Nice trick
Rest assured, I quitted the snail game soon enough. That said, I managed to drive moderately and my tester posted an average of 6.9 L/100 km. That’s nearly 40 percent higher than the miracle rating announced by Ford (after laboratory tests). Yet, no other road user threatened me or laughed at me!
Over the course of my road test, I realized that accelerating from 0 to 75 km/h in full electric mode with the Fusion Hybrid is absolutely unrealistic… unless you live in a town of one. However, there’s a way to trick the system. When driving at 60 km/h on a flat, deserted road, just release the throttle very slightly for a brief moment and the engine will shut off. Then, by maintaining an extremely delicate pressure on the throttle (remember the egg!), you can cruise for one or two kilometres without sending greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Interesting, don’t you think?
Buy one?
In the end, the challenge proved to be edifying. The impressive efficiency achieved through this road test shows us how changing our driving habits can improve our performance, regardless of the vehicle.
The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid’s high fuel economy sure makes it an attractive pick, but with a premium of $10,500 over the regular 4-cylinder model, buyers need to be careful. After five years and 100,000 kilometres, with gas prices rounded up to $1.10 per litre, base Fusion owners will have saved $7,310.
How can one ignore such a number? More importantly, just how many Canadians are willing to pay that much money for the sake of going green?
photo:Philippe Champoux
Rest assured, I quitted the snail game soon enough. That said, I managed to drive moderately and my tester posted an average of 6.9 L/100 km. That’s nearly 40 percent higher than the miracle rating announced by Ford (after laboratory tests). Yet, no other road user threatened me or laughed at me!
Over the course of my road test, I realized that accelerating from 0 to 75 km/h in full electric mode with the Fusion Hybrid is absolutely unrealistic… unless you live in a town of one. However, there’s a way to trick the system. When driving at 60 km/h on a flat, deserted road, just release the throttle very slightly for a brief moment and the engine will shut off. Then, by maintaining an extremely delicate pressure on the throttle (remember the egg!), you can cruise for one or two kilometres without sending greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Interesting, don’t you think?
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| The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid’s high fuel economy sure makes it an attractive pick. |
Buy one?
In the end, the challenge proved to be edifying. The impressive efficiency achieved through this road test shows us how changing our driving habits can improve our performance, regardless of the vehicle.
The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid’s high fuel economy sure makes it an attractive pick, but with a premium of $10,500 over the regular 4-cylinder model, buyers need to be careful. After five years and 100,000 kilometres, with gas prices rounded up to $1.10 per litre, base Fusion owners will have saved $7,310.
How can one ignore such a number? More importantly, just how many Canadians are willing to pay that much money for the sake of going green?
photo:Philippe Champoux
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