AutoblogGreen wins Ford Fusion hybrid mileage challenge: 43.1 mpg!
On Monday, AutoblogGreen joined several dozen other media outlets in Los Angeles for a chance to drive Ford's new 2010 Fusion hybrid for the first time. After a brief repeat of the technical highlights of the new hybrid sedan, Ford spokesman Alan Hall challenged the group to go out and drive a route through Beverly Hills and Hollywood to see who could achieve the best mileage. The final EPA numbers aren't done yet for the Fusion but Ford is saying it will be at least 39 city/37 highway, handilly beating its primary competitor, the Toyota Camry Hybrid.
We can't yet share our full driving impressions until the end of the week but we can tell you all what happened during the mileage challenge. We paired up in the cars and each driver got to drive half the route before we switched places. Ford's hybrid applications manager Gil Portalatin went out Sunday set the baselines for each half of the route. Nobody matched Portalatin's results of 46 mpg on the first segment or 43.5 mpg on the second part, but some of us came close. On the first route Steve Siler of Car and Driver managed 43.6 mpg while yours truly achieved 43.1 to capture the second part. Stayed tuned this weekend for all the details on how we topped 40 mpg in the Fusion.
Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
Photos Copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
LaughingMan 1:47PM (12/09/2008)
Congratulations ABG!
The Fusion Hybrid looks like it's going to be a fantastic vehicle. It can't come soon enough!
Any details on what techniques were used to attain this? How much of it is similar to the Pulse & Glide used to hypermile on the Prius, for example?
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Anomoly 1:00AM (12/10/2008)
Would like to see which car last longer. or atleast longer than a year and a half without major repair.. the ford or the Toyota
bc 12:56PM (12/10/2008)
Well, if you believe CR, the current Fusion is more reliable than the Camry and just behind the Prius. Whether there will be new model teething problems is another question. The hybrid drivetrain is similar to but not identical to the Escape, which has also been reliable. If there is a statistically significant difference between the cars, the numbers are so small that there is virtually no practical difference.
noz 2:38PM (12/09/2008)
Under what conditions was it driven? And please...don't say you guys were open throttle all day because that's bull.
Also, put the results into perspective. The Camry H has been around for a while now. And you're comparing something not even out yet by Ford.
I know you're cheerleaders for the CRAP 3 but give it a rest.
Give us more facts too. I'll be alot of hypermiling was going on.
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Jamarr 7:35PM (12/09/2008)
Hater Crybaby.
Get over the fact that someone else can build something fuel efficient. It's not out, but this is what will be out in a few months. Toyota and EVERY other manufacturer does this with their vehicles.
Gosh.
noz 9:07PM (12/09/2008)
What fact?
Let's see how it got those numbers...or are you too afraid to find out?
VF-XX 5:14PM (12/09/2008)
UG!!!
They've killed the bodylines of the car!!! NO!!!!!
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Jamarr 8:41AM (12/10/2008)
WTF is up with the reply function? maybe is my tard browser at work...
@ noz
Did you even read the article or did you see ford and 43mpg and run to the comments section to spew? They obviously said they tried to get the best mileage they could get. Also, they said the driving impressions are embargoed until Saturday. Have a few beers Friday night and run to your computer at 11:59. Questions answered.
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sunrooftop 9:27AM (12/10/2008)
noz, u haven't owned, driven or even ridden in a Detroit 3 vehicle in years. To be caught in one on whatever coast u live on would be to die from shame. U have no business commenting on something u know nothing about. Yr a dick.
digdeeper 11:31AM (12/10/2008)
So which car will need a major repair after a 1 1/2 years? Likely not the Ford Fusion (and Mercury Milan) -- ranked mong the "most reliable cars" by Consumer Reports, not exactly known for its Detroit cheerleading. In normal driving, the Fusion hybrid will get 39 mpg city - 6 mpg better than the competing Toyota hybrid. It's interesting that some folks are so bothered that many American cars now have the same quality as the Japanese. That tells me as much about them as it does about the cars.
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jopas 1:14AM (12/13/2008)
Hi All,
tell me this: Why I 43 MPG worthy of celebration when practically any small to medium size diesel sold in Europe gets 40+ MPG and is a lot less complex to produce, likely translating to less overall burden to the environment over the lifecycle of the product?
This said, I've got nothing against the Ford Fusion hybrid specifically -- I don't really get Toyota Prius or any of the other (current) hybrids either...
Cheers
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xenogears728 10:02AM (12/13/2008)
Jopas..
To answer that question is quite simple
You kinda answered it yourself too.
European cars use diesel ( high power output)
Taking that into account if you build an engine for only that then it would likely hit high mileage.
Whereas North american cars relatively use gasoline only. I'm well aware of the ford fiesta hits 60 mpg in europe and it isn't even a hybrid.
The prius is a big deal in the states because it uses gas and archives 50+ mpg .. Although it is not known for its looks.
ziv 9:05AM (12/14/2008)
Jopas, one other thing you neglected to mention is that diesel gives you a 10-20% increase in mileage due to its higher energy content, but it costs 30-50% more than unleaded gas. On a trip to Florida I saw diesel almost always around $2.60 and gas was around $1.50.
A Fusion that gives me 40 mpg means I will need half the gas I use in my RAV4 and I will still have room to haul 3 clients around with me.
jopas 8:26PM (12/13/2008)
Thanks guys, I wasn't aware that there was such a big difference between diesel and petrol prices in the US.
Here in Australia the prices are almost at parity with diesel being just marginally more costly whereas back in Scandinavia diesel has traditionally been about 10% cheaper than petrol (!).
I still reckon, and this is a somewhat uninformed opinion, that cost aside when comparing a 25 MPG petrol car vs. a 40 MPG diesel car of similar size, the overall environmental impact of the petrol car is higher over the same number of miles driven.
What do you think?
xenogears728 10:04AM (12/13/2008)
I forgot to add that gasoline has overall lower power output than diesel.
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Spector 12:32PM (12/13/2008)
It looks fantastic and I would definitely consider it over a foreign make.
I doubt it but does anyone know if it is also flex fuel capable? I don't think the Escape is.
The wheels look nice but are those bolt on covers over steel or are they alloys?
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