Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Originally Posted By: smokey1
2010 TOYOTA Prius vs. 2010 HONDA Insigh
I have a really easy answer to the whole Prius vs. Insight debate: Ford Fusion.
Not really. The Fusion's mileage isn't as good as the EPA claims.
Quote:
Ford has been making a lot of noise about the Fusion Hybrid's superiority in this regard. The company estimates that the EPA will certify the Fusion Hybrid at 41 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway. These figures are 8 mpg better in the city and 2 mpg better on the highway than the Camry Hybrid.
We simply could not achieve those figures in real-world driving, though. We drove the Fusion Hybrid on the same route around Orange County, California, as we did in a recent comparison of the Camry Hybrid and Prius. This suburban loop is 177.9 miles long and we averaged 31 mph in the Fusion Hybrid. Typically, cars we've tested on this loop return fuel-economy figures a little better than their EPA city estimates. The Fusion Hybrid did not.
In fact, we could manage only 35.7 mpg. The car's onboard computer was a little generous, claiming 37 mpg. The Camry Hybrid we tested on the route (on a different day) returned 41.8 mpg and the Prius garnered 51.9 mpg.
Why was the mpg number of the Fusion Hybrid so much lower? We can safely assume that the weather conditions played a role. High winds and nonstop rain (with standing water in places) surely put the Fusion Hybrid at a disadvantage compared to the Toyotas, which were tested on a more typical sunny day in Southern California. How much is that worth? We don't know for sure — maybe 2 or 3 mpg, which would have put us closer to the car's EPA-certified city fuel economy. We'll need to test the Fusion Hybrid against its main competition on the same day and in the same conditions for a final assessment.
More stop-and-go traffic likely would have improved the Fusion Hybrid's figure, given that it can run on pure electric power up to a claimed 47 mph, about twice what other hybrids can manage. But to get that far on the speedometer under electric power takes a stupendously sensitive right foot, a full battery charge and the patience of nearby drivers.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=138726
That's one test. I can't remember off hand but someone else maybe Motortrend? returned 42 mpg in the Fusion.