I finally replaced my 2002 Chevy Malibu. It had over 120k miles on it and I drive around 110 miles a day to and from work, I wanted to have more faith in my car than the last year had instilled and didn’t want to spend the $3000 needed to fix up the Malibu.
My number one concern with the new car was gas mileage. I needed the car to be significantly better than the Malibu (25-27 mpg on commute) for it to be cost effective for me. When I started looking I glanced at the foreign hybrids (Prius and Insight) but quickly learned that while I could squeeze my 6′4″ frame into them, there was no way a child’s seat was going in the back after that. After flirting with a couple of full-size cars and crossovers I finally tried the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. After one test drive I was hooked and have since purchased one. These are my impressions after about 750 miles.
Size
The Malibu was a nice car. The model I had (the first model of the 2000’s reintroduction) had a lot of interior room, easily fitting me and passengers. The Fusion is a good compromise. It is a smidge smaller in the back seats than the Malibu (sorry Uncle Jim, no riding in the back for you) and there is about an inch less headroom. Overall it is a good fit. The shoulder room is amazing (something the new GM models do not have) and the ergonomics of the seat make for a comfy ride. The car is your standard mid-size sedan, but the trunk is small, a large chunk is taken by the battery pack.
Mileage
Here is where the car shines and in my opinion out competes the Prius. On my daily commute I have averaged a solid 41-43 mpg at 55 mph (I take back roads). On the Interstate it makes the EPA estimate of 39-40 mpg (70 mph). I know Consumer Reports said the car gets less than the stated milage, but I have been beating the stated milage on a consistent basis. Of note, the car’s active feedback system (it puts more virtual leaves on the base as you drive more efficiently and the tach goes completely green when you enter EV mode) does make you much more aware of your driving style and I have found myself working towards better numbers. In addition, the 47 mph EV mode and the electronic speed control that works as low as 25 mph really help the milage.
Driving Experience
The car is peppy. You would never know there is a fule-sipping 4 cylinder engine under the hood. When you need to accelerate the car can do it (by adding torque from the electrical system I think) and it handles curves well. I wish the suspension was a little smoother, but it is a mid-sized sedan… there is only so much you can ask for.
The cabin lets in next to no road noise, even at highway speed. Everything you need to access is right at your fingertips (through on wheel controls) or within easy reach on the center console.
Here is one place I must comment on Ford’s overall design. First, kudos for not going overboard on the central console. The Taurus has a third of the front seat room taken up by the center console and I was glad to see that this design asthetic wasn’t carried over. However, if you are going to add changable ambient lighting, why not make all the interior lights changes rather than just the cup holders and some under dash lights.
Entertainment
This is a win for Ford. The car has Sirius satillite radio, an FM/AM tuner where channels can be directly entered via a keypad (why did that take so long), a six-CD changer in dash, and both an auxillary and USB port hidden in the armrest console. The USB port can be directly linked to an iPod or better yet a USB drive (I’m mention why in a moment). The whole mess is linked together by Ford’s Sync system (a modification of Microsoft’s voice command from their Windows Mobile cell phones). The sync system works well, once you learn the commands, and makes it easy to control the media. In addition the system can connect through Bluetooth to your phone, indexing the phone book and making it voice dialing capable.
There is one problem with the Sync system, but I think it is unique to the iPhone. When the phone is connected through the Bluetooth system and the USB port, the system gets confused on how music is supposed to be outputed (yes it can do BT streaming). Typically you end up being able to access the iPod functions, but get no sound. Apparently you can work around this by selecting on your phone the output you want, but I have had limited luck with that. It is easier to go get an 8, 16 or 32 GB flash drive (portable HDD also work) copy the music to it and then plug it in the armrest console and forget it.
Pros
- Mileage
- Driver comfort
- Entertainment Options
Cons
- Back seat room
- Trunk space
- Rough ride at times