Jennifer Moore Ford Motor Company Communications

February 7th, 2009 at 6:51 pm

This is a list of ‘09 models. As a Ford
employee - am proud to note Ford is launching two new hybrid models this spring - the Fusion and Milan hybrids which are rated at 41 mpg in the city. I suspect the list will look different next year!

Greg Marshall

February 10th, 2009 at 11:22 am

I can’t understand why prius continues to be thought of as green. In the city with stop and go traffic it rules. On the open road it is really bad. When it has to rely on just it’s engine, fuel economy plummets and it’s green status is history. My 250 horsepower Subaru meets all the California emission standards of a prius, It’s mileage isn’t as good, but, like the Prius isn’t polluting the atmosphere. My subaru is also not carrying 300 pounds of toxic batteries with a short lifespan as well.
Shouldn’t we look at the Prius as an awesome first step to a better car. Let’s just stop making it the only option as it lacks in many options.

Brent

February 10th, 2009 at 11:30 am

Aren’t the Fusion and Milan basically the exact same car with just a different emblem? I don’t think Ford should get credit for having multiple hybrids when some are just the exact same vehicle with a Mercury logo. Same goes for the Escape and Mariner hybrids, which I considered buying. And don’t worry Ford, I would feel the same if Lexus had an ES hybrid and tried to pretend it was any different than a Toyota Camry. I think automakers, especially American ones, need to cut down on having so many different brands with the same vehicles. Foreign automakers don’t find it neccessary to have more that 2-3 lines under one company, why is it that Ford has to have 5 brands and GM has to have 8 brands?

Dave

February 10th, 2009 at 11:56 am

Greg - I own both a Subaru WRX (bought before efficiency and the environment were more imporant to me) and a Prius - and let me correct you on a few things:

1. The Subaru is not as clean as the Prius. While some of the non-turbo models (Legacy, Outback and Forester) are PZEV which is the cleanest classification of “regular” cars in California, the rest are just LEV vehicles. Outside of Calfornia, they are classified as T2B5 - or just clean enough to sell in the USA.

2. The Prius does just fine on the highway, thank you very much. On long road trips at high speeds (80mph), we always get more than 40mpg. We typically average in the low-mid 40s on these types of trips. The Subaru on the other hand, has only broken 30mpg once - and that was driving 55mph behind a moving truck. Otherwise it’s mid-high 20s. I keep detailed records of the fuel economy of both cars - the Subaru sucks down nearly twice as much fuel and once you factor in that it needs premium, it costs twice as much per mile to operate.

3. The Prius battery is not toxic. And Toyota even pays you a couple hundred bucks to take it off your hands so they can recycle/refurbish it if it does fail.

4. The Prius battery does not have a short lifespan. The battery (along with the rest of the hybrid drivetrain) is warrantied for 10-years / 150,000 miles in California - and a bit less in other non-CARB states (I think it’s 7-8 years and 100k, but may be wrong). There are many cases of the battery lasting well over 200k miles when the car has been used a taxi.

Brent - yep the Fusion and Milan are the same car with different emblems, though I believe the Milan (along with the rest of the Mercury line) is slightly tweaked for a slightly more “upscale” market. I also agree that the US automakers should consolidate their brands. There are simply too many of them.

Jennifer - I hope to see more Fords in the top-10 next year. When will Ford be coming out with a Prius or Insight competitor? While the Focus is a good compact and compares fairly well to the Corolla and Civic, you really need a vehicle which nets mid-40s mpg+ to compete with the Prius/Insight.

Jessica Jensen

February 10th, 2009 at 12:05 pm

Loving these commnts! For my two cents I also own a Prius and it gets amazing mileage. I get 41-2 MPG on the highway and even higher in the city. And it’s roomy and drives great. I love that car!

ann elise mclaughlin

February 10th, 2009 at 2:25 pm

Dave,
One comment about your Subaru reply. Why only Premium? My husband has a 2005 Forrester and i own a 1999 legacy wagon and we NEVER use premium, only the cheapest of the cheap. In fact, when my husband took his car into the mechanics because it was running rough and acting out of sorts, the mechanic asked what gas he was using and my husband had said premium as the car was new to him and the mechanic specifically told him not to use any high grade gasoline as these cars didn’t need it and it was a waste and reacted badly with the engine. So, never premium in our Subarus. And for us folks who love the environment but can’t afford the Prius or the lack of room for car seats and multiple passengers (we can fit 3 adults and 2 children in carseats in both our Subarus), the Subaru is a wonderful fit. I love my Subaru and don’t feel an ounce of guilt driving it as an environmentalist.

Bill Marshall

April 1st, 2009 at 4:43 am

Ann, it’s because he drives a WRX. I’ve owned 2 Subarus & both required only regular gasoline - like your husband’s Forester. The WRX is an exception among Subarus. I think that Dave was just trying to make a point in the comparison of Subarus & Priuses, i.e. that a Subarue CAN be twice as expensive as a Prius & not NECESSARILY as clean.