This actual test drive review(
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2417191,00.asp) issued on 3/29/13 of the Fusion Energi says quite a bit in a few words about a big difference between Volt and Fusion Energi:
"To test acceleration, I floored the car from a stop and ran it up to about 40 mph. It took the car a few beats to figure out what I wanted and kick the gas engine on with a tiny shudder. Once it did that, the car accelerated smoothly and quickly, but it didn't press me into the seat. It also hung on for a split second even after I took my foot off the gas, as if the gas pedal had to send a command somewhere first, and wasn't directly connected to the throttle; that was a little unnerving."
No Volt owner would say that of the Volt--especially when driven in Sport Mode and "L"!
Here's a second actual test drive review from a week earlier:
http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/22/ford-fusion-energi-test-drive/
1) "We were less enamored with the powertrain. In the all-electric EV Now mode, the accelerator only responds to the first one-third of pedal travel. Beyond the initial surge of torque, the car slowly builds up momentum regardless of any further throttle input. Mash the pedal in Auto EV mode and, after the electric motor pulls you off the line, there's a brief delay before the gasoline engine comes to life and the CVT raises the RPMs to maximize efficiency. The resulting soundtrack is loud and buzzy and betrays the vehicle's overall refinement. EV Later mode provides less electric assistance as it attempts to conserve battery power."
2) "While it's a larger car than the C-MAX Energi, it weighs about the same and features pretty much the same plug-in hybrid powertrain with 195 net horsepower and three EV driving modes. It combines a 2-liter DOHC 16V Duratec (Atkinson cycle) engine and CVT with an AC synchronous motor powered by a 7.6kWh Lithium Ion battery. ***
Both autos share the same unfortunate battery protrusion in the trunk area, and while it's less of an issue in the Fusion sedan than the wagon-like C-MAX, it detracts from the overall package."
From discussion at
http://insideevs.com/ford-fusion-energi-quietly-rated-at-21-miles-range-and-43-mpg/ :
"The real question – where did they shove the extra batteries in the Fusion Energi? The Ford site seems to indicate that there is no trunk room penalty?
Reply
Anton Wahlman
January 16, 2013 at 4:21 pm
They’re right behind the rear seat, on top of the rear “axle.”
Reply
jason
January 21, 2013 at 10:25 pm
What I found is there is trunk penalty. The trunk on the regular Fusion is 16 cu ft. The Fusion hybrid is 12 cu ft. The Fusion Energi is 8.2 cu ft. – barely enough for groceries and the stuff I normally carry.
That was the deal breaker. I so wanted to get this car. Expectations maybe a bit too high. I don’t think Ford should have that “cardboard box” video advertising how they designed the batteries to fit in the trunk. In a good design you should not even know batteries are there. Just my opinion.
Reply
Anton Wahlman
January 16, 2013 at 4:24 pm
I just finished driving the Ford C-Max Energi (same drivetrain as the Fusion version of the same) 1,247 miles. I yielded 32.6 MPG in charge-sustaining mode. As for all-electric range, it was too short time to measure, and also the gasoline engine kept coming on too often for the whole thing to count properly. I know it says 21 miles, but it’s probably hard to achieve, in particular if you even as much as turn on the fan (not even AC, just the fan)."
It will be interesting to see what the real world mpg and EV range figures prove to be for the Fusion Energi.