Great Article on MotorTrend: First Test: 2014 Ford Fusion Energi PHEV

[dmackdaddy]

Looks like or FFET pretty much kicks the others to the curve :)

 

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/1404_2014_ford_fusion_energi_phev_first_test/

 

The 2014 Ford Fusion Energi not only is more efficient overall than its non-plug-in counterpart, but it's quicker, too. Combined power is rated 188 hp from a 141-hp, 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle I-4 and 118-hp electric motor, and the big battery filling much of the trunk is a 7.6 kW-hr lithium-ion unit. Despite weighing 3981 pounds as-tested in high-end Titanium trim, the 2014 Ford Fusion Energi is slightly quicker in stoplight sprints to 30 mph, at 2.9 seconds to the 3.1 seconds of the Toyota Prius PHEV, 2012 Chevrolet Volt, and non-PHEV Fusion Hybrid SE. When the engine and electric motor are working together, the Fusion Energi never feels sluggish. From zero to 60 mph, the Fusion Energi's 7.9-second time beats the non-PHEV Fusion (8.5 seconds), Toyota Prius PHEV (9.8 seconds), and 2012 Chevrolet Volt (8.8 seconds).

[Rexracer]

Thanks for posting the link, I like to keep up with what the different outlets are saying! Its also interesting to read the comments people make.

I remember one early review before the car came out, there was a guy saying something like "Why would I buy this for ~40k when I can buy a Camaro for 24k, that 16k can buy a lot of gas!"

Because a Camaro and a Energi are completely comparable cars, let me see you put a car seat in the Camaro and get a infant in and out a few times a day, and then tell me how realistic an option the Camaro is..

[Kybuck]

Interesting article, I didn't realize that the FFE accelerated quicker than a Volt.  When I test-drove a friend's Volt (probably a year or so before I bought the FFE), it felt quicker.  Maybe I pushed it harder than I typically push my FFE.

 

I remember one early review before the car came out, there was a guy saying something like "Why would I buy this for ~40k when I can buy a Camaro for 24k, that 16k can buy a lot of gas!"

Because a Camaro and a Energi are completely comparable cars, let me see you put a car seat in the Camaro and get a infant in and out a few times a day, and then tell me how realistic an option the Camaro is..

 

Understood that they are two different cars (it'd be like saying "why buy a Corvette for $53k when you can get a midsize sedan for half the price AND they have a back seat").  A better argument would be comparing it to the $22k base Fusion.   $18k can buy a lot of gas.  Even then, it still isn't a fair comparison since they have different features, and it doesn't take tax credits into account.  Before purchasing my Energi, I compared it to similarly equipped Fusion and Fusion Hybrid models to see the true cost difference.  Once I did that and subtracted tax and other credits, the Energi suddenly became much more attractive.

 

An infant seat fits fine in the Fusion Energi, but the smaller trunk does limit the "accessories" (stroller, etc.) that infants tend to travel with, making it difficult for anything beyond a day trip.

[dmackdaddy]

I'm coming from a 2011 BMW 535i.  I've had my FFET for about 2 weeks and I love it.  I still have the BMW but only thru May when the lease runs out.  I wanted to buy one before the HOV stickers ran out.  Sure the BMW is faster but everything else I find comprabale.  I'm also amazed about how much more looks and comments I get about my 2014 FFET vs the BMW.  I guess BMW's are a dime a dozen here in Silicon Valley (as are Tesla's now) but ppl dont feel like I will feel concited if they compliment my FFET :)  Picture below btw.

 

[Rexracer]

Understood that they are two different cars (it'd be like saying "why buy a Corvette for $53k when you can get a midsize sedan for half the price AND they have a back seat").  A better argument would be comparing it to the $22k base Fusion.   $18k can buy a lot of gas.  Even then, it still isn't a fair comparison since they have different features, and it doesn't take tax credits into account.  Before purchasing my Energi, I compared it to similarly equipped Fusion and Fusion Hybrid models to see the true cost difference.  Once I did that and subtracted tax and other credits, the Energi suddenly became much more attractive.

 

An infant seat fits fine in the Fusion Energi, but the smaller trunk does limit the "accessories" (stroller, etc.) that infants tend to travel with, making it difficult for anything beyond a day trip.

 

- This is basically what I did, I listed out a comparable car, which was a serious consideration at the time (Accord EX-L) and showed that the cost difference, after rebates and dealer discounts made it virtually the same cost as the Accord EX-L (to get the same level of options).

 

And yes infant seat fits great in my car, with barely moving the seats up at all. The space for kid stuff was the one/biggest compromise. The agreement with the wife is that if we are doing a trip with all the stuff, we take her small SUV. Yes i want the better MPG, but for the 3-4 times  year it just doesn't work to take the FFE due to space, its worth it all the other days I get the great mpg.

[homa2001]

 

 

Understood that they are two different cars (it'd be like saying "why buy a Corvette for $53k when you can get a midsize sedan for half the price AND they have a back seat").  A better argument would be comparing it to the $22k base Fusion.   $18k can buy a lot of gas.  Even then, it still isn't a fair comparison since they have different features, and it doesn't take tax credits into account.  Before purchasing my Energi, I compared it to similarly equipped Fusion and Fusion Hybrid models to see the true cost difference.  Once I did that and subtracted tax and other credits, the Energi suddenly became much more attractive.

 

 

 

After doing math many times, taking tax credits into the account, etc, etc, etc i have concluded that FFE will never pay for itself in terms of ROI (I should rather say not in 8 years that I typically consider a life time of a car before maintenance costs start to climb). So in other words, I still have purchased FFE, but I did so with complete realization that it's a very expensive toy. It's pleasant to drive and I can argue I am investing in further development of EV and so on, but no matter how I spin it, the business case does not work for FFE vs. FFH and especially vs FF ICE.

 

I did set out on purchasing a PHEV, so competition is still lacking in this segment. EV's were out as this is my only car, so I need "extended" range. Volt was out after a test drive and discovery of a couple things that made it quite a crappy choice because of lack of options as they are trying to keep the weight of the car down or so the dealer said and more importantly when batter runs out it becomes a simple ICE with 28mpg as opposed to a regular hybrid with 50mpg. Why GM would do that is beyond me, but that eliminated Volt as a choice for me.

 

Prius PHEV was waaay too overpriced for the batter range and options when compared to FFE Titanium. The only other car that really competed with FFE was '14 Accord PHEV. Same price, comparable options (or more exactly no options at all as everything was included by default).

 

Did anyone else do the math and business case works for you when compared with ICE or even a HEV?

 

I should disclose though that I'm in MA, so no state subsidies here....

[Rexracer]

After doing math many times, taking tax credits into the account, etc, etc, etc i have concluded that FFE will never pay for itself in terms of ROI (I should rather say not in 8 years that I typically consider a life time of a car before maintenance costs start to climb). So in other words, I still have purchased FFE, but I did so with complete realization that it's a very expensive toy. It's pleasant to drive and I can argue I am investing in further development of EV and so on, but no matter how I spin it, the business case does not work for FFE vs. FFH and especially vs FF ICE.

 

I did set out on purchasing a PHEV, so competition is still lacking in this segment. EV's were out as this is my only car, so I need "extended" range. Volt was out after a test drive and discovery of a couple things that made it quite a crappy choice because of lack of options as they are trying to keep the weight of the car down or so the dealer said and more importantly when batter runs out it becomes a simple ICE with 28mpg as opposed to a regular hybrid with 50mpg. Why GM would do that is beyond me, but that eliminated Volt as a choice for me.

 

Prius PHEV was waaay too overpriced for the batter range and options when compared to FFE Titanium. The only other car that really competed with FFE was '14 Accord PHEV. Same price, comparable options (or more exactly no options at all as everything was included by default).

 

Did anyone else do the math and business case works for you when compared with ICE or even a HEV?

 

I should disclose though that I'm in MA, so no state subsidies here....

 

I absolutely did the math. What did you use for cost of your FFE, FFH, and regular gas car? How many miles per month/year did you figure? What kind of driving were you counting on? What is your cost of electricity? ETC. The math DID work out for me, because of the way I drive, how much i drive, and the cost of electricity vs gas (very low electric rates/5th highest fuel cost in the nation).

 

So the Math CAN work for this car, but not for everyone. I have done the Math for 3-4 other people that have been looking for a car, and the FFE did not stand on its own to equal or save money, so your back into doing it because you want to for whatever reason.

 

My Numbers:  

Assumptions15k miles annual driving, $.045 kWH charging rate, 60mpg ave (actually sitting at 65mpg ave, but did my math assuming I would get only 60mpg), ave cost of fuel (over a year) $3.75, Keeping the car 10 years, 5 kWH charged every day (most are lower)

2013 FFE Total price $29,500 2013 close out, titanium, 10k off MSRP + $4007 fed rebate

2013 FFH Total price $27,500 these cars were not on sale much when I purchased, this is the best I could find at the time

2013 Accord Sport    $24,500 My top pick of what I was going to get

 

  The totals show my 10 year ownership cost (purchase price + fuel cost + charging costs)

FFE $40,321

FFH $41,786

Accord Sport $45,929

 

And note, the Accord Sport would have been a cloth seated no Navi, no sunroof car, and they FFH would have been basic as well. So besides being the cheapest option, it had the most extra bells and whistles.

Edited June 30, 2014 at 09:55 PM by Rexracer

[homa2001]

 

2013 FFE Total price $29,500 2013 close out, titanium, 10k off MSRP + $4007 fed rebate

 

How'd you get this price? Mine was almost $45k (March 2013). If I had 10k off the sticker, math would have worked for me as well....

[Rexracer]

How'd you get this price? Mine was almost $45k (March 2013). If I had 10k off the sticker, math would have worked for me as well....

 

Yep i got 10k off sticker, plenty of 2014s on the lot, so they had to discount the 2013s to move them.

[HotLap]

Another point is that while I'm no tree hugger (second care is a 911 S), it does feel good having a smaller carbon footprint and being able to utilize the HOV lane in SoCal rush hour is PRICELESS :)