Comparing the Honda Insight, Ford Fusion Hybrid, and Toyota Prius
I’m driving on a race track for the first time, and I’m wondering if these are my final moments on planet earth.
Here at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca I take the Andretti Hairpin and learn to accelerate in successive turns. After accelerating uphill, I enter “The Corkscrew” where I cannot see the sharp downhill turn to the left until I am in the middle of it. As I get into this sharp turn, I need to prepare for the sequence of curves that immediately follow.
Yes, it’s a corkscrew.
I try to remember the coaching that I received. Hold the steering wheel with something less than a death grip. Breathe. Look ahead — but looking ahead at the top of the Corkscrew I only see blue sky. Looking ahead to my future, I only see darkness.
The 2009 BMW 335d that I am driving handles beautifully, offers more turbodiesel acceleration than I care to try, and I can personally guarantee you that the brakes work — well.
After three laps, I exit the track, park the BMW, remove my helmet as I leave the car, and resist kissing the ground in front of “real” drivers. I have been invited to test drive new vehicles with the Western Automotive Journalists, even though I write about green cars and clean transportation. I long for yesterday.
- » See also: Prius Sales Could Soon Outpace Camry, Says President of Toyota U.S.A.
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Yesterday, I tested cars with good fuel economy on streets with posted speed limits. Drives included three cars that made the list of Top 10 Low Carbon Footprint Cars. Yesterday, the 20 mile test drives were along the ocean in Monterey and on beautiful tree lined roads where I could easily see the next turn.
The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid easily seats five, has plenty of trunk storage, and actually delivers better mileage than the MINI due to Ford’s impressive hybrid drive system. The new Ford midsized sedan that I drove has an EPA certified 41 mpg rating in the city and 36 mpg on the highway. The base suggested price is $27,995.
It may prove to be popular with anyone considering the Toyota (TM) Camry Hybrid; Ford delivers equal room, safety, and comfort with better rated mileage. Although the Fusion Hybrid has a better mileage rating than the Camry Hybrid, that advantage is not always delivered in real world driving. In theory, the Ford Fusion Hybrid can travel up to 47 miles per hour in electric mode; I could only sustain the engine-off mode when gliding downhill. Even on flat roads driving 25 mph, the engine would engage.
Ford does a nice job of encouraging drivers to get better fuel economy. The SmartGauge had a display section that filled with green leaves as I drove with a light touch that reduced demands on the 2.5L engine. The Ford Fusion Hybrid delivered the smoothest driving experience of any hybrid which I have driven. I did not notice the transitions from gas to electric mode. The transitions were seamless.
Even better mileage was delivered by the 2010 Honda Insight EX which I drove in Monterey. It is rated 43 mpg highway and 40 mpg city. The Insight’s combined EPA rating of 41 contrasts with the 2010 Prius expected rating of at least 50 mpg. The Honda Insight has an aerodynamic body similar to the Prius.
ford has made hybirds for while with it escape hybird first time it made a car hybird aleaset in it’s core brand, I want ford to make a Ranger hybrid. There very few hybrid pickup trucks if any.
Thanks much!
I am on the fence between a Fusion and an Insight. I also love the Prius but am thinking of supporting Ford… it won’t be an easy decision, but for either model it will be a good one.