Fusion Hybrid

[onething]

I have a friend who is thinking of buying one of these for his wife who runs all over DFW for work. He asked me what I know and when I said "Dunno" he asked me to see if any of you had actual experience . . . we all have opinions
TIA

[altiain]

When you say "runs all over DFW for work" will she be predominantly doing city or highway driving? Hybrids shine in surface street driving where they can utilize regenrative braking to recoup energy lost to heat. Diesels shine in steady state highway driving due to better thermal efficiency in the engine.

Long answer short: If she does a lot of surface street driving, buy a hybrid. If she does more than 50% highway driving, I'd opt for a diesel.

[jrj512]

Note that the new Fusion will be out shortly, so if they buy one now, then it will be a generation old in a few months.

[jrj512]

Also, I had a Fusion rental and loved it. If they had a stick, then it would have been on my list.

[POS Racing]

Note that the new Fusion will be out shortly, so if they buy one now, then it will be a generation old in a few months.

And the new one is really sharp! Not such a bread box!

My Data point - Neighbor up the street has a Fusion Hybrid I've seen on a wrecker leaving the hood a couple of times. I figure that must really improve the mileage when it is being towed!

[Flyin96M]

Also, I had a Fusion rental and loved it. If they had a stick, then it would have been on my list.

I though they offered a sport version that could be had with a manual. I had the Mercury version for a rental for three weeks once and really liked it.

[onething]

When you say "runs all over DFW for work" will she be predominantly doing city or highway driving?

I would have to guess she will be utilizing the entire system of streets and highways.

I assume they are looking at the new generation. As for transmission, I'm pretty sure she still remembers how to drive a stick, but I barely remember the last vehicle with manual tranny they owned - she never drove it.

[VFR750]

I have put 10k miles on my V6 Fusion rental the past 10 weeks, it is nice driving and if the onboard computer is to be believed I am averaging right at 30MPG.

[POS Racing]

Hybrids shine in surface street driving where they can utilize regenrative braking to recoup energy lost to heat. Diesels shine in steady state highway driving due to better thermal efficiency in the engine.

Long answer short: If she does a lot of surface street driving, buy a hybrid. If she does more than 50% highway driving, I'd opt for a diesel.

I would have to guess she will be utilizing the entire system of streets and highways.

From what Fireball has posted it sounds like she needs to review her driving habits to figure out a best fit scenario.

Or is she just buying a Hybrid to make people think she is environmental conscious? If that is the case the Toyota Prius may be the better choice.

[jrj512]

I though they offered a sport version that could be had with a manual.

Yes, they do or did, but it was a stripper model. Too bad Mazda is doing the same with the CX-5.

Or is she just buying a Hybrid to make people think she is environmental conscious? If that is the case the Toyota Prius may be the better choice.

From an environmental stand-point, it would be best to just fix what you have. The environmental impact of producing a car can be quite large. Good luck making up for all of the bunker burned by the ship bringing the Prius over here.

[slates]

When you say "runs all over DFW for work" will she be predominantly doing city or highway driving? Hybrids shine in surface street driving where they can utilize regenrative braking to recoup energy lost to heat. Diesels shine in steady state highway driving due to better thermal efficiency in the engine.

Long answer short: If she does a lot of surface street driving, buy a hybrid. If she does more than 50% highway driving, I'd opt for a diesel.

+1 on the oil burner. Wife had a 2003 Jetta TDI wagon. Averaged 40mpg city/highway and got up to 50mpg pure highway - at real highway speeds. Benefit 1. It was bullet-proof, ran 157k miles, and was rarely in the shop for anything. Benefit 2. Just sold it. Advertised it on the TDI forums and had over 20 inquiries. Guy flew in from Montana to buy it. Sold for $8500. Purchased new for $18500. She now has a 2012 Jetta TDI wagon. Really nice car, and a HELL of a lot more power out of the 2.0l diesel than the 1.9. She is averaging 37mpg city/highway on her first 3 tank fulls. Once it breaks in it will be over 40.

If you want something bigger, check out a used MB E320 CDI. A clean MB certified car (with extended warranty) can be bought for probably a slight premium over what you would pay for a Fusion. Mine gets close to 40mpg on the highway, and high 20s in town - which is not all that bad for a tank of a car.

[OZMDD]

I have had good experiences with Fusion rental cars. We currently have an 06 Accord Hybrid, and it has been very reliable - 115K miles. It is more of a sport hybrid, intended to give 4cyl mpg with V6 power (260 hp), rather than a high-mpg hybrid. I think the Fusion is in the Accord category. We get 28/32 in ours.

I have a friend with the Escape Hybrid (I think its a similar drivetrain) and it has been trouble-free and quite peppy.

I agree that the TDI's are probably a better value and less long-term technology issues, if you don't mind searching a little for diesel stations and the higher price of diesel, which seems to suffer from greater price swings lately.

[jeff_man]

tl;dr

Golf TDI, the true eco friendly 40+mpg car. I could care less about the eco friend shit, I just like the torques. Was sold on the holding it worth past 100k miles and no batteries to replace in 5-10 years.

[trickyrix]

No experience with the Fusion Hybrid, but I really like the V6 Fusion my cousin bought several years ago. It's been dead nuts reliable (as in, it's only been back to the dealer for oil changes and scheduled maintenance). Plus, it's actually kinda fun to drive. The V6 has a nice growl and plenty of oomph. The car reminds me of a more refined 1st-gen Taurus SHO with an autobox. It's also proven to be sturdy, tight, and rattle free. That's my $0.02...

[onething]

I thought the VWs were plagued with electrical issues. Everyone I know and value their car related opinions that have driven VWs in the last 10 years leased them and turned them in before the warranty expired because of perceived electrical fails in the future.
I have NO FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE WITH VWs IN THE LAST 15 YEARS.

Thanks for all the input. My friend is lurking.

[Sharpie]

Does anyone know if hybrids are exempt from emission testing in Texas? I thought it would be an easy google search, but still haven't found a solid answer. My dad is selling an 00' Insight and it may come to Texas and have to get emissions tested. In New Mexico they get a lifetime exemption from smog.

[goofygrin]

No, they still have to be safety tested, which is tiered by years and certain counties have smog rules and require some form of testing.

[BigDmiata]

Does anyone know if hybrids are exempt from emission testing in Texas? I thought it would be an easy google search, but still haven't found a solid answer. My dad is selling an 00' Insight and it may come to Texas and have to get emissions tested. In New Mexico they get a lifetime exemption from smog.

If its a 2000, then it's OBD2, and in the DFW area they don't check emissions by the tail pipe, only the OBD2.

[Sharpie]

It throws a P 420 code regularly, but in Albuquerque they don't even plug it in, it's totally exempt. So Dad just clears it and forgets about it. He says it's an Insight thing. ????