2013 Fusion Hybrid showcases Ford's most advanced tech (pictures)
The new Fusion Hybrid boasts optional driver assist features rarely found in a car of its class, along with app integration through Sync AppLink.
Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Ford gives its midsize sedan a big update for the 2013 model year, and offers it with a variety of drivetrains. The styling is particularly nice, helping the Fusion stand out in a crowd.
The Fusion Hybrid uses a 2-liter, four-cylinder engine coupled to an electric motor through a continuously variable transmission, with total system output of 188 horsepower. Although EPA estimates put the average fuel economy at 47 mpg, we found it fell closer to 40 mpg.
Recent Ford cars have been heavily influenced by its European development arm. The Fusion shows this influence through a stiff, competent suspension, which aids handling.
The Fusion Hybrid comes standard with Ford's SmartGauge to the left of the speedometer, which shows useful information about how the hybrid system is working.
The directional buttons on the right spoke control the right-hand MyFord display on the instrument cluster, showing information about the phone, stereo, and navigation systems.
The navigation system software lives on an SD card plugged into the car. The maps render a little more slowly than we would expect from a modern navigation system.
Sirius Travel Link comes as part of the MyFord Touch system, showing fuel prices for nearby gas stations and other useful information delivered from the Sirius Satellite Radio network.
Voice command does an excellent job of controlling the Bluetooth hands-free phone system, but the touch screen also offers a dial pad and contact list lookup.
The MyFord Touch system displays music library information very well. Along with accessing a connected iOS device's library, it will also parse the music files on a USB drive, showing a similar library interface.
