2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid Scores 47 MPG in all EPA Testing Cycles

It looks like Miguel Cabrera has some company: While the hard-hitting third baseman for the Detroit Tigers is currently attempting to achieve baseball’s first Triple Crown since 1967, the Blue Oval is aiming for the same goal in terms of mid-size sedan fuel efficiency. At this stage in the season, Cabrera is leading the American League in hitting and RBI, and just needs to nail down the home run title to make history; meanwhile, the 2013 Ford Fusion already owns top EPA marks for gas-only power (an EcoBoosted 37 mpg highway), and the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid was just honored as the most efficient hybrid, attaining 47 mpg city/47 mpg highway/47 mpg combined. Now the automaker is only waiting for the official marks on the Ford Fusion Energi, with plug-in hybrid capabilities and an expected 100 MPGe rating from the EPA.

That’s no accident, either, as triple-crown fuel-economy ratings are all part of Ford efforts to satisfy more customers.

As explained by Mark Fields, Ford’s president of The Americas: “Ford is bringing power of choice to midsize sedan buyers. More than 2 million customers this year will purchase midsize cars. Our new Fusion delivers the fuel savings people truly want and value, with technologies that cost two to three times the price on some German sedans.”

2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid: A Camry Calamity?

There are two big stories here, even beyond the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid’s actual EPA ratings. First, there are the apparently successful efforts by Ford to bring its hybrid technology both in-house and up-to-date. Thus, the Blue Oval is currently doing much of its high-efficiency heavy lifting at its U.S. facilities, and early results include the new lithium-ion battery packs used in the 2013 Fusion Hybrid. They are less expensive, lighter and more effective than batteries that use older chemistry—like the nickel-metal-hydride ones found in the Toyota Camry Hybrid—and are combined in the Fusion with a new 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle I4 engine that is likewise lighter and more effective than the powerplant in the 2012 Fusion Hybrid.

These advances enable the second notable trend we’re seeing with Ford’s green vehicles: A relentless emphasis on not just achieving best-in-class fuel-economy ratings in general, but, more specifically, on beating Toyota. For example, the coming launch of the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid multi-purpose vehicle is being accompanied by a steady stream of reminders that it’s more powerful, more affordable, more spacious and more efficient than the Toyota Prius v, its most likely rival.

Now comes the freshly redesigned Fusion Hybrid, and it has (almost) all of those advantages over the Toyota Camry Hybrid; the chief benefit of the latter is that its starting point is a bit more than $1,200 lower than the new Fusion’s.

2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid: The Numbers Game

Getting down to the nitty-gritty here, let’s take a look at how the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid compares to the Camry and a few other competitors, including a pair of smaller alternatives.

Vehicle

Price

EPA

Notes

2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid

$27,200

47/47/47

Mid-size sedan

2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid

$28,775

41/36/49

Mid-size sedan

Toyota Camry Hybrid

$25,990

43/39/41

Mid-size sedan

Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

$25,850

35/40/37

Mid-size sedan

Chevy Malibu Eco

$25,335

25/37/29

Mid-size, with e-Assist

VW Passat TDI

$26,225

30/40/34

Mid-size, diesel

Toyota Prius

$24,000

51/48/50

Compact five-door

Honda Civic Hybrid

$24,200

44/44/44

Compact sedan

As you can see, the new Fusion provides some big-time advantages in the fuel-economy department compared to its direct in-segment rivals (albeit at a slightly higher price), while also out-greening the smaller Civic Hybrid and coming fairly close to the ratings of even the Prius. It also represents wholesale improvements over the outgoing Fusion Hybrid, which is exactly as it should be.

True, we haven’t seen official numbers from the 2013 Honda Accord Hybrid yet, but it’s perhaps telling that its automaker is aiming for “one of the top EPA fuel economy ratings among mid-size sedans,” not, as Ford did, explicitly targeting the very best mark.

“The new Fusion is part of our plan to offer vehicles with the very best quality, fuel efficiency, safety, smart design and value,” reiterated Alan Mulally, Ford’s president and CEO. “We are absolutely committed to class-leading fuel efficiency as a reason to buy Ford vehicles, with customers able to choose the fuel-efficient powertrain that best fits their lifestyle.”