Buying the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid - Owner Review

Our new 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid is shining like a polished gem in the driveway. We wanted this car so badly that we ordered it before the $3,400 tax credit amount changed at the end of March, and waited while our name rose to the top of the waiting list to have our car built for us. Once we received notice that they were starting to make our car, it took about a month to be finished and transported to the dealer.

After driving our new Fusion Hybrid now for almost 2,000 miles, it's the nicest car we've ever owned. One statistic that shows on the electronic dashboard is overall miles per gallon. This started at a disappointing 32 and has steadily risen as we drive it. Currently it is 38.6 MPG. We do mainly a mix of city and suburban driving, but it's summer and gas mileage is not optimal while running the electric air conditioning. We expect it to easily go above 40 MPG this fall and winter when we can drive it up to 40 MPH using just the electric motor. There have been some cool mornings already when the promise of that performance has shown.

The safety features included on our Fusion are amazing. We have blind spot information system (BLIS) which tells us with a blinking yellow spot on the side view mirror if there's a car in our blind spot when moving from lane to lane on the highway. This safety feature also senses cross traffic when backing up. This can't be beat when trying to back out of a tight space in a parking lot. We also have the back up camera which provides clear and sharp images on the side of the rear view mirror. It works amazingly well, even at night, to show the driver what's behind the car when backing.

One of our concerns with a hybrid car was how well it would start up from a stop. We were used to a smaller car with a larger motor, but the Ford Fusion Hybrid has not disappointed. The regenerative braking system is solid feeling and precise. The continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) shifts imperceptibly as the very quiet gas and electric engines interchange very smoothly. When driving it, Fusion just feels like a "tight" superb car.

So far our only dissatisfaction with this car is our own choice of a black fabric seat interior. It seems every speck of dust and hair we shed shows up on the dash or seat. A better choice would have been the medium light stone interior. That must mean this 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid was the perfect choice for us. We are very happy owners.