2014 Ford Fusion Energi Plug In Hybrid Review and Road Test

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Want a fuel-sipping, tree-hugging sedan with stunning good looks and carpool lane access with only one person in the car? Ford thinks they have the answer in the 2014 Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid sedan. Can jamming bigger battery and a gasoline/electric drivetrain behind Ford's sexy grille continue the love affair the press has had with Ford's world-car? More importantly, can this Ford hybrid live up to its EPA numbers? Let's find out.

Exterior

The new Fusion is as striking as the old one was bland. Up front we have an Aston-Martin inspired grille, angry headlamps and a tastefully reserved quantity of chrome. Out back we have a less daring rear end that some of my friends thought looked "unfinished" as if Ford just cut the sausage to the desired length. The stubby tail makes parallel parking a bit easier since it's easy to know where your Fusion ends but I suspect rear-end repairs will be more costly than sedans with a more traditional bumper protrusion. The aggressive looks from the Optima and Fusion are refreshing in a segment full of humdrum slab sides and unrestrained chrome bling. I find the new Accord elegant in a 1990s Lexus sort of way, but the large green house screams family sedan. Toyota seems to have mated an edgy nose with refrigerator flat door panels to create a Camry that's far from ugly but also far from sexy. Meanwhile VW's Passat TDI strikes a very conservative pose with a large horizontal grille and segment-standard slab sides.

Interior

The new Fusion's cabin has a level of refinement normally associated with European brands, and that makes sense since our Fusion is their Mondeo. The fit and finish in our tester was excellent with perfect seams and substantial feeling controls. While the new tiller doesn't get soft split-grain leather like the new Accord, Ford's new button arrangements are easier to use, easier to reach and feel better built than the wheel in the C-MAX and Escape. Like other Fusion models, most Hybrids sitting on the lot will look as if they were carved out of a single piece of black plastic. Selecting the tan cloth or the [seemingly] rare tan leather interior helps the interior feel warmer but there's no way to avoid the large expanse of black that is the dashboard, carpet and large portion of the doors. If you love tan, keep in mind the Titanium comes only in black.

Music "Sweeter Vermouth" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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