Fusion Energi

[ChuckJ]

I'm new to this forum and want to introduce myself. We currently have a Fusion Hybrid and love it! We are contemplating a Fusion Energi when it comes out but can't find a lot of information on it. Hopefully you guys have found all the good sites for technical details, including mileage, luggage space, acceleration and other interesting features.

 

ChuckJ

[pluggedin]

Welcome ChuckJ! The more of us with practical experience, like you, with the Fusion Hybrid the better off we all are. My reason for being here is to get and give as much information as possible so we can make an informed decision on whether to buy a Fusion Energi or not.

 

We are having to dig for any information we get at this time, since Ford is being really silent about the specs and details of the car.

Edited December 5, 2012 at 09:42 PM by pluggedin

[jsamp]

Attached are 2 files. One is a collection of specs I've gleaned from various sources. Some of these numbers come from the C-Max Energi.

 

The other is an early spec sheet that Ford put out on the Energi. It's seriously lacking in some details.

2013_FusionEnergi_Specs.pdf

[pluggedin]

Attached are 2 files. One is a collection of specs I've gleaned from various sources. Some of these numbers come from the C-Max Energi.

 

The other is an early spec sheet that Ford put out on the Energi. It's seriously lacking in some details.

Thanks jsamp, from your thumbnail it looks as though the battery alone, in the Energi, weighs 274 lbs more than the Fusion Hybrid.

 

One thing that just came to mind and you may be interested to know, is that when I was with my salesman ordering my car he had a piece of paper in front of him that showed the back seat on the Energi as a 60/40 split. What he said that meant to him is the trunk should have a pass thru. Unfortuneately I don't have that paper but I am certain of what I heard and saw.

[rprobst]

Love it that the spec sheet shows the total luggage capacity as "TBD". More like "TBA", since it must already be known within Ford.

 

But we all know the Fusion Energi trunk is going to be smaller than the Hybrid, as the Hybrid is smaller than the ICE Fusion.

 

Ford, it's OK, you can tell us how big the trunk is. If we needed more space, we'd be looking at the C-Max Energi instead.

[pluggedin]

Yep, it's definately a TBA. As close as the car is to production you know they know the size of the trunk and whether it is a pass thru or not.

 

I am seriously disappointed that the car is not on the Ford site yet. I was anticipating it would show up on 12/1/12 but it didn't. If they are quoting a 12 week build time, which I was quoted, and they are shooting for a "early 2013" delivery, it may be they will not put the car up on the site until after January 1, 2013. That will put the delivery date in late March or early April, if you wait to order the car online.

 

The least Ford could do is release the specs on the car, if not the pricing.

[ChuckJ]

Yep, it's definately a TBA. As close as the car is to production you know they know the size of the trunk and whether it is a pass thru or not.

 

I am seriously disappointed that the car is not on the Ford site yet. I was anticipating it would show up on 12/1/12 but it didn't. If they are quoting a 12 week build time, which I was quoted, and they are shooting for a "early 2013" delivery, it may be they will not put the car up on the site until after January 1, 2013. That will put the delivery date in late March or early April, if you wait to order the car online.

 

The least Ford could do is release the specs on the car, if not the pricing.

Totally agree. I called Ford customer service and Ford marketing and they could not tell me when they would be on the lots and believe it or not they couldn't tell be if it would be a the Ft Worth Auto Show this Friday. Even worse, they told me to call a local dealer.

 

ChuckJ

[pluggedin]

Totally agree. I called Ford customer service and Ford marketing and they could not tell me when they would be on the lots and believe it or not they couldn't tell be if it would be a the Ft Worth Auto Show this Friday. Even worse, they told me to call a local dealer.

 

ChuckJ

That they would not release any more info than that is most discouraging. But you can bet your buttons the car will be at the Ft Worth Auto Show Friday. If it is, please share with us what information you get from seeing the car there.

[pluggedin]

But we all know the Fusion Energi trunk is going to be smaller than the Hybrid, as the Hybrid is smaller than the ICE Fusion.

 

Ford, it's OK, you can tell us how big the trunk is. If we needed more space, we'd be looking at the C-Max Energi instead.

The trunk for the Energi should be smaller than Hybrid, but the question that keeps going through my head is, did they go down with battery instead of up? If they went down, that might make the trunk capacity about the same between the two cars. The reason I have that question is because my salesman told me the only wheel size available on the Energi is 17 inches. What other reason could there be for eliminating the option for the 18 inch wheel?

 

Of course, it would be nice to be able to verify what the salesman told me by seeing the official options available on the Ford website. Listening Ford?

 

Maybe ChuckJ could check that out if he sees the car in Ft Worth this week.

[ChuckJ]

I do plan on going to the Ft. Worth Auto Show tomorrow afternoon, but I'm not thinking it will be there. We drove the Volt last year and it was fantastic! It had good power and a large trunk with fold down back seats. Power was great! I doubt the Energi has that much power. The only reason we didn't buy one is because we have grand-kids and do better with five seats. That said, the Fusion Energi is much better looking.

 

ChuckJ

[pluggedin]

I do plan on going to the Ft. Worth Auto Show tomorrow afternoon, but I'm not thinking it will be there. We drove the Volt last year and it was fantastic! It had good power and a large trunk with fold down back seats. Power was great! I doubt the Energi has that much power. The only reason we didn't buy one is because we have grand-kids and do better with five seats. That said, the Fusion Energi is much better looking.

 

ChuckJ

I have not driven the Fusion Hybrid, the C Max Energi (of course) or the Volt, but I have driven the C Max Hybrid and the power was forminable.

 

We have a freeway ramp near the dealer and when I stepped half way down on the throttle of the C Max Hybrid the car took off like a shot and I was astonished to see I was doing 75 mph before I got to the end the ramp and had to let off of the throttle to slow down. I was very impressed and expect the Fusion Energi to have similar pep, but it WILL be a slightly heavier car then the hybrid.

 

In comparison, my Camry is a 4 banger and I don't achieve the same speed, on the same freeway on-ramp, as quickly as I did with the C Max Hybrid.

[rprobst]

The Fusion Energi was at the San Francisco auto show over Thanksgiving weekend. Unfortunately the trunk was closed. They also had a C-Max Energi, but the car was locked and the privacy panel was pulled shut, so you couldn't see the battery size. They had a C-Max hybrid, which was open. Ford is still acting embarrassed about the larger batteries in the PHEVs. But there are pictures in other forums of the C-Max Energi cargo space, so anybody who cares can see the impact of the larger battery. Ford, dear friends, it's OK, you can show the Fusion Energi trunk!

 

I've driven the Fusion hybrid and the C-Max hybrid, and both had very nice mid-speed acceleration, which is what makes a car feel "zippy". I don't care about the time to 60 mph, I just care if I can speed up to change lanes or get around a moving speed-bump. I put my foot down in the Fusion hybrid on the freeway and was up to 90 before I knew it. And the car was very smooth and quiet at 90; the salesman didn't even realize how fast we were going until I commented.

 

My wife's Prius does not have very good mid-speed acceleration. My Audi A4 does. I like the way the Fusion hybrid feels, and I really hope the extra battery weight in the Fusion Energi doesn't hurt the acceleration too much. Of course it will take something away, but seems to me that there's acceleration to spare.

[pluggedin]

They also had a C-Max Energi, but the car was locked and the privacy panel was pulled shut, so you couldn't see the battery size.

Attached is a link to pictures of the C Max Energi cargo area. If the cargo area is flat with the back seats folded down in the C Max Hybrid, it looks like the battery in the Energi has added a 6-8 inch hump behind the back seats. Still lots of cargo area but not very convenient.

 

I copied the following link from the C Max Energi Forum:

http://s1097.beta.photobucket.com/user/darrelld3/media/2013_ford_c-max_energi_04-991.jpg.html

 

That is a lot of battery to hide in the Fusion Energi trunk, even if the wheel base on the Fusion Energi is longer.

 

I'm glad you drove the C Max Hybrid, rprobst. I have driven one as well and was going to try to drive a Fusion Hybrid tomorrow but I think I will try to find a C Max Energi and drive that instead. I think there is a white one in town and that would give me a good comparison of what kind of power the Fusion Energi will have.

 

Problem is the C Max is selling so quickly that you have to jump right up and go see it before it is gone. I've missed seeing a couple of cars by not getting there right away.

[rprobst]

Yeah, these cars are moving fast. The first time I went to the dealer to drive the Fusion hybrid, they had sold it by the time I got there. So the next time they told me they had one, I raced over to get to it before it was gone.

[jsamp]

I do plan on going to the Ft. Worth Auto Show tomorrow afternoon, but I'm not thinking it will be there. We drove the Volt last year and it was fantastic! It had good power and a large trunk with fold down back seats. Power was great! I doubt the Energi has that much power. The only reason we didn't buy one is because we have grand-kids and do better with five seats. That said, the Fusion Energi is much better looking.

 

ChuckJ

Based on the test results I've seen, the Fusion Hybrid (and Energi) will have more power than the Volt. Times are:

___________ Volt _____ Fusion Hyb ___ C-Max Hyb

0-60 ______ 8.8 _________ 8.5 _________ 8.1

Qtr mile ___ 16.7 ________ 16.4 ________ 16.1 (I hate text editors that remove extra spaces!!!)

 

The fords have more HP (188 Hybrid, 195 Energi) vs the Volt's 149, but the Volt has more torque due to the larger elec motor. I guess the larger elec motor isn't enough to overcome the HP deficiency. Trunk room is going to be the big issue with the Energi. I too understand that it will have the 60/40 fold-down rear seat setup.

Edited December 7, 2012 at 08:42 PM by jsamp

[ChuckJ]

The trunk for the Energi should be smaller than Hybrid, but the question that keeps going through my head is, did they go down with battery instead of up? If they went down, that might make the trunk capacity about the same between the two cars. The reason I have that question is because my salesman told me the only wheel size available on the Energi is 17 inches. What other reason could there be for eliminating the option for the 18 inch wheel?

 

Of course, it would be nice to be able to verify what the salesman told me by seeing the official options available on the Ford website. Listening Ford?

 

Maybe ChuckJ could check that out if he sees the car in Ft Worth this week.

I went to the Ft. Worth Auto Show and was quite disappointed with regard to the Fusion Energi. There were no Energi vehicles present and no literature. Only one person had ever heard of it and he was a new salesman who just happened to drive one from the delivery truck to the parking space. He said it was picked up that day so I'm assuming it had been ordered. There was only a prototype of the Fusion Hybrid and that was up on a stand so we weren't even able to look at trunk space, etc. Outside, there was a group of test drive vehicles, but there weren't any Fusion Hybrids out there either. I did drive a C-max hybrid that is suppose to have the same drive train as the Fusion Hybrid. The ride was 5 minutes around the streets of Ft. Worth. It was very similar to the operation of the Fusion Hybrid we have now. If anything I would say the gas engine comes on sooner during acceleration. I like my current Fusion Hybrid gauges better than the C-Max, but they may not be exactly the same as the Fusion and / or it might just take getting used to them. I think it had slightly less pickup, though it still had more than the Prius.

 

ChuckJ

[ChuckJ]

Based on the test results I've seen, the Fusion Hybrid (and Energi) will have more power than the Volt. Times are:

___________ Volt _____ Fusion Hyb ___ C-Max Hyb

0-60 ______ 8.8 _________ 8.5 _________ 8.1

Qtr mile ___ 16.7 ________ 16.4 ________ 16.1 (I hate text editors that remove extra spaces!!!)

 

The fords have more HP (188 Hybrid, 195 Energi) vs the Volt's 149, but the Volt has more torque due to the larger elec motor. I guess the larger elec motor isn't enough to overcome the HP deficiency. Trunk room is going to be the big issue with the Energi. I too understand that it will have the 60/40 fold-down rear seat setup.

Thanks for the numbers Jsamp. They actually look better than it felt. Perhaps it is quieter.

 

ChuckJ

Edited December 8, 2012 at 05:32 PM by ChuckJ

[pluggedin]

I like my current Fusion Hybrid gauges better than the C-Max, but they may not be exactly the same as the Fusion and / or it might just take getting used to them.

 

ChuckJ

The 2013 Fusion, with a gas engine, that I drove had nicer instrumentation and gauges, in my humble opinion, than did the C Max Hybrid I drove. I would think the Energi will have similar instrumentation to what the gas model did.

[pluggedin]

Ya know, as a consumer, I find Ford's TV advertisement campaign for the C-Max Hybrid, Fusion Hybrid, C-Max Energi and Fusion Energi puzzling, to say the least.

 

I mean, all I see advertised in my area is the C-Max Hybrid (which has been out for a couple of months now) and the new Lincoln Motor Company. Not a word about the C-Max Energi (even though they are in production), the Fusion Hybrid (also in production) or the Fusion Energi. At face value it would seem Ford is not very excited to get these cars into the hands of the public.

 

That's the way it appears to me anyway.

 

I can understand (a little bit) why they are holding off on advertising the Fusion Energi, since everything says it is coming in "early 2013" but we know there is a thread on this Forum that indicates the Fusion should begin to be scheduled for production on 12/12/12 and production of the car should begin on 1/7/13.

 

Is the Fusion Energi not on the Ford.com web page yet because they are only scheduling dealer orders for the car? It would seem so, wouldn't it?

 

Besides me, how many of you have contacted a Certified EV Dealer to see if you can order a Fusion Energi at this time? Since I posted what the price of the car might be (in another thread) all of you have been pretty quite. Are you waiting for official word of the pricing on ford.com...or what?

[rprobst]

Besides me, how many of you have contacted a Certified EV Dealer to see if you can order a Fusion Energi at this time? Since I posted what the price of the car might be (in another thread) all of you have been pretty quite. Are you waiting for official word of the pricing on ford.com...or what?

 

I am waiting for X-Plan pricing. Currently the X-Plan site lists the Fusion Hybrid (and other Fusion models) but not the Energi. I suppose I could ask the dealer to quote me an X-Plan price on the Energi, but that seems to defeat the purpose. I would rather get the price from Ford before I go to the dealer -- the real attraction of X-Plan is that it's a no-haggle offer (you can probably do better than X-Plan if you are really good at negotiating... but I don't enjoy that game).

 

Also, to be honest, I don't want the very first one manufactured. I would like about 50 people to buy Energis ahead of me, just so they can get the wrinkles out. But I am so jonesing for this car that I will probably order as soon as X-Plan pricing is available.

[jsamp]

At face value it would seem Ford is not very excited to get these cars into the hands of the public.

 

That's the way it appears to me anyway.

 

I can understand (a little bit) why they are holding off on advertising the Fusion Energi, since everything says it is coming in "early 2013" but we know there is a thread on this Forum that indicates the Fusion should begin to be scheduled for production on 12/12/12 and production of the car should begin on 1/7/13.

 

Is the Fusion Energi not on the Ford.com web page yet because they are only scheduling dealer orders for the car? It would seem so, wouldn't it?

 

 

The Fusion Energi is months away from delivery to customers. Even if they do start production on 1/7, it's not like cars come flying off the assembly line by the dozens per day. They will ramp up production slowly to ensure everything is done right (nothing will ruin a reputation faster than bad product). It takes days (weeks?) to build a car, plus inspection, shipping time, etc before they will reach dealers. Dealers (of which there are hundreds nationwide) get first dibs so the first lot of production gets consumed there. Only then do customers get actual cars. Yeah, there are a few "connected" people or dealers who get the first ones out, but for the rest of us, it's a waiting game.

 

I suspect Ford isn't pushing these products until they can deliver them in quantity sufficient to support demand. Don't want to piss of customers by making them wait months for a car that they've put money down on.

[pluggedin]

The Fusion Energi is months away from delivery to customers. Even if they do start production on 1/7, it's not like cars come flying off the assembly line by the dozens per day. They will ramp up production slowly to ensure everything is done right (nothing will ruin a reputation faster than bad product). It takes days (weeks?) to build a car, plus inspection, shipping time, etc before they will reach dealers. Dealers (of which there are hundreds nationwide) get first dibs so the first lot of production gets consumed there. Only then do customers get actual cars. Yeah, there are a few "connected" people or dealers who get the first ones out, but for the rest of us, it's a waiting game.

 

I suspect Ford isn't pushing these products until they can deliver them in quantity sufficient to support demand. Don't want to piss of customers by making them wait months for a car that they've put money down on.

Good comments jsamp.

 

I think I read somewhere (I've read so much that it runs together sometimes) that it takes about two days to manufacture a car, maybe a little more. Like you, I hope that Ford has the consumer's intersest at heart and take their time getting this car right. By extension, it will benefit them as well.

 

Again, I read an article, in one of the online car magazines, that when they tested the Fusion with all the new electronic bells and whistles, a couple of them kept giving false warnings and they finally defaulted to an error mode. One of them was the driver assist package, as I recall, and I forget the other.

 

I would much rather they solve those issues before production of the car, rather than rely on the consumer to find and help them correct those issues after the fact.

 

It makes sense that the dealers will have first dibs on these cars, with a few customer cars sprinkled in here and there. I'm not sure about the sufficient demand part though. Even I am having a hard time getting past the $8-$10,000 premium for the plug-in version of a hybrid that will only give me 20 miles on a charge, maybe.

 

We will see if they hold to that pricing when the car goes up on their web site. But so far everything says they are.

Edited December 15, 2012 at 01:38 AM by pluggedin

[pluggedin]

I am waiting for X-Plan pricing. Currently the X-Plan site lists the Fusion Hybrid (and other Fusion models) but not the Energi. I suppose I could ask the dealer to quote me an X-Plan price on the Energi, but that seems to defeat the purpose. I would rather get the price from Ford before I go to the dealer -- the real attraction of X-Plan is that it's a no-haggle offer (you can probably do better than X-Plan if you are really good at negotiating... but I don't enjoy that game).

 

Also, to be honest, I don't want the very first one manufactured. I would like about 50 people to buy Energis ahead of me, just so they can get the wrinkles out. But I am so jonesing for this car that I will probably order as soon as X-Plan pricing is available.

I will be interested to know how well you did with the X-Plan stategy, rprobst. I'm rooting for you.

 

If my dealer/salesman does what they say, I should be among the first to receive a customer ordered car once the Fusion Energi is produced and shipped. However, I will not celebrate that event until I receive a VIN.

 

You raise a very good point of concern for me though when you say you would like about 50 people to buy an Energi ahead of you so they can iron out any wrinkles before you get yours. I may be one of those who do the ironing for you. There is some good and bad in most things though.

 

I guess we are both trusting in Ford to help make us Energi-zed.

[ChuckJ]

Ya know, as a consumer, I find Ford's TV advertisement campaign for the C-Max Hybrid, Fusion Hybrid, C-Max Energi and Fusion Energi puzzling, to say the least.

 

I mean, all I see advertised in my area is the C-Max Hybrid (which has been out for a couple of months now) and the new Lincoln Motor Company. Not a word about the C-Max Energi (even though they are in production), the Fusion Hybrid (also in production) or the Fusion Energi. At face value it would seem Ford is not very excited to get these cars into the hands of the public.

 

That's the way it appears to me anyway.

 

I can understand (a little bit) why they are holding off on advertising the Fusion Energi, since everything says it is coming in "early 2013" but we know there is a thread on this Forum that indicates the Fusion should begin to be scheduled for production on 12/12/12 and production of the car should begin on 1/7/13.

 

Is the Fusion Energi not on the Ford.com web page yet because they are only scheduling dealer orders for the car? It would seem so, wouldn't it?

 

Besides me, how many of you have contacted a Certified EV Dealer to see if you can order a Fusion Energi at this time? Since I posted what the price of the car might be (in another thread) all of you have been pretty quite. Are you waiting for official word of the pricing on ford.com...or what?

I have, but they know very little. My salesman sent me an back-channel email, but even that didn't have much on it.

 

ChuckJ

[ChuckJ]

I will be interested to know how well you did with the X-Plan stategy, rprobst. I'm rooting for you.

 

If my dealer/salesman does what they say, I should be among the first to receive a customer ordered car once the Fusion Energi is produced and shipped. However, I will not celebrate that event until I receive a VIN.

 

You raise a very good point of concern for me though when you say you would like about 50 people to buy an Energi ahead of you so they can iron out any wrinkles before you get yours. I may be one of those who do the ironing for you. There is some good and bad in most things though.

 

I guess we are both trusting in Ford to help make us Energi-zed.

I'd be surprised if you could do better than true-car / USAA / etc on a new gen car. I usually make it a practice not to pay more than invoice for a car, but I doubt that's going to happen before a few years go by.

 

ChuckJ