Comfortable seating but reduced practicality
My chief complaint against the Fusion Hybrid is its fixed rear seatback and reduced trunk volume. The issue here pertains to battery placement.
The sophisticated battery pack that serves as the heart of the hybrid system has to live somewhere, and unfortunately in the Fusion it lives behind the rear seatback, thus eliminating the convenience of expanding the trunk by dropping the seatback. There isn’t even a ski pass-thru for long narrow items.
This is what happens when a vehicle that wasn’t originally engineered as a hybrid is adapted for the purpose. I’m sure that Ford wouldn’t set about placing the battery pack in the same location if they were to design a new hybrid automobile from the ground up.
Until that happens, don’t expect to place bicycles, skis, construction products or other bulky items into the trunk of the Fusion Hybrid, despite them fitting into the trunk of the conventional Fusion with its fold-down rear seat.
Fusion Hybrid on the road
While the Fusion Hybrid may not excel at moving cargo, it does so at moving people. Although it can carry five adults, four would be the maximum in minimizing inadvertent groping. Once in place, all four will find sufficient head and legroom.
More so than cabin comfort, I found the highly refined, near silent operation of my tester to be the true delight of the Fusion Hybrid. This is a remarkably quiet, civilized vehicle that rivals its more expensive cousin, the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid.
Like its cousin, the Fusion Hybrid delivers a supple, absorbent ride that is a treat to live with. While the Fusion isn’t as luxurious and opulent as the MKZ Hybrid, it benefits greatly from many of the attributes that makes the Lincoln so desirable.
It would seem that the 2.5-litre, Atkinson-cycle I4 engine is a little more audibly pronounced in the Fusion than in the Lincoln when under hard acceleration. It’s only when being pushed, though, that the sophisticated mill pipes up as it partners with electrical propulsion to produce a combined 191 horsepower.
As with the conventional Fusion, power is delivered to the front wheels. Unlike the conventional Fusion, the brakes on the Hybrid version provide regenerative charging in addition to braking. This added role can impart hypersensitivity when speeds are low. It takes some acclimating before the dual-role binders begin to feel natural and predictably progressive.
My chief complaint against the Fusion Hybrid is its fixed rear seatback and reduced trunk volume. The issue here pertains to battery placement.
The sophisticated battery pack that serves as the heart of the hybrid system has to live somewhere, and unfortunately in the Fusion it lives behind the rear seatback, thus eliminating the convenience of expanding the trunk by dropping the seatback. There isn’t even a ski pass-thru for long narrow items.
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| My chief complaint against the Fusion Hybrid is its fixed rear seatback and reduced trunk volume. The issue here pertains to battery placement. (Photo: Rob Rpthwell/Auto123.com) |
This is what happens when a vehicle that wasn’t originally engineered as a hybrid is adapted for the purpose. I’m sure that Ford wouldn’t set about placing the battery pack in the same location if they were to design a new hybrid automobile from the ground up.
Until that happens, don’t expect to place bicycles, skis, construction products or other bulky items into the trunk of the Fusion Hybrid, despite them fitting into the trunk of the conventional Fusion with its fold-down rear seat.
Fusion Hybrid on the road
While the Fusion Hybrid may not excel at moving cargo, it does so at moving people. Although it can carry five adults, four would be the maximum in minimizing inadvertent groping. Once in place, all four will find sufficient head and legroom.
More so than cabin comfort, I found the highly refined, near silent operation of my tester to be the true delight of the Fusion Hybrid. This is a remarkably quiet, civilized vehicle that rivals its more expensive cousin, the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid.
Like its cousin, the Fusion Hybrid delivers a supple, absorbent ride that is a treat to live with. While the Fusion isn’t as luxurious and opulent as the MKZ Hybrid, it benefits greatly from many of the attributes that makes the Lincoln so desirable.
It would seem that the 2.5-litre, Atkinson-cycle I4 engine is a little more audibly pronounced in the Fusion than in the Lincoln when under hard acceleration. It’s only when being pushed, though, that the sophisticated mill pipes up as it partners with electrical propulsion to produce a combined 191 horsepower.
As with the conventional Fusion, power is delivered to the front wheels. Unlike the conventional Fusion, the brakes on the Hybrid version provide regenerative charging in addition to braking. This added role can impart hypersensitivity when speeds are low. It takes some acclimating before the dual-role binders begin to feel natural and predictably progressive.
 |
| It would seem that the 2.5-litre, Atkinson-cycle I4 engine is a little more audibly pronounced in the Fusion than in the Lincoln when under hard acceleration. (Photo: Rob Rpthwell/Auto123.com) |