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Ford has redesigned its midsize Fusion sedan for 2010, and has added a gasoline-hybrid model to the lineup as well.
Prices range from $19,620-$28,030 (plus $725 freight) for the gasoline-only models, while the hybrid version begins at $27,625 – and sports fuel economy better than that of the competing Toyota Camry hybrid.The new Fusion officially went on sale in March, and was among the best sellers in the government’s recent Cash for Clunkers program.Although not a complete makeover – the car still rides on the chassis it came with when first introduced for 2006 – the new Fusion got numerous exterior changes and interior upgrades, along with a lot of new technology.It’s quite a bit more stylish than before, and has a lot more standard content – making it seem more like a luxury car than a mass-market model.Similar changes were made to the corresponding Mercury Milan model, including the addition of a hybrid version. Base prices of the gasoline-only Milan models range from $21,535-$28,155 (plus $725 freight), while the hybrid starts at $27,855.The Fusion and Milan hybrids are rated at 41 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, which beats the Toyota Camry hybrid by 8 mpg in the city and 2 mpg on the highway.A combination of a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and electric motor powers the hybrids, while gasoline-only Fusion and Milan models offer a choice of a four-cylinder or two V-6 engines.The best gasoline-only fuel economy comes with the four-cylinder Fusion S, which is EPA rated at 34 mpg on the highway and 23 in the city. That beats both the gasoline-powered Camry and Honda Accord models. Those, with automatic transmissions, are EPA rated at 21 city/30 highway for the Accord and 21/31 for the Camry.Ford’s only hybrids until now have been the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner compact crossover utility vehicles, which entered their second generation last year. Hybrid Fusion and Milan models come with a new 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine using the so-called Atkinson cycle design for better fuel economy. It’s assisted by an electric motor, and power is transferred to the wheels by an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission.The hybrid’s gasoline engine is rated at 155 horsepower and 136 foot-pounds of torque.It’s the same two-mode hybrid drive system that Ford uses in the Escape and Mariner models, both of which were upgraded significantly for 2009. Ford developed the system on its own, but licensed some of the technology from Toyota because of similarities with Toyota’s hybrids.Ford said its hybrid team developed a system "that combines the best attributes of the gasoline engine and electric battery-driven motors to deliver the optimal experience for the customer in terms of driving performance and fuel economy."The system will allow the Fusion and Milan to operate longer at higher speeds – up to 47 mpg -- in pure electric mode, Ford said. The Toyota Prius, for example, automatically shifts to gasoline power at about 25 mph maximum.
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