New Fusion Hybrid Tops Midsize Segment

The new Fusion Hybrid is officially the highest-mileage midsize vehicle sold in America.

For Ford, the hits just keep on coming

Certification on the new Ford Fusion Hybrid was completed this week and, not wasting a minute, Ford has announced that the new Fusion model is officially the most fuel-efficient mid-sized car in America with a certified 41 mpg rating in the city and 36 mpg rating on the highway.

These figures mean that the Fusion handily tops the Toyota Camry’s city mileage by 8 mpg and highway figure by 2 mpg. Final certification was completed earlier in the week at Ford’s Allen Park, Michigan testing laboratories, which means Ford’s newest “green machine” even outpaced the Honda Civic Hybrid, besting the smaller car by 1 mpg in city driving (although the Civic holds an EPA rating of 45 mpg on the highway).

New Hybrid System

The new economy benchmark was a result of three years worth of engineering that culminated in the development of Ford’s next-generation hybrid propulsion system. The new 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder engine with intake variable cam timing (iVCT) enables spark and cam timing to be varied according to engine load for optimal fuel efficiency. In addition, a smaller, lighter nickel-metal hydride battery, which produces 20 percent more power than Ford’s previous hybrid system. Marrying these two technologies enables the Fusion to travel up to 47 miles per hour in pure electric mode, as well as to more seamlessly transition from gas to electric mode and vice-versa.

“The Fusion Hybrid’s ability to run at a much higher speed in electric mode allows drivers to maximize fuel efficiently in many driving situations,” said Praveen Cherian, Fusion Hybrid program leader. “For example, this would allow drivers to travel around their subdivision and parking areas in all-electric mode.”

An Early Christmas Present

For Ford, facing congressional scrutiny on one side and battling a besieged credit market on the other, the news couldn’t have come at a better time. Here at LotPro.com, we hope, for Ford, that this is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.

Tags: camry, civic, civic hybrid, Ford, Ford Fusion, fusion hybrid, Honda, Honda Civic Hybrid, Toyota, Toyota Camry