2016 Chevy Volt vs Ford Fusion Energi - My comparison

[geohec]

 

If you drive the FFE in "Auto" mode all the time, you'll never have any problems with accelerating onto a highway or passing. But you'll use a little bit more gas overall by letting the car decide when to engage the engine. Just know you'll never make it 25 miles on the battery alone if there's any highway driving at all along your commute. The people on this forum who accomplish mileage beyond 18-20 EV-only are either hypermilers or living in a very temperate, flat area.

Sorry, I miss read your post. Ok i see.

 

Most of my miles are freeway with an average of 60 mph (80%) and 40 mph (20%), so I'll have to anticipate closer to 15 miles of EV range only for cost estimates. Obviously, in a ffe I'll have to be paying attention to my driving habits if i want to minimize my gas cost and optimize my EV range for my particular driving needs. 90% of my drive is flat terrain so im sure i could make some good use of a driving mode to optimize the battery and minimize gas use.

 

In my particular situation, it would be nice to just drive the car and not have to work at saving money. I'm sure after a couple of weeks of driving one i would figure things out and it would be 2nd nature. As you pointed out, driving the volt in my situation doesn't have these issues.

 

Thanks for the info.

[openair]

Yeah I agree here, the cooling works fine at 120V but you can't expect much from the heating, that will use extra HVB power. In polar vortex season in Chicago, this is still worth it!

That's nice. Not what I said but nice.

 

Heating or cooling working "fine, as well, better, worse" is subjective and can depend a lot on expectations and ambient temperatures.

 

What I said is that on level 1 charging I never see the HVB run down during a precondition triggered by a go time. It only does the best it can with the power available from the plug.

Edited August 4, 2015 at 07:11 PM by openair

[Hybridbear]

My primary goals for getting a new commuter car for around 25k after incentives are (in order of importance):

(1) The car must be able to make use the free L2 Charging Station at my work to make my commute free or nearly very low cost compared to my $220 monthly gas cost.   A volt would be nearly free for me to drive both ways in my commute and the FFE would cost me about $50 per month which I'm willing to do if the Volt disappoints or fails in other factors being considered. Also, I own solar panels and electricity for me is 0.16/kW, so I can fill up the FFE for about $1.

(2) the car would need to be a comfortable commuter car (90% of the time) that could seat at least 4 people relatively comfortably (10% of the time),

(3) the car should be a little peppy for getting on/off freeways or not struggling on hills,

(4) the car should look sharp and maybe a little sporty (obviously subjective).   Both cars look great in my eyes.

(5) the car would have some nice new features for example My Ford Touch, nice stereo, but not necessarily every feature.   Pre-conditioning and adaptavie cruise control would be nice but not necessarily a deal breaker.  

A BEV like the Focus Electric or Leaf would meet all your needs. Living in Cali you have many more EVs available to you. The Kia Soul EV has the highest EV range of a non-Tesla BEV. It also has plenty of space for people. A car like that might be a great fit for you to take advantage of the charging at work. The Focus Electric is generally regarded as the best driving BEV outside of a Tesla. It is one of the quickest BEVs and largely maintains the handling characteristics of the gas Focus.

 

I would say that preconditioning is one of the best features of BEVs and should be valued highly...

 

I would seriously think about a BEV in more depth. Based on your commute and a second car already, the typical 80 mile range would likely be more than enough. The electric Focus is a steal right now. It is very quick and smooth. Pretty fast recharge times as they have twice the rate of charging on 220v compared to the PHEV Fords (likely limitation of the non-liquid cooled battery pack in the PHEVs).

I agree! Our Focus Electric is the best car we've ever had!

[Taz]

While I appreciate the Soul EV having a great range, it isn't likely to be under highway conditions. I've rented (not by choice) a lot of gas Kia Souls. I have found that of the current crop of small/compact cars it has probably the absolute worst mileage on the highway. On average I rent cars about 40 times a year for work. I run away every time I can when I am forced to drive a Hamstermobile.

 

Yes, I think the car is cute and I loved the commercial but that is where it ends for me. Not much legroom and fairly cramped (other than headroom). It has apparently very poor aerodynamics as well. I was always in the low 30's with that car on the highway. By comparison even a 4 cylinder Camry would get upper 30's in the same usage and the Corolla low 40's.

 

I appreciate their attempt but for pure BEV, other than a Tesla, I'd go for either the Focus (really does drive great) or the B class Benz. My fondness for the i3 is wearing off a bit but still a pretty cool car. My wife absolutely loves the BEV Focus. It was the first BEV she ever drove and wanted to take it home. We were spending most of our time in MN and not really the idea climate. It's range would have been marginal for my commute to the office in the winter. I did just run across a used 2013 for pretty cheap that if I could find an affordable way to put a L2 EVSE in our MN garage I wouldn't mind picking it up. 

[Hybridbear]

While I appreciate the Soul EV having a great range, it isn't likely to be under highway conditions. I've rented (not by choice) a lot of gas Kia Souls. I have found that of the current crop of small/compact cars it has probably the absolute worst mileage on the highway. On average I rent cars about 40 times a year for work. I run away every time I can when I am forced to drive a Hamstermobile.

 

Yes, I think the car is cute and I loved the commercial but that is where it ends for me. Not much legroom and fairly cramped (other than headroom). It has apparently very poor aerodynamics as well. I was always in the low 30's with that car on the highway. By comparison even a 4 cylinder Camry would get upper 30's in the same usage and the Corolla low 40's.

 

I appreciate their attempt but for pure BEV, other than a Tesla, I'd go for either the Focus (really does drive great) or the B class Benz. My fondness for the i3 is wearing off a bit but still a pretty cool car. My wife absolutely loves the BEV Focus. It was the first BEV she ever drove and wanted to take it home. We were spending most of our time in MN and not really the idea climate. It's range would have been marginal for my commute to the office in the winter. I did just run across a used 2013 for pretty cheap that if I could find an affordable way to put a L2 EVSE in our MN garage I wouldn't mind picking it up.

We get 50-60 miles of range from our Focus Electric in MN winters with the heater running. My wife only drives 4.5 miles to her office & I usually walk the 1.5 miles to my office so the range isn't an issue. We've had weekend days where we've driven more than 140 miles within the Twin Cities area with a midday recharge at home.

 

We're starting to look at options to replace the Focus when its lease ends next summer. I did some research into the B Class ED & it is missing a lot of features that are important to us, such as the ability to delay charging. It charges as soon as it is plugged in. Owners on that forum have commented that it's not the best conversion EV.

 

The main dislike of the Focus, and the main reason why we chose the Fusion Energi over the Gen 1 Volt, is that we often have 4-5 ppl in the car. The Focus can't really even seat 4 comfortably. The Volt can't seat 5 at all. I'm 6'3 so I have the driver's seat all the way back which makes it hard for someone to sit behind me. Our main priority in shopping for our next EV is finding one with more passenger space. I wish we could afford a Tesla, but even the used ones are beyond our price range. The i3 is kind of cool, but it looks like the back seat space would be tighter than in the Focus. I don't care for the looks of the Leaf at all! While it's nice when others notice that our car is electric because it helps spread awareness, I've always preferred "green" cars that don't really look different from the ICE only version.

 

For the OP, the Focus Electric works for limited passenger hauling, but not for carrying ppl all the time. I'm not sure that the Volt really has much more space than a BEV like the Focus, though.

Edited August 5, 2015 at 11:41 AM by Hybridbear

[geohec]

For the OP, the Focus Electric works for limited passenger hauling, but not for carrying ppl all the time. I'm not sure that the Volt really has much more space than a BEV like the Focus, though.

 

The Focus suprised me when compared to the Volt with regards to interior dimensions.   They are really quite comperable (+/- 1 nch or so) with a few exceptions.   For example the rear leg room was a little better in the Volt but the read head room was little better in the Focus.   Everything else seemed reasonably close and I assume the comfort to be comparable as well.

 

However, for my personal needs a BEV with less then 150-200 mile range might not do it for me because I need to make some occasional long trips in the 150 mile range.  But if I keep my existing vehicle with 150k miles and use that instead for occasional long trips then the Focus can be my commuter vehicle to work at a significanly lower cost than the Volt.   

 

As for acceleration, the Volt is faster in both 0-30 and 0-60 sec by about 1.5 seconds in each category.   I think both vehicles look nice but the Volt has the edge in my eyes.

 

I'll have to also consider this vehicle if I want to meet my main goal of commuting to work for free (or close to it).   Thanks for the information.

 

P.S. I've included the interior dimension comparison for the 2016 Volt and the Focus in case some are interested.

[Russael]

Your significant other has a gas vehicle, yes?  If that's the case, just trade vehicles when you do your 150 mile trip.  If electric is your sole vehicle, then yeah, that wouldn't work, but otherwise, it can work just fine.

 

A BEV would fit my lifestyle too, as I kept my gas guzzling Expedition (both for long trips since I like sitting up high, and for the utility).  I didn't get the Focus because I found the sound system a little lackluster, and since I wanted to buy, I would not have been able to claim the full 7500 of the federal rebate.  I just barely had enough to claim the 4007 for the Fusion and whatever it was for my 240v EVSE.  My tax liability for 2013 was a whopping 37 dollars or so.

[Hybridbear]

However, for my personal needs a BEV with less then 150-200 mile range might not do it for me because I need to make some occasional long trips in the 150 mile range.  But if I keep my existing vehicle with 150k miles and use that instead for occasional long trips then the Focus can be my commuter vehicle to work at a significanly lower cost than the Volt.   

How many 150 mile trips do you make per year? How many days that are in the 50-70 mile range? The real key is not miles per trip, but miles per day. Back when we had our Fusion Hybrid (before getting the Focus Electric) I recorded every trip we drove for awhile. When my wife thought there was no way we could have a BEV I took the trips & typed them up in Excel with the date & miles. Then I subtotaled by day. It showed just how few miles we actually drove each day & convinced her.

 

If you could take the Volt for the 150 miles days (at its better gas MPG than the other car you have) then it makes more sense than a BEV. Particularly if you have very few days that you drive more than the ~50 mile EV range of the Volt but less than the ~75 mile range of a BEV. I would be inclined to choose the new Volt over the current Fusion Energi just because of the EV range. The old Volt, with it's 38 mile EPA range, was closer where the feature differences of the Fusion & the space improvement made it worth it. If we were buying this year or next year we would chose the Volt with its ~50 mile EV range just because of the additional EV range. It would result in significantly less gas use on longer drives (120-180 miles RT) that we do a few times a year & thus would save money. I would give up memory seats, Adaptive Cruise Control & Lane Keep Assist in exchange for those features.

Edited August 7, 2015 at 11:30 AM by Hybridbear

[Rexracer]

Just a suggestion on your spread sheet. You should weight the scores so they are more accurate to what you experience. Say for instance Price was really important to you, you would make it worth say 10 points, but key-less entry pad was also important, but not nearly as much as the price, so key-less entry pad would be worth say 2 points. Then when ranking them you can give a value for each. Say the fusion after all tax credits is 32000, and the volt is 33000, well you wouldn't give 10 points to the fusion and 0 points to the Volt, you would give 10 points to the fusion and 9 points to the volt (since they are so close). Key-less entry pad, fusion has it and earns 2 points, volt doesn't have it and earns 0 points. etc etc etc.

 

BUT at the end of the day, you will drive both cars, consider how they operate for your needs and decide which one you like better regardless of the scoring. ;-)

[geohec]

Just a suggestion on your spread sheet. You should weight the scores so they are more accurate to what you experience.

 

Great suggestion.   Especially, since I'm starting to compare more than one vehicle.

 

Originally, I would just look at the two and if they were close then I'd just call it a tie.   But if one is a clear winner than give it the other, but you're right because things aren't always black and white winners in any particular category sometimes there is some gray.

 

Thanks, I'll update it.    

[geohec]

Just a suggestion on your spread sheet. You should weight the scores so they are more accurate to what you want

 

Took your suggestion and adjusted my comparisons.   I used a rating system that gave weight to the features that were important to my particular needs.  The Fusion and the Volt are really close in my rating system, which is why I'm going to definitely test drive both before making any decisions.   The Volt got an 86/100 and the Fusion got an 83/100 on my rating system.

 

I also compared the Focus as recommended by a few individuals on the forum because it might fit my needs.  The Focus was hard to compare because it is a BEV and it is hard to put a weight or score for having peace of mind for not worrying about have to do longer trips than you expect.  I had to re-do the rating system to adjust for the difference in the vehicles.  The Focus scored aboubt 10 points less than the Volt but it's probably a lot closer.   If I were to get the Focus, then the cost savings might make it possible for me to keep my existing vehicle (Rav4 with 150k) for longer trips. The money I save could also go toward maintaining both my vehicles, insurance, etc.   Decisions, decisions.....

 

I have a couple of months to sit on this information as I wait for my no obligation, pre-ordered Volt to arrive in mid October so that I can compare these vehicles with a test drive.

 

Anyway, I thought I'd share the revised spreadsheets in case you guys were interested.  Thanks again for the suggestion.

Volt and Fusion Comparisons.pdf

Volt and Focus Comparisons.pdf

Edited August 16, 2015 at 01:37 AM by geohec

[ChrisM]

Here are my 2 cents...

I have a daily EV range of 26 miles on a full charge.  The Fusion has EV+ which adds a little to your EV range and my 13' FFET has my home and work set as EV+.  When the 'EV only' battery is used up you will still have about 1 mile of battery life after you switch to 'hybrid mode'.  My one way commute is 9 miles and have learn how use only 7 EV miles, mostly from early braking and coasting to red lights and no AC because of GO time.  I set my am GO time earlier enough so my L1 will have time to get back to a full charge.  If your commute is mostly highway, then you will deplete the battery quicker.  Being able to switch to 'EV later' mode while on a highway is good because you can make the Fusion switch to the battery (hybrid mode) by hitting the 'suspend' cruse control button at the top of a over pass or hill.  

 

You in Cali likely have a bigger section then I did in NOLA.  I found it impossible to find a titanium that was not fully loaded with all of the bells and whistles (my sticker was 45.6K, but worth it).

 

Not sure why anyone is trying to get up to 60 under a minute in a PHEV or BEV, if you want speed than go with a Mustang, lol.

 

Whatever car you choose, I would recommend you invest in ceramic tint ($300-400) and a heat shield ($70) to reduce the cabin temperature if you have park in the sun.

Edited August 10, 2015 at 07:34 PM by ChrisM

[Blastphemy]

If your commute is mostly highway, then you will deplete the battery quicker.  Being able to switch to 'EV later' mode while on a highway is good because you can make the Fusion switch to the battery (hybrid mode) by hitting the 'suspend' cruse control button at the top of a over pass or hill.

 

If the OP gets the Volt, he won't have to switch the the gas engine at all on the freeway (at any speed) unless his commute is longer than ~50 miles (or ~38 in the 2015 model). He also won't need the gas to get him up steep hills when the A/C is running in 90+ degree heat.

 

It all depends on the OP's main goal. Is it to use as little gas as possible? Then the Volt is the clear winner. Is it to have a more comfortable 5-seater with cooled front seats, power memory seats, and adaptive cruise control that also will give you 18-20 miles of EV bliss, using gas for more strenuous acceleration and steep hills? Then the Fusion Energi is the clear winner.

Edited August 10, 2015 at 10:34 PM by Blastphemy

[geohec]

Here are my 2 cents...

 

Not sure why anyone is trying to get up to 60 under a minute in a PHEV or BEV, if you want speed than go with a Mustang

 

Whatever car you choose, I would recommend you invest in ceramic tint ($300-400) and a heat shield ($70) to reduce the cabin temperature if you have park in the sun.

I'm not a speed demon but i'd like to be able to get onto the freeway safely. Up in my neck of the woods there are a number of freeway Onramps that have a moderate incline so I'd like the car to be responsive and quick when needed.

 

My goal is to try to cut my $200 monthly costs down. With the Volt i can get that down to near nothing because my employer will have a few L2 chargers in about a month. Ic th e volt is has good driving comfort and ok rear then i may I'll probably go that route.

 

If the Fusion is vastly superior in driving comfort and reponsiveness, then i may consider the added $50 per month it will cost me in gas/electric costs.

 

Thanks for the tip about ceramic tint and heat shield. It does get well over 100 degress in sacramento, so it would be a welcome investment.

[Taz]

I would suggest looking at the overall costs if that is important to you. Perhaps you will save enough on the purchase of a Ford, over a new Volt, that while it might not quite get the range in EV mode alone, that the minimal gas you might need to buy might be more than offset by possibly a higher overall cost of the Volt.

 

That is something I analyzed during my our purchasing decision. I ran the numbers on a pure EV vehicle vs our C-max Energi and realized that even if we can't go as far on EV alone that the amount we saved on the vehicle compared to others we considered will pay for a lot of gasoline. Based on some of the other pure EVs we looked out, our final price on our C-max was almost $150/month less on similar terms compared to others we looked at (not leasing) after everything was factored in. That would easily buy us 40 gallons of gas at crazy California prices and would be almost and extra 24k miles a year we could drive.

 

One other thing to look at as well is insurance. I priced several cars to insure. Our C-max was cheaper than all the others I looked at for insurance. I didn't price a Volt but I did a Fusion and Focus Electric as well as a Tesla, BMW i3 and a few others. Apparently there is a very low loss rate with them. While hybrids and EV are more expensive to repair than normal cars, that was offset by the more sedate people who drive the C-max. In addition most accidents happen within a few miles of home, and since most pure EVs don't venture far from home, they seem to be involved in more accidents per mile driven according to my agent. Anyway like mileage, your cost may vary depending on so many factors but look into. You may not find you save as much as you think overall. My Flex is almost 40% cheaper to insure than my C-max which is cheaper than my Avalon hybrid by about 20%. Same coverage across the board.

[Hybridbear]

I would suggest looking at the overall costs if that is important to you. Perhaps you will save enough on the purchase of a Ford, over a new Volt, that while it might not quite get the range in EV mode alone, that the minimal gas you might need to buy might be more than offset by possibly a higher overall cost of the Volt.

Excellent advice!

Edited August 11, 2015 at 02:30 AM by Hybridbear

[geohec]

I would suggest looking at the overall costs if that is important to you. Perhaps you will save enough on the purchase of a Ford, over a new Volt, that while it might not quite get the range in EV mode alone, that the minimal gas you might need to buy might be more than offset by possibly a higher overall cost of the Volt.

 

One other thing to look at as well is insurance. ..... In addition most accidents happen within a few miles of home, and since most pure EVs don't venture far from home, they seem to be involved in more accidents per mile driven according to my agent.

 

Yes, I am trying to look at overall costs.   You're suggestions are great.

 

The insurance info is something that I did not consider.   I thought it would cheaper because I read somewhere that my insurance company (CSAA - west coast) offers 10% discount for EV, so in my mind I thought I'd get a good rate but I guess that depends on the specific vehicle you end up buying.  It's something I could have easily overlooked.   Luckily, I have a little time to cosider these additional factors.

 

Thanks again!  :2thumbs:

[Taz]

EV costs may vary a lot between insurance companies. I have USAA and they are cheaper than anyone else along with the best service for cars. Even then I was shocked how much my hybrids cost more than my "normal" cars. Don't forget all the other discounts you might be able to get. On my Avalon, I had the pre-collision detection system and that got me a discount. Not enough to offset the cost of the option but every little bit helps.

[Blastphemy]

I was shocked to discover that the insurance rate on my $43k 2015 Ford Fusion Energi was almost exactly the same as what I'd been paying for my $80k 2014 Cadillac ELR. Good advice to check insurance to make sure it's not cutting into your savings on a more efficient vehicle.

[openair]

Here in Ontario, Canada insurance for plug in hybrids is cheaper than straight hybrids and hybrids are cheaper than straight gas cars. I would have paid less insurance for a 2014 fusion hybrid than I did on my 2001 f150 and I pay even less than that on my energi. Including paying extra for a waiver of depreciation on the 2014s.

Edited August 11, 2015 at 08:59 PM by openair

[Hybridbear]

EV costs may vary a lot between insurance companies. I have USAA and they are cheaper than anyone else along with the best service for cars. Even then I was shocked how much my hybrids cost more than my "normal" cars. Don't forget all the other discounts you might be able to get. On my Avalon, I had the pre-collision detection system and that got me a discount. Not enough to offset the cost of the option but every little bit helps.

When we replaced the Prius with the Focus Electric our insurance went up by about $100 every 6 months. Geico does not offer any discounts for hybrids or EVs. They lump the Focus Electric in with the gas Focus. The gas Focus is mostly driven by younger drivers & thus it has a higher risk associated with it. Even with that increase, we still found that Geico was the cheapest insurance. We recently switched to Esurance. Geico had a significant premium hike for all of MN due to the major hail storms we've had the last few summers. Our insurance was going up about $75 per 6 month policy period. Because of that we switched to Esurance. I again shopped around & found that no one else was as affordable as Geico & Esurance. Companies like State Farm or Farmers were double to triple the cost of Geico & Esurance. Both my wife & I have no tickets/accidents on our record, but we are in our 20s still which makes our insurance more expensive.

Edited August 12, 2015 at 02:33 PM by Hybridbear

[stevedebi]

When we replaced the Prius with the Focus Electric our insurance went up by about $100 every 6 months. Geico does not offer any discounts for hybrids or EVs. They lump the Focus Electric in with the gas Focus. The gas Focus is mostly driven by younger drivers & thus it has a higher risk associated with it. Even with that increase, we still found that Geico was the cheapest insurance. We recently switched to Esurance. Geico had a significant premium hike for all of MN due to the major hail storms we've had the last few summers. Our insurance was going up about $75 per 6 month policy period. Because of that we switched to Esurance. I again shopped around & found that no one else was as affordable as Geico & Esurance. Companies like State Farm or Farmers were double to triple the cost of Geico & Esurance. Both my wife & I have no tickets/accidents on our record, but we are in our 20s still which makes our insurance more expensive.

USAA has good rates. You have to be affiliated with military service to join USAA, but if your parents were ever in the military I believe you qualify.

[Taz]

With respect to USAA, serve for a few years and you will save the rest of your life...  I can't tell you how much they have saved me over the last 20 years. Car loans, insurance, mortgage, etc. It has probably been $2-3k every year, if not more. A pretty huge benefit that my children get now.

 

Hands down they are the best insurance company and bank I've ever dealt with. I think they just opened up the bank side of the operation to non-vets. Might be worth looking into for some of you. Most of the benefits of a CU but with a lot more products.

[Rexracer]

Took your suggestion and adjusted my comparisons.   I used a rating system that gave weight to the features that were important to my particular needs.  The Fusion and the Volt are really close in my rating system, which is why I'm going to definitely test drive both before making any decisions.   The Volt got an 86/100 and the Fusion got an 83/100 on my rating system.

 

I also compared the Focus as recommended by a few individuals on the forum because it might fit my needs.  The Focus was hard to compare because it is a BEV and it is hard to put a weight or score for having peace of mind for not worrying about have to do longer trips than you expect.  I had to re-do the rating system to adjust for the difference in the vehicles.  The Focus scored aboubt 10 points less than the Volt but it's probably a lot closer.   If I were to get the Focus, then the cost savings might make it possible for me to keep my existing vehicle (Rav4 with 150k) for longer trips. The money I save could also go toward maintaining both my vehicles, insurance, etc.   Decisions, decisions.....

 

I have a couple of months to sit on this information as I wait for my no obligation, pre-ordered Volt to arrive in mid October so that I can compare these vehicles with a test drive.

 

Anyway, I thought I'd share the revised spreadsheets in case you guys were interested.  Thanks again for the suggestion.

 

Good information to compile ahead of time. A couple things I noticed. The Fusion Hybrid/EV system has a  longer Warranty, I thought it was 10 year/100k mile warranty? Everyone, has that changed or do I just have the numbers wrong?

 

I also assume you plan to install a lV 2 charger, as you may not get the Volt battery full all the time without it (13 hour charge time on 110v). Add that into your costs

 

What do you mean by Battery Depredation?

 

Most importantly, I know this is subjective, but come on, The Volt looking BETTER then the Fusion?!?!? The Volt looks like a dressed up econo box, while the Fusion looks like an Aston Martin!!!! ;-)

 

Though giving 10 points to appearance while also giving cost only 10 points. I would have cost worth at least 20 points, and overall cost (purchase price, insurance cost, operating costs (fuel/electricity).

[geohec]

What do you mean by Battery Depredation?

 

Most importantly, I know this is subjective, but come on, The Volt looking BETTER then the Fusion?!?!? The Volt looks like a dressed up econo box, while the Fusion looks like an Aston Martin!!!! ;-)

 

Though giving 10 points to appearance while also giving cost only 10 points. I would have cost worth at least 20 points, and overall cost (purchase price, insurance cost, operating costs (fuel/electricity).

Maybe it was hard to read but it is supposed to say Battery Degradation.

 

In my situation, my roundtrip commute is 50 miles.   With the Volt, I can do a round trip on one charge.   With the Fusion, I'll end up charging twice a day, once at home and once at work.   So overtime, the Fusion would wear down twice as fast and on top of that I read on the forums here to expect somewhere between 10-15% degradation for about 40k miles which means more gas over time.   In addition, I live where summers average typically in the 90's - 100 degrees, so I know this may also play into degradation.  in reviewing the volt forums, battery degradation didn't seem to be as big an issue, so because of those two items that is why I scored it that way.

 

As for the looks, I really do like the look of both and would be happy with both.   Actually, I accidently flipped the two scores so the fusion was supposed to be a 10 and the Volt was a 9.   Not a big deal though because they are essentially a tie when I factor everything.   So the test drive will really be the decision maker for me.   And as for cost, I think I can get a Fusion cheaper and with better financing so that is why I have it scored that way.

 

Update on the insurace conversation that was going on.   After calling CSAA on the west coast, they quoted me the following:

 

2016 Volt LT - $778 per year (MSRP $34k)

2016 Fusion Energi Titanium - $851 per year (MSRP $39K, though I hope I can negotiate down to $34K)

2015 Focus Electric - $788 per year (MSRP 30K)

 

The insurance company said these were rough estimates and that using VIN numbers is more precise because it will capture all the safety features.   Anyway, that is the update on the insurance. 

Edited August 14, 2015 at 03:17 PM by geohec