Horizons Online Edition

Issue date: 2/3/10 Section: Reviews

Media Credit: store.hybridcars.com The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid places excellent gas mileage and good styling in one package.

Do you want a car with incredible gas mileage? There are a few cars out there that offer that. Do you want one that doesn't look like a tadpole? Well then, enter the world of regular cars that have been designed to fit a hybrid drive system. While these cars aren't able to return fuel efficiencies of over 50 miles per gallon of the aquatically-inspired Honda Insight and Toyota Prius, they generally offer more room, better performance, and don't project an eco-warrior image that can get you cut off on the freeway with undue prejudice.

Of all of these regular cars that are available exclusively with hybrid drives, the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid is the best. While not as large as some of its competitors it offers a much more refined ride, an interior that feels out of place in an American made car, and class-leading gas mileage. The Fusion is rated at 41 mpg in the city, 36 on the highway, and 39 combined. Would you actually get these numbers? It depends on your particular driving style. On one of the test drives I performed I got 39 mpg from Galpin Ford to the square and back, but keep in mind that I was driving particularly carefully. On another drive I stepped on the gas as much as I could without breaking the law and returned it 28 mpg. Yes, these are below the projected numbers, but keep in mind a small 4 cylinder gasoline engine and an electric motor a bit larger than a watermelon are tasked with moving a 3,800 pound car. If you do ever feel the need to floor it, the Continuously Variable Transmission immediately lets the engine's revolutions per minute sky rocket to near redline. It then stays there unwaveringly until you take your foot off of the gas. The only way to describe how this feels to someone who hasn't driven a car like this is simply to say it's like going full throttle in a modestly-powered motor boat; the engine goes makes lots of noise, but the vehicle doesn't necessarily accelerate instantly. But then again, you don't buy a hybrid for performance. The Fusion has power where it needs it and comes highly optioned for the price. It offers a smooth ride, miserly gas mileage, enough room for road trips, and the batteries have an 8 year warranty.

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