Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
For the person that has several FFH models on the lot in Dallas, there are probably 50-100 scattered throughout the DC metro area (just my ballpark figure based on scouring dealer inventories), so there are some out there but just not plentiful. And I also agree with that they are not flying off the lot the same day, my local dealer got two a couple weeks ago and they are still there.
Over the years I kinda made a habit of taking road trips to find just the right car if I could not order it (not the case right now, plenty of time left in the build season but not for the tax credit since that reduces again after Sept) -- when I lived in Colorado I flew to Maryland to get one, when I lived in NC I flew up to NH to get one, I have fun with it since I like road trips and a road trip with a new car (the exact one that I wanted) is even better! So for those who have never tried that, if you can get away for a couple days you might like it and go sightseeing on your road trip back too.
I live in Tulsa, OK and got the FFH through Joe Cooper Ford. Are there any other FFH owners in Tulsa on this list? I haven't seen another one on the streets of Tulsa yet.
As of June 15 I am finishing my 3rd tank of gas at about 1,700 miles. I got about 37 mpg on the first 2 tanks with mostly highway driving, and at 40 mpg on 3rd tank with a mix of about 60% city, 40% highway. Looks like it will live up to EPA mpg ratings.
I like the car. I had one of the first (MY2001) classic Prius and had a lifetime mpg of 45 before an uninsured yahoo in a dually pick up ran over me and totaled it about 2 years ago. The FFH powertrain concept is essentially the same as the Toyota approach, but the FFH has a slightly more aggressive electrical use algorithm and a more informative and useful instrument display, both of which I like. I also drive a pure EV (Solectria Force) so I am a big fan of the electric dive component. The more the better as far as I am concerned. I gave up waiting on the Volt or a production Prius plug-in, and decided that Ford has the best HEV product on the market at present.
Are there any other FFH related discussion groups that any owners have found?
First, the Ford Fusion Forum, which has a dedicated FFH section:
http://www.fordfusionforum.com/index.php?showforum=57
Secondly, a pretty good blog: http://ffh.squarespace.com/
Fusion hybrid sales in May: 1,877.
Camry hybrid sales in May: 2,941.
For a comparison, I have an 09 Camry Hybrid. The power output of the hybrid with fully charged batteries is on par with the V6. For the most part the batteries are close to fully charged due to my daily trip of mostly 55 MPH. My MPG for the past few months has been 38+ MPG now that the weather has warmed up. For any other model Camry, the best I would see would be between 28-30 MPG for the type of driving.
http://www.edmunds.com/ford/fusionhybrid/2010/consumerreview.html
With regard to the battery - I believe the warranty is 8 years or 100,000 miles (except in California where it is even higher). I've also read that there are many Escape Hybrids in NYC and SF which have 300,000 miles on them and there has not been a single battery failure.
Good luck with your decision.
Particularly if you want to lease, there is little financial reason to hybridize. Certainly not with a FFH. Maybe a Honda Insight -- much cheaper.
Monetarily speaking, the $64 question is what the price of diesel fuel will be vis-a-vis gasoline. These new diesel engine cars get wonderful mileage, and with the new now sulphur fuel dont stink.
The other questions you need to answer to get a better fiscal answer:
highway vs city vs surburban driving. Hybrids shine city driving.
length and depth of cold weather -- hybrids must run the engine to warm you and the batteries -- less saving in cold weather.
I gotta tell you --- the FFH is a wonderful automobile with, for me, the right size.
Let us know your decision.
Rog in Vermont
And it is a full warranty; it is NOT prorated based on the life of the battery.
As a purchaser of a new, expensive, high-tech automobile, I have the fear that something post-warranty will die and Ford will demand my children's birthright to fix it. The high-voltage battery is the least of the worries, because of the high-mileage warranty.
The five california emission states are California, New York, Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont.
Rog in Vermont
FFH would be tough to justify in a normal leasing situation.
If you didn't buy a FFH, but were looking at a 4 cylinder or V6 Fusion, then I would recommend the 4 cyl over the FFH and the FFH over the V6. Don't forget the tax credit, I believe $1,700, you get for buying a FFH.
The FFH does well with city driving. Driving like "a little old lady" (how my wife describes my driving), I easily get 42+ mpg after the ICE is hot and the temperature is below 85F. I haven't had that mpg because half of my driving is at interstate speeds and recently temperatures are 95-100F. A non-hybrid car would get a similar, or worse mpg decrease in hot temperatures.
I have. At my last fillup, 4673.0 miles, I had bought and thus burned or evaporated 123.91 gals (37.7 mpg), but the readout on my long term dash mpg was 38.9. The difference being about 3.5 gals.
I know there are measurement errors all around, but is this within the limits expected for the car's calculation or fuel pumps?
No. I'm using the long term mpg since I picked up the car.
I have checked the mpg for each of the 10 tanks of gas I've bought. As it should be, the average mpg for these 10 tanks of gas was basically the same as the total gals bought divided into the total miles.
Yeah, I didn't think 3% off was all that bad, unless everybody else was getting a difference below the car's reported mpg. True measurement error should be distributed on both sides of the car's reported mpg.
In the Fusion Hybrid, in city driving, I bet I could see 45+ MPG in it easily, just from the fact I have driven hybrids for two years now and know how to manipulate the pedal just right, but that takes practice and a constant eye on the gauges.
Personally, what it boils down to, is not cost, economics, being green etc. it comes down to personal preference, if you like it, buy it, who cares what it costs, what the so called "break even" point is, or how "good" it is for the environment. What matters most is if you like to drive it, is it comfortable to drive, is it fun, does it suit your needs, and do you feel safe driving it, these points are what matter most, everything else doesn't really matter.
When I traded my Prius for a Hyundai Veracruz, I was at first happy to be driving the Veracruz, and still enjoy driving it, but after a while I missed driving the hybrid, I did not miss the Prius at all, it was unconformable to drive for me, and I did not feel it was a safe enough car for me and my family, but I did miss the technology. A few months later I got a great deal on a Camry Hybrid, and I like driving it, I like the car, and it has been 100% reliable for the past 27,000 miles, other than a few quality concerns, nothing actually wrong, just cheap materials that I feel are not up to the standards I expect from a Toyota Camry, there is not a single thing wrong with the car. I have no concerns over repair issues, and seeing that others have gone 300K without replacing the pack, I feel the car will last me a long time. Now had Ford had the Fusion Hybrid out last year, there is a very good possibility I would have one of those instead, since the Ford quality is much higher than the Toyota is now. If I were to sell it, based of current used car prices, especially if gas prices go up , I am fairly confident I could come out ahead, with cash in hand after paying off the car loan.
One question, I know they say the regenerative braking has lower maintenance and last longer when you do need a brake job could a regular mechanic do it or would someone with special knowledge be needed?
Again, if you are trying to "even out," then maybe you are looking at the wrong car. Get a loaded I4 Fusion. For the price differential, you can buy a heck of a lot of gas.
OTOH, you could drive them both back to back and buy the one that pleases you more for the money. That's what a lot of people do...as when comparing a 4 with a V6 model, or Chevy with a Buick..or a VW with Audi, or even a Yaris with a Smart, or what have you.
Who is your carrier?
AT&T Motorola Razr V3 and Nokia 6102i can support text messaging, but the Sprint Motorola Razr cannot. Sprint blocks most of the bluetooth operations to prevent you from using your phone as a gateway. Most AT&T Nokia and Motorola phones seem to work.
For any that don't know: A-plan is employee (and immediate family) pricing.
WSJ
Anyhow, I had the wife and kids with so she had a chance to check the car out and she loves it. Compared to the Camry, it made the Camry feel real cheap. More trunk space, more back seat space(legroom), and the seats fit like a glove. The leather material is soft and smooth, and they even have it on the door panels. The dash is much nicer than the Camry and doesn't have that glaring lighted center section. The only thing that was on the meh side were the climate controls, down at the bottom of the stack, and a little hard to see, but considering it is automatic climate control, you would rarely use them anyways. They have 2 hybrids due in soon, a Silver(What is with all the silver cars?), and a metallic gray. Both are maxed out at 32300.
Silver, what is up with all the silver models? My prius, the only one they had, just off the truck, Silver. The Camry, only one in stock, Silver. 5 Ford dealers with Hybrids in stock, all Silver! :surprise:
http://services.forddirect.fordvehicles.com/inventory/WindowSticker.pdf?vin=3FAD- P0L3xAR1xxxxx (substitute your actual values for the xxxxx)
If you've ordered your car, you can even see your name on the window label...