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This is very disappointing. I really love the Fusion hybrid (close to 50 MPG on mine, very smooth ride and good low-end off-the-line torque due to the electric

This is very disappointing. I really love the Fusion hybrid (close to 50 MPG on mine, very smooth ride and good low-end off-the-line torque due to the electric). I was really hoping they would do a plug-in version that got more than 21 miles on a charge in the next 10 years (when I'll be due for another car).

jsgo 9y ago
Agreed. I think looks wise, Fusion has been one of the better of their offerings (granted, didn’t love the switch to the blimp looking/rounded grill). I’d think it would make sense to keep the Fusion line.
toomuchtodo 9y ago
Any reason you wouldn’t go with an all electric vehicle at that point?
- Someone1234 9y ago
  Cost? Hybrids are ballpark $10K cheaper than electric. For example the Ford Fusion Hybrid starts at $25,390 and Prius V at $26,675, the only fully electric vehicle at that price point is the Smart ForTwo electric drive, but the ForTwo Electric has a terrible 58 mile range, only two seats, missing quality of life features, and arguably poor fit & finish (similar to a $13K new car level). A good electric vehicle, like the Bolt, is in the mid $30s ($34-36K ish). A plug-in hybrid offers a good compromise between features and cost. You'll get similar mileage to a ForTwo Electric (50 miles on electric) but with fewer of the compromises (unlimited gas range after that, more features, nicer finish, four seats, etc).
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
- TheRealWatson 9y ago
  Speaking for myself, besides the price, some driving patterns and destination may not favor electric cars today. If you travel frequently by car or can't always count on a charging station being available, then a hybrid could be a better alternative. The gap is closing, though.
- perl4ever 9y ago
  I'm not sure all electric is a logical progression from plug-in hybrid. Adding battery capacity to go from running 95% on electricity to 100% doesn't seem to me to logically be an economic or an environmental win, necessarily. There are always some trips you can't take on a single charge, so it seems wasteful to invest in battery capacity beyond what you use the vast majority of days. If I was dictator of everything, and wanted to fight pollution and global warming, I would institute a big carbon tax, and let markets work out how to respond, but my expectation would be that the end state would be plug-in hybrids.
  - toomuchtodo 9y ago
    The maintenance costs of a combustion engine on a vehicle is significant compared to an EV, which is why a battery electric vehicle is superior to a hybrid if range isn’t an issue (ie fast charging and/or SuperChargers).
    - perl4ever 9y ago
      Do you really think so? What significant maintenance costs are you thinking of? Do you consider oil changes and spark plugs significant costs? I just looked for long term tests of the Chevy Bolt to see what sort of issues have been appearing on them when driven for a while. Tire failures, battery failures and power steering issues seem to be among them. Of course some of that is under warranty, but also involves leaving the motorist stranded. So maybe focusing on the engine or motor is ignoring the source of most issues. My 2016 gas-powered Honda has had a few issues, but the one that left me stranded was an electrical issue - the issue with the engine itself did not prevent me from driving to the dealer. Overall, I think it's pretty rare to have significant work done to a modern gasoline engine - I was recently startled to discover a mechanic I'd been to in the past wouldn't touch my car's engine and referred me to the dealer. Finally, if you own an all electric vehicle and rent a car for long trips, I'm not sure why that is going to be better than owning a hybrid with a gas engine. You may say the gas engine doesn't have to be hauled around all the time, but then again, the extra batteries don't either, and the rental probably uses more gas and resources per mile than the hybrid running on gas.
    - 9y ago

jsgo 9y ago

Agreed. I think looks wise, Fusion has been one of the better of their offerings (granted, didn’t love the switch to the blimp looking/rounded grill). I’d think it would make sense to keep the Fusion line.

toomuchtodo 9y ago

Any reason you wouldn’t go with an all electric vehicle at that point?

Someone1234 9y ago
Cost? Hybrids are ballpark $10K cheaper than electric. For example the Ford Fusion Hybrid starts at $25,390 and Prius V at $26,675, the only fully electric vehicle at that price point is the Smart ForTwo electric drive, but the ForTwo Electric has a terrible 58 mile range, only two seats, missing quality of life features, and arguably poor fit & finish (similar to a $13K new car level). A good electric vehicle, like the Bolt, is in the mid $30s ($34-36K ish). A plug-in hybrid offers a good compromise between features and cost. You'll get similar mileage to a ForTwo Electric (50 miles on electric) but with fewer of the compromises (unlimited gas range after that, more features, nicer finish, four seats, etc).
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
TheRealWatson 9y ago
Speaking for myself, besides the price, some driving patterns and destination may not favor electric cars today. If you travel frequently by car or can't always count on a charging station being available, then a hybrid could be a better alternative. The gap is closing, though.
perl4ever 9y ago
I'm not sure all electric is a logical progression from plug-in hybrid. Adding battery capacity to go from running 95% on electricity to 100% doesn't seem to me to logically be an economic or an environmental win, necessarily. There are always some trips you can't take on a single charge, so it seems wasteful to invest in battery capacity beyond what you use the vast majority of days. If I was dictator of everything, and wanted to fight pollution and global warming, I would institute a big carbon tax, and let markets work out how to respond, but my expectation would be that the end state would be plug-in hybrids.
- toomuchtodo 9y ago
  The maintenance costs of a combustion engine on a vehicle is significant compared to an EV, which is why a battery electric vehicle is superior to a hybrid if range isn’t an issue (ie fast charging and/or SuperChargers).
  - perl4ever 9y ago
    Do you really think so? What significant maintenance costs are you thinking of? Do you consider oil changes and spark plugs significant costs? I just looked for long term tests of the Chevy Bolt to see what sort of issues have been appearing on them when driven for a while. Tire failures, battery failures and power steering issues seem to be among them. Of course some of that is under warranty, but also involves leaving the motorist stranded. So maybe focusing on the engine or motor is ignoring the source of most issues. My 2016 gas-powered Honda has had a few issues, but the one that left me stranded was an electrical issue - the issue with the engine itself did not prevent me from driving to the dealer. Overall, I think it's pretty rare to have significant work done to a modern gasoline engine - I was recently startled to discover a mechanic I'd been to in the past wouldn't touch my car's engine and referred me to the dealer. Finally, if you own an all electric vehicle and rent a car for long trips, I'm not sure why that is going to be better than owning a hybrid with a gas engine. You may say the gas engine doesn't have to be hauled around all the time, but then again, the extra batteries don't either, and the rental probably uses more gas and resources per mile than the hybrid running on gas.
  - 9y ago