LOS ANGELES - The Green Car Journal announced its Green Car of the Year award at the Los Angeles Auto Show, choosing the Ford Fusion in a field of five finalists that included Toyota, Mazda, Dodge, and another Ford model.
The 2013 Ford Fusion mid-size sedan comes out with a wide array of drivetrain options, from a standard 2.5-liter engine to a plug-in hybrid system. With its base 2.5-liter four cylinder, the Fusion gets an EPA average of 26mpg. Prospective buyers can also upgrade to either a 1.6-liter or 2-liter Ecoboost engine, each using direct injection and a turbocharger to turn in averages of 29 mpg and 26 mpg, respectively.
The 2013 Fusion Hybrid uses a 2-liter engine combined with an electric motor, using energy recaptured from braking, to turn in 47 mpg, average, according to EPA testing. Ford says it is the most fuel efficient mid-size sedan in America. Ford also offers the Fusion Energi, which is a plug-in version of the Fusion Hybrid. Drivers will have the potential to get fuel economy much higher than 50 mpg, depending on how frequently they plug it in.
The Fusion beat Ford's newest model, the C-Max, which comes in both hybrid and plug-in hybrid forms and shows similar fuel economy to the Fusion's.
Other nominees were the Toyota Prius C, the Dodge Dart, and the Mazda CX-5 SkyActiv. The Toyota is strictly a hybrid, while the Dodge and Mazda use modern internal combustion engines and other technologies to maximize efficiency.