Ford says hybrid version of its new Fusion sedan will post some of
the best gas-mileage numbers around. Perhaps best of all, they're
astoundingly easy to remember -- 47 miles per gallon in the city, 47 mpg
on the highway for a total of, sure enough, 47 mpg combined.
When you get past the hybrid, the numbers are good, but aren't headline making. The rest of the line:
- 1.6-liter EcoBoost turbocharged engine: 25 mpg city, 37 mpg highway, 29 mpg combined.
- 2-liter EcoBoost turbocharged engine: 22 mpg city, 33 mpg highway, 26 mpg combined.
- 2.5-liter:
22 mpg city, 34 mpg highway, 26 mpg combined. By contrast, the new
Honda Accord's base engine is rated at 27 mpg city, 36 highway, for 30
combined.
On the hybrid, Ford's rating is 8 mpg more
on the highway and 4 mpg more in the city than the Toyota Camry Hybrid,
which is impressive, but not as impressive as considering its only
three miles shy of the average of Toyota's top mileage meister, the
Prius, at 50 mpg average.
"The new Fusion is part of our plan to
offer vehicles with the very best quality, fuel efficiency, safety,
smart design and value," says Ford CEO Alan Mulally. "We are absolutely
committed to class-leading fuel efficiency as a reason to buy Ford
vehicles."
They had better be. The midsize sedan is one of Ford's
biggest selling models. Lately, buyers have put fuel economy at their
top of list of considerations. And with a new Accord, Nissan Altima and a
new Mazda6 on the way, competition in the segment couldn't be more
keen.
Ford is throwing one other feature into the mix that will
help with gas mileage, even if it doesn't get full credit for it when it
comes to the way the government rates gas mileage. The Fusion equipped
with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine is available with a stop-start
system, which turns off the engine when the car is idling at
intersections. It's a reasonable $295 option.
USA Today