2013 Ford Fusion to Achieve Up to 47 MPG

When comparing the gas-engined cars to similar competitors, the Fusion does well.

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uel-economy figures for Ford's next Fusion were released on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) web site on September 7th, before disappearing, but Car and Driver made sure to mark the numbers down.

Assuming the numbers don't change, they're pretty impressive, but on par with other mid-size models, at least when it comes to the conventional engines. The best that a non-hybrid Fusion can do is 25 mpg city/37 mpg highway in front-wheel-drive configuration with the six-speed manual transmission. Opt for an automatic transmission with the same layout and the numbers shift to 23/36. That's with the 179-horse 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine.

2013 Ford Fusion

The numbers are 22/34 on the 2.5-liter, 170-horsepower naturally-aspirated four-cylinder and 22/33 for the 237-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder (22/31 with all-wheel-drive). Fusion's hybrid comes in at a very solid 47/47.

When comparing the gas-engined cars to similar competitors, the Fusion does well, sliding in just below the 2013 Nissan Altima's 38 highway mpg and above the Hyundai Sonata's 35 mpg. For the hybrid, only the Prius and Prius C do better, with the Fusion tying Ford's own C-MAX Hybrid and besting the Honda Civic Hybrid.

All told, the numbers are impressive but the non-hybrid versions are not head and shoulders above the competition. Still, being at the center of the mix will help Ford gain buzz as the car launches. Those hybrid numbers are hard to argue with, though. There might be some squirming in chairs over at Toyota HQ.

[Sources: Car and Driver, Autoblog]