OT: Any Ford Fusion Owners?

[Brad Stevens]

Anyone here have one of the 2013/2014 Ford Fusions (hybrid or Energi)? I'm looking at a new job that requires a commute. I currently have a relatively new SUV that gets terrible mileage. I'm not a huge Eco-friendly, green-loving guy, but I do like to save money. Is the hybrid as advertised (47 mpg) or the Energi as advertised? Any input would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

To make it sports-related: I would love to drive to College Station and back to see ole Stansbury without having to fill up on gas. **

[TheRef]

If you want the best mileage I would get a TDI diesel from VW...those things absolutely are crazy. My brother knows someone who drove the length of I-55 from NOLA to Chicago on one tank of gas with gas to spare.

[Dawgbite]

Don't have the hybrid but my wife is on her third Fusion company car after two Taurus. She has the 4cyl and gets about 31 mpg. She currently is on a 2014 model and gets a new one every 65000 miles. It rides and drives good but every one she has had has needed the transmission replaced prior to 65000 , even one of the Taurus. The current one has not but it only has 8000 miles on it so far. My neighbor has a TDI Jetta and gets 51 mph if he's not using the AC but mid 40s otherwise. The only drawback is the nearest dealer is two hours away. The only bright spot on the Fusion is that every tranny was replaced under warranty and the dealer always furnished a loaner. Give her about another 12-16 months and when this one hits 65000, I'll be able to buy it for 8-9 k.

[Drugdog]

I have had a 13 and a 14 year model. The 2013 was terrible. I have the base SE 4 cylinder. I like it. Good company car. Gets about 450-500 miles per tank. No tranny problems. Hope that helps.

[HereComesTheSpiral]

VW TDI will get you the equivalent mileage of the hybrid and the cost is probably the same depending on the model you buy. I was going to get a TDI, but I have heard they are maintenance nightmares. I have never owned a VW so I cant really speak about their reliability, only what ive read about them.

[CrookedLetta]

I work in sales for Ford and I would recommend the 14 Hybrid over the 13.

[dickiedawg]

I work in sales for Ford and I would recommend the 14 Hybrid over the 13.

I am shocked by this.**

[EAVdog]

I have a coworker that has one, he loves it. I had a Hybrid Civic for 5 years. I miss the heck out of the gas mileage but it was too small for the expanded family. Getting 45+ miles to the gallon, real world driving, will cut your fill ups in half or more. Hard to go back to 20-25 mpg or less.

[hells bells]

Anyone here have one of the 2013/2014 Ford Fusions (hybrid or Energi)? I'm looking at a new job that requires a commute. I currently have a relatively new SUV that gets terrible mileage. I'm not a huge Eco-friendly, green-loving guy, but I do like to save money. Is the hybrid as advertised (47 mpg) or the Energi as advertised? Any input would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

To make it sports-related: I would love to drive to College Station and back to see ole Stansbury without having to fill up on gas. **

Yea I have the 2014 Fusion Hybrid. Really good car and awesome mileage. With cruise control on and at 65 to 70 mph I can get 49.5 mpg. Fill up once a week and drive a lot. When the battery kicks in you cannot hear the car so you can be stealthy. Trunk has a lot of room as well as inside.

[Brad Stevens]

I have a coworker that has one, he loves it. I had a Hybrid Civic for 5 years. I miss the heck out of the gas mileage but it was too small for the expanded family. Getting 45+ miles to the gallon, real world driving, will cut your fill ups in half or more. Hard to go back to 20-25 mpg or less.

This is a main reason I was asking about the Fusion. It seems to have the great mileage of other hybrids, but is much roomier and better looking (to me at least). I was just curious if this were the case for those who have purchased or driven in these vehicles.

[Brad Stevens]

Yea I have the 2014 Fusion Hybrid. Really good car and awesome mileage. With cruise control on and at 65 to 70 mph I can get 49.5 mpg. Fill up once a week and drive a lot. When the battery kicks in you cannot hear the car so you can be stealthy. Trunk has a lot of room as well as inside.

Thanks. That is very helpful.

[DawgInMemphis]

Anyone here have one of the 2013/2014 Ford Fusions (hybrid or Energi)? I'm looking at a new job that requires a commute. I currently have a relatively new SUV that gets terrible mileage. I'm not a huge Eco-friendly, green-loving guy, but I do like to save money. Is the hybrid as advertised (47 mpg) or the Energi as advertised? Any input would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

To make it sports-related: I would love to drive to College Station and back to see ole Stansbury without having to fill up on gas. **

With the kind of money you make I'd have figured you wouldn't be concerned too much with gas mileage...

Here are my two cents...

Turbo Diesel: Great mileage without having to baby it, just drive it like you normally would. Diesel fuel is expensive though.

Hybrid: Great mileage, but you have to drive it like an old woman to get what's advertised.

Turbocharged 4-cyl: Good mileage (30-40 mpg) and much more driveable than the hybrids, but I'd recommend higher octane fuel to help with premature ignition (knock).

[thedawg]

My wife had a Volkswagen Passat and it was a nightmare... We live an hour and fifteen from the dealership and no one around where i live can really work on them other than really basic things.. The last year I owned that car it had like 80,000 miles on it and i spent upwards of 3k in repairs. It was three unrelated issues. I finally got to the point we were 2 grand upside down on it and I just went and traded it in and took the bad business deal. I hated that car she had to have... My sister bought a jetta a year later against my advice and had a very similar experience. So maybe we have bad luck.. either way Im out of the Volkswagen business.

[Eric Nies Grind Time]

My wife had a Volkswagen Passat and it was a nightmare... We live an hour and fifteen from the dealership and no one around where i live can really work on them other than really basic things.. The last year I owned that car it had like 80,000 miles on it and i spent upwards of 3k in repairs. It was three unrelated issues. I finally got to the point we were 2 grand upside down on it and I just went and traded it in and took the bad business deal. I hated that car she had to have... My sister bought a jetta a year later against my advice and had a very similar experience. So maybe we have bad luck.. either way Im out of the Volkswagen business.

I started having a lot of problems with my Jetta around the 80,000 mile mark as well.

[FFF]

Unless you live near a dealer and have a lot of money you can spend on parts/maintenance, I'd stay away from any European make. Most local shops won't even change the oil in them, much less perform a repair and you absolutely CANNOT cheap out on parts. The car will drive like shit.

As far as the fusion, I have a '12 with over 60K and I like it. It's got the 6speed tranny and base 4 cyl. Duratec and am pleased with the performance, but the acceleration kinda sucks. It takes a while to cycle through all the gears and get to speed, but I average well over 31 MPG with mostly highway driving. No problems as of yet and the transmission still shifts tight and crisp. I like mine.

[esplanade91]

If you want the best mileage I would get a TDI diesel from VW...those things absolutely are crazy. My brother knows someone who drove the length of I-55 from NOLA to Chicago on one tank of gas with gas to spare.

Diesels are the shit. I drove one to Miami basically on a tank once.

Sounds all fine and dandy, but it comes out the same. Diesel is 10 cents cheaper in the summer and 30 cents more expensive in the winter months, maintenance is less frequent but more expensive when it finally happens, and you MUST know of a mechanic (less important for a new car I guess).

My advise would be not to buy a diesel unless you have experience with them or you're filthy rich.

And I'd stay away from hybrids too if you plan on owning the car post-warranty. Do yourself a favor and park your nice SUV in the driveway and only use it for dates and on weekends and go and buy a used 2006 Corolla or Civic for $5,000 and use it strictly for commuting. You'll get 40 MPG's and any 13 year old kid could read and master the book on those in 30 minutes. I picked a 94 Civic body out of a friend's mechanic shop once and then had a motor with 40,000 miles on it shipped to me from Japan and then had the thing put together. Total investment was around $3,000. Depending on how many people were in the car and if I had the A/C on I got almost 50 MPG.

[FFF]

Diesels are the shit. I drove one to Miami basically on a tank once.

Sounds all fine and dandy, but it comes out the same. Diesel is 10 cents cheaper in the summer and 30 cents more expensive in the winter months, maintenance is less frequent but more expensive when it finally happens, and you MUST know of a mechanic (less important for a new car I guess).

My advise would be not to buy a diesel unless you have experience with them or you're filthy rich.

And I'd stay away from hybrids too if you plan on owning the car post-warranty. Do yourself a favor and park your nice SUV in the driveway and only use it for dates and on weekends and go and buy a used 2006 Corolla or Civic for $5,000 and use it strictly for commuting. You'll get 40 MPG's and any 13 year old kid could read and master the book on those in 30 minutes. I picked a 94 Civic body out of a friend's mechanic shop once and then had a motor with 40,000 miles on it shipped to me from Japan and then had the thing put together. Total investment was around $3,000. Depending on how many people were in the car and if I had the A/C on I got almost 50 MPG.

This is the best advice yet. I also forgot to mention that your return on hybrids diminishes over time and financially, you never make the money back you put in them and they become a maintenance nightmare. If you ever have the battery pack cook in one, you have to replace the whole thing and they are INCREDIBLY expensive.

[rbdog82]

Just picked up a 2014 Honda Accord Sport here and I'm getting ~30mpg with 50/50 hwy and city. Just another hat to throw in the ring.

[esplanade91]

Indeed. A 4 or 5 year LEASE on a hybrid is worth it if you're inclined to throwing money into a bucket without gaining equity.

I'm pretty young but I've owned over 10 vehicles myself and I was my grandfather's personal errand boy in his personal fleet growing up so I'd say that a 1987-1994 Mercedes 300D would be the best bet for you, but again, I'm well versed in the diesel underground. If you're not you'll drop a fortune on one and in one. I've personally driven 3 Mercedes 5 cyl turbo diesels with more than 350,000 miles on them. Those oil rigs in the gulf use them as generators and never shut them off, they change the oil with the thing running.

If you're looking for a "new" commuter car I'd grab me a Chevy Cobalt. They have one of if not the highest MPG in their class and an MPG higher than most hybrids and they're CHEEAAAAAPP. Problem with the fusion is theyre not particularly cheap but they're still Ford's and their resale will be absolute shit, probably undeservingly so.

[Yossarian39]

I have a 2012 model & I highly recommend the Cadillac CTS V. Sure you only get 14 mpg, but with the 570 HP supercharged Corvette V8, it is a hell of a lot more fun to drive than any hybrid. If you are going to spend a lot of time in a car, it should be one you enjoy driving.

[rbdog82]

I have a 2012 model & I highly recommend the Cadillac CTS V. Sure you only get 14 mpg, but with the 570 HP supercharged Corvette V8, it is a hell of a lot more fun to drive than any hybrid. If you are going to spend a lot of time in a car, it should be one you enjoy driving.

This I agree with 100%. I just don't spend enough time in my car to warrant anything besides practical.

[civildawg]

We have a vw passat tdi. Great fuel mileage. Diesel engines are hybrid killers, I would look into the diesel before going hybrid