reviewed the mechanically identical Mercury Milan Hybrid).

The Transit Connect was competing with the Chevrolet Equinox and Subaru Outback for North American Truck of the Year (The Outback? A truck? Station wagon, sure...but truck?). The Fusion was up against the all new Volkswagen Golf and GTI and the Buick LaCrosse.

                                                                      
Keep your interior looking brand new with Ford F150 seat covers.