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Almost new guy


Dag
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Hi there. I'm researching a new fusion energi.

 

My current vehicle is a f150 platinum that gets 16.3 mpg.

 

My commute to work is 20.4 miles 5 days a week. I do park next to the building but I haven't looked for an outlet yet.

 

I'm enticed by the cost savings. I drive about 17k mikes per year but that's because I don't take the company car on longer trips because I like my truck ;)

 

I see a huge cost savings by using the energi instead of just the standard hybrid. I'm spending about $300 a month on gas currently.

 

I'm gonna check out the forum a bit, but I'm hoping I can save $250 or so a month with some conservative driving.

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

 

What do I need to ask about before I commit and buy one? Is the titanium and different for mpg?

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Welcome -- sounds like you are in a similar situation as my wife was, she had an Edge AWD that averaged 17 MPG... so she now has a Titanium Energi (no difference in drivetrain between them, just trim options etc).

 

Anyway, I have a spreadsheet where I've been tracking fill-ups and comparing against her still driving the Edge.  She has had the Energi for 5 months and as of last tank had driven 7,300 miles and saved $1,150 in gas.  The electricity will detract from that a tad, but the electric bill for the entire house is $150-200 per month so the gas savings is still better even when throwing in all electrical use -- don't care about the specifics, though some on here are really good about that.

 

Now is definitely the time to buy a 2013 with the great rebates and $4,000 tax credit... I have an SE hybrid but if the rebates were like they are now back in January when I got mine, we would have had 2 Energis in the garage.

 

There are other threads around related to purchasing and some recent purchasers, so browse around and fire away with more questions.

 

 

Edit -- added to note that my electric rate is about 11¢ per kWh

Edited by jeff_h
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Thanks for the info!

 

The dealership knows I'm serious, but so far hasn't offered anything that makes me jump. On the lot they only have 2014's - 2 of them. Perhaps I need to call around to see who has the 13's.

 

Is there any difference between the 13/14?

 

That is discussed in this thread... http://www.fordfusionenergiforum.com/topic/1230-se-vs-titanium/?p=6845

 

Also check out the Buying Leasing and & Ordering section for several topics on deals and incentives to be had. It really is a good time to get a 2013.  http://www.fordfusionenergiforum.com/forum/6-buying-leasing-ordering/

 

Welcome to the boards

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Welcome to the boards.

 

You will see enormous cost savings for fuel, at least if your electrical rate is reasonable.  Mine is about 12 cents per kwh.  Others here have reported over 37 cents per kwh (which is beyond insane).  And even if your electrical rate stinks, you can drive around on gas at over 40MPG average.  However, if your electric rate is bad, consider the hybrid, especially with how much you're driving.  It gets the same or better economy than the Energi, you get 4 more cubic feet of trunk space, and the initial investment is a lot less expensive.  I've fooled around with numbers and if you commute more than 90 miles a day, the Hybrid squeaks by in terms of being a better car to buy.

 

The other thing you'll need to see and determine if it's a dealbreaker or not is to go to the dealership and look in the trunk of one of these cars.  Obviously an F150 has a lot of utility in mind.  But if you're just using it as a transportation vehicle and not using it as a truck, and you don't need a colossal amount of trunk space, the Energi may be right up your alley.  I have had 2 vehicles to myself for at least 7 years, one of them being an Expedition, and I kept that while replacing a Ford Focus.  There have been more than 1 time where I needed that utility, so it was good to keep around.  Plus it's 14 years old and not worth anything. :)

 

Trim levels do not impact MPG.  It just depends on what seating options you want and whether or not you want upgraded toys.  If you're driving around a Platinum F150, go for the Titanium. :)

 

Hunt around for some 2013 Fusions.  For purchase, Ford is running upwards of 4500 dollars in rebates (or 3,000 if you take 0%APR for 5 years), and lease deals are good too.  Some dealerships offer up their own sales on top of the Ford rebates, making these cars theft to buy, so shop around.  Of course, that depends on if you want the newer options that they're now offering, such as different color interiors, heated and cooled front seats, heated steering wheel, inflatable rear seatbelts, and a couple new exterior colors, etc.  (go check out the thread meyersnole suggested). 

 

As far as my own personal experience with the car goes... it's been flawless.  I have had zero issues to complain about, I totally dig driving around in EV mode (I have exclusively used this car as an EV), and totally love all the tech in the car, it looks fantastic, it's comfortable, there's very little maintenance to do with it, the trunk is a total non-issue for me... I could go on, but bottom line is, I'm glad Ford FINALLY made a PHEV.  Been staring at Volts for a long time and have been eyeballing the Focus Electric for a long time too (no employee plans on those though or I might've been driving one), but I've been jonesing for an electric car since 2005 when the Hybrid Escape came along.  Never got one because of one problem I had with it - you couldn't plug it in.  It made no sense to have a battery that could propel a vehicle that you couldn't recharge at home.  When I saw the Fusion, I thought it was a gorgeous car.  When I found that they were making it in to a plug-in hybrid... I had to have it. :)

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Welcome Dag!  

 

My feeling is that you are going to LOVE the Energi!  You are in a position to get the best price, the features that you want and probably the color that you want on a 2013.  I recommend finding a dealer with a fairly large inventory.  It seems the Indiana dealers have smaller inventories so it depends on how far you are willing to drive to find the best deal for you.  I was lucky; I am in California and there are several dealers with large inventories so I was able to find a Titanium with all the options that I wanted and in the color that I wanted. 

 

If you have researched the differences than you have at least determined that you want the Titanium over the SE.  The rest of it was the fun part for me to negotiate my price via a live chat with the dealer

 

I asked a ton of questions on this forum before I decided to buy my Energi and the members have been FANTASTIC with providing honest answers and recommendations.  You will learn so much from these friends than from any dealer or sales person.

 

Let us know when you buy yours!   :)

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Is there any rumor to the rebates being around after 9/30?

 

I would guess that the amount of unsold stock would drive that one, and here in the VA/MD/DC you can easily find about 200 of them and in the list that I track (there are 4 dealers where I've been watching their inventory out of curiosity to see how quickly they move) there are still some out there that were built in February that are still sitting on lots -- so in my non-expert estimation, I wouldn't be surprised to see the same incentives on 2013 models go for a while more, at least in regions like mine where there is still a lot of stock on the ground.

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*applause*  Is there going to be an encore for the wife? :D

 

Congrats.  Let us know when you take delivery, take some photos if you like and show it off, and enjoy the new ride.

Thank you!

 

The wife drives a 2014 Mercedes E350, it's gonna be hard talking her out of that!

 

I take delivery mon/Tuesday, it's a dealer swap from Chicago area.

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Not saying it will hold as much as the Benz, just saying the trunk is much larger then you think it is. So far I have been pleasantly surprised twice.

 

Packed for a 6 day trip with the wife to Pittsburgh, and nearly everything fit in the trunk. And more recently went to BJs, unplanned, and thought I was going to have to load up the back seat but fit nearly everything in the trunk. 

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Not saying it will hold as much as the Benz, just saying the trunk is much larger then you think it is. So far I have been pleasantly surprised twice.

 

Packed for a 6 day trip with the wife to Pittsburgh, and nearly everything fit in the trunk. And more recently went to BJs, unplanned, and thought I was going to have to load up the back seat but fit nearly everything in the trunk.

 

Hehe I was teasing of course!

 

It will be interesting to see!

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