Last month, Ford allowed me and my family to review a Ford Fusion Energi SE 2014 for 7 days. It was literally luxury on wheels. My family and I were already going to Florida for a family reunion so we were excited to put this car on the highway to put the hybrid/energy feature to the test.
Enjoy my mini-video review on our first experience with a hybrid.
Living Smart: The Ford Fusion Energi SE starts out at $34,700 and ranks 17 out of 21 affordable midsize cars. I believe the #1 reason people want a hybrid or an engery car is SAVE MONEY ON GAS. Well, we did just that. We drove from Atlanta to Tampa (7 hour ride) on one tank of gas. That never happens and we take this trip a few times a year. We usually spend at least $150 on gas, but actually were able to do a round trip on $40 (out of our own pocket). *Disclaimer, they gave it to me on full.
The car has a four-cylinder engine and an electric motor and takes anywhere between 2.5 & 6 hours to charge. Once it was charged, we actually used up that energy pretty quickly. I would say, the engery is more for local driving and save the gas usage for the highway. The Fusion Energi gets an EPA-estimated 44/41 mpg city/highway in hybrid mode.
Safety Features: The Ford Fusion Energi also had 8 standard air bags, which is more than the standard. That makes me feel safe because my children were in the car. I loved that the side mirrors had blind spot lights that would blink when a car was on your left or right.
There is a camera mounted behind the windshield that monitors road lane markings to determine vehicle position and detect a lane departure. Lane-keeping alert warns that you’re starting to drift through a series of steering wheel vibrations, which mimic a rumble strip. Lane-keeping aid actively applies steering torque, which alerts you to direct your vehicle back into the target lane should the system detect an unintended lane departure.
The Fusion also had a built in lane stabilization feature. It would give you a small jerk when you were going out of your lane. That scared me at first! It has a capless gas tank, so you don’t have to worry about losing your cap. There is a rear & front sensor which gives you a nice beeping sound when you are getting to close to anything while driving.
Living Stylish: The first thing I noticed was the color. It was beautiful. In the sun it changed from a baby blue to a gorgeous pastel green. The inside was cream leather interior with brown & black trim. At first I was nervous how my children would react because they don’t care how nice something is, they just want to ride! They loved it. My children hoped in and immediately were very comfortable. My husband is around 5’10 and said it was roomy enough for him.
• SE/SE Hybrid – cloth, 10-way power driver’s seat with power lumbar and manual passenger seat • SE Luxury/SE Luxury Hybrid/SE Luxury Energi – leather-trimmed, heated, 10-way power driver’s seat with three memory settings, power lumbar and four-way power passenger seat
Overall we loved this car. I did not want to give it back, but sometimes good things come to an end. My first car was a Ford Escort, and for the past few years I have been driving a Ford Expedition. To be able to ride around in a Ford Fusion made me feel comfortable because I know the value of the Ford Brand, but also excited because it was another level of a great performing vehicle. So I guess this goes on a wish list! Hint Hint!
lease visit Ford’s website for a detailed description of all the bells and whistles!!
Do you have a hybrid? How do you like it? How is different for you?
