Review: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid/Mercury Milan Hybrid

With its new Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids, Ford brings to market the best gas-electric hybrid cars yet

By Adam Aston

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Ford's midsize hybrid bests its overseas rivals with great engineering and 39 mpg overall mileage

The Bad: Trunk space is squeezed by the battery and there's no all-wheel-drive option

The Bottom Line: The best gas-electric hybrid yet

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Up Front
It's no secret that Detroit has had trouble breaking its addiction to SUVs. This has been true even in the market for green cars. In their push into hybrids, U.S. carmakers first focused on big, heavy models such as the Ford Escape Hybrid and the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid instead of compacts, such as Toyota's (TM) Prius, which pioneered and still dominates the market for high-mileage, gas-electric vehicles.

Detroit's first-effort hybrids have been technically impressive, and silenced any charges that the U.S. couldn't hack hybrid technologies, but it's no surprise sales have fallen short. Last year's oil price spike made one thing clear: When gas hits $4 and beyond, most buyers prefer hybrids with big mileage numbers, not just slightly more efficient versions of their old gas guzzlers.

With the rollout of the Fusion Hybrid sedan and its upmarket twin, the Mercury Milan Hybrid, Ford has a pair of world-beating hybrids that not only are ready for today's market but are also perfectly suited for when gas prices return to scary levels. Ford Motor's (F) new hybrids better the leader in this niche, Toyota's Camry Hybrid, with a no-compromise four-door sedan that delivers great mileage and impressive performance all while it whispers, rather than shouts, its hybrid street cred. Indeed, this month Consumer Reports rated the Ford Fusion Hybrid its top domestic sedan, tying with the Toyota Camry Hybrid for overall ranking.

With a mix of high mileage, mainstream styling, and standout performance, the $27,270 Fusion Hybrid and the more luxe $31,324 Milan Hybrid should have broad appeal, luring would-be buyers not shopping specifically for a hybrid. For mileage junkies, the models deliver 41 mpg city and 36 mpg highway. Compared with Toyota's Camry Hybrid, that's 8 mpg better in the city and 2 mpg better on the highway.

Ford has improved a lot from its first-generation hybrid system, used in the Ford Escape Hybrid. Its second version hits a new level of engineering sophistication, delivering quiet, smooth integration between electric and mechanical systems. Gone are the mysterious clunks and mushy brakes that—though improved in recent years—still haunt its direct competitors. With hybrids, unlike a rumbling V8 muscle car, the less you hear and feel of the engine's inner workings, the better engineered it is.

Behind the Wheel
Under the hood, Ford has upgraded not just the electric systems in this hybrid but the gas engine, too. The effort shows in the hybrid's 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that puts out 156 horsepower. The power plant takes advantage of a timing trick known as the Atkinson cycle. This design holds open the intake valve longer during the piston's first stroke, which burns gasoline more efficiently, but at the sacrifice of power. Electric motors are a perfect complement to this green engine, providing instant, on-demand thrust when necessary. Working together, the gas-fired engine and twin-motor electric drive train offer combined 191 horsepower and respectable acceleration, 8.7 seconds to reach 60 mph.

To deliver power so smoothly, Ford explains, it has combined many small tweaks to make this hybrid drive, well, not quite like a hybrid. The tricks include variable timing on the intake cam, a continuously variable transmission, and an upgraded braking system that recaptures energy more smoothly.

Other improvements include a smaller, lighter nickel-metal hydride battery pack.

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