2017 FORD FUSION HYBRID TITANIUM
Reasonable price makes it realistic choice for eco-friendly buyers
Just about every auto manufacturer makes a hybrid, because … well, they have to. But nobody’s buying. Gas is cheap and we’re cheap, too. Why pay through the nose to save a few hundred bucks a year in fuel costs?
Take this handsome, fine driving and exceptionally fuel-efficient 2017 Ford Fusion Titanium HEV (hybrid electric vehicle). It and its sister Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid account for less than two per cent of Fusion sales.
But wait. The Fusion Titanium HEV, at $34,998, is only $500 more than the similarly equipped 2.0-litre EcoBoost gas-powered Fusion Titanium. And that little nugget sheds a whole new light on the situation. Those with a proclivity for penny pinching should be rubbing their hands together with glee. All this hybrid technology could pay for itself within a year.
There are some concessions when choosing the hybrid over the EcoBoost. The 1.4-kWh lithium-ion battery adds weight and eats up about 25 per cent of the trunk space. And if it matters, the hybrid won’t be winning any stoplight drag races.
For 2017, the Fusion gets exterior and interior tweaks, along with some new tech. There is a wider Aston Martin-esque grille with sharper corners, and out back recontoured LED tail lights and rear fascia spruce things up. Upper trim levels get new LED headlights.
The big change inside is the rotary-style shift selector that frees up space on the centre console. The dual cup holder is relocated to the front, the armrest is longer and Ford says there is 40 per cent more storage.
In this Titanium, Ford’s new SYNC 3 with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto replaces the creaky old MyFord Touch; it is a big improvement. The menu system is logical, icons are bigger and response time is faster. The screen now has swipe functions and pinch-to-zoom if equipped with navigation (an $800 option here).
Ford has revamped the voice recognition to identify a myriad of new and useful commands, such as “I’m hungry,” after which a list of nearby restaurants pops up.
The Titanium’s 10-way power driver’s seat is supremely comfortable, and Ford’s colourful and clear major gauge cluster is a familiar and welcome sight. The standard 12-speaker Sony audio provides sound that is full, rich and natural.
It’s in the lower reaches of the cabin where you’ll find evidence of cost cutting. The door pockets are flimsy and Ford should put some padding within the recessed door pulls.
But I did enjoy the serenity during my week of hybrid motoring. The Fusion handles well and has a compliant ride. The 2.0-L Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine and electric motor combine for 188 horsepower, driving the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission.
As far as hybrid systems go, this is a good one. My wintry week of mixed motoring netted an average of 6. 4 L/100 km.
Ford offers the hybrid powertrain in all Fusion trim levels, from the base S at $28,888 to the lavishly appointed $45,088 Platinum. It’s a handsome and refined sedan that asks little in the way of financial sacrifice for its parsimonious consumption of fossil fuels.