Ford Fusion ENERGI or Model S ...

[rekoh]

OK, I know I am stirring the pot, and poking the bear here.... but.

Let me start out by saying that I HAVE A RESERVATION for an S. So easy with the comments.

I have been following TESLA since the beginning, and am serious about an electric car. The reality is I want one that Looks great, has all the techno-gadgets, and is electric.
I rulled out:
leaf, CMax, volt, imiev, Volt: they are all small / ugly / or limited range..


The new ford Fusion is a good looking car - I love the front grill assembly (Austin Martin-esque), and think the technology is amazing. Here are the pluses that beat out the S in my mind..
Active Park assist
Lane keeping system (even self correcting due to auto park)
Blind spot warning
Adaptive Cruise w/ Forward crash warning
Voice control (Ford SYNC)
There's an app for that

Downside to the Fusion
20miles of electric range (then supposedly 47mpg) -- I only go about 20/day so not bad for me..


Pluses for the S
17" screen
cool door handles
Pano roof
seats 7
all electric baby!

If the S had the same technology as the FORD... (which by the way is 1/2 the price). It would be a no brainer. S all the way.. but the truth is: my 2005 infiniti has lane departure warning and adaptive cruise.. why not the TESLA!!

On the flip side, if the Ford had all electric Fusion with 160mi range... I think I would switch.

So.. what is one to do..

 

[Elcondor]

OK, I know I am stirring the pot, and poking the bear here.... but.

Let me start out by saying that I HAVE A RESERVATION for an S. So easy with the comments.

I have been following TESLA since the beginning, and am serious about an electric car. The reality is I want one that Looks great, has all the techno-gadgets, and is electric.
I rulled out:
leaf, CMax, volt, imiev, Volt: they are all small / ugly / or limited range..


The new ford Fusion is a good looking car - I love the front grill assembly (Austin Martin-esque), and think the technology is amazing. Here are the pluses that beat out the S in my mind..
Active Park assist
Lane keeping system (even self correcting due to auto park)
Blind spot warning
Adaptive Cruise w/ Forward crash warning
Voice control (Ford SYNC)
There's an app for that

Downside to the Fusion
20miles of electric range (then supposedly 47mpg) -- I only go about 20/day so not bad for me..


Pluses for the S
17" screen
cool door handles
Pano roof
seats 7
all electric baby!

If the S had the same technology as the FORD... (which by the way is 1/2 the price). It would be a no brainer. S all the way.. but the truth is: my 2005 infiniti has lane departure warning and adaptive cruise.. why not the TESLA!!

On the flip side, if the Ford had all electric Fusion with 160mi range... I think I would switch.

So.. what is one to do..

Apples to Oranges, most of us are interested in an all electric vehicle. 20 mile electric range is a non starter.

 

[GSP]

If you drive 20 mi/day, you will need the 38 mi EV range of the Volt. Otherwise you will have to run the engine if you do any extra driving or the weather is less than ideal. Also, acceleration in EV mode will probably be tepid in the Energi, vs. awesome in the Tesla

I would get the S.

GSP

 

[Grendal]

Okay, realistic comparison.

Looks - Both are good. I'd say that the S stands out much more. Ford will sell lots of Fusions and there are a lot on the road. The Model S? Not so much. You can expect a LOT of attention driving an S.

Space - The Model S is the clear winner here.

Performance - No comparison there. The Model S will blow away almost everything on the road. The lesser performace versions like the 40 kWh pack version is still going to smoke most cars out there. The Energi is a Prius-like hybrid and will have little to no guts. It's gas miles are definitely NOT going to get 47 MPG. The EPA is already after Ford for fudging the numbers.

Motor/Engine - The Energi is a hybrid. You'll do well on gas and get a reasonable amount of EV miles considering your commute is within its range. It's not a Volt and the EV miles will include gas use especially if you drive it on the highway. The Model S is pure EV, with all the strengths and weaknesses that gives you. If you're going to make regular long distance trips and you're not going with an 85 kWh pack then that might sway you toward the Energi.

Technology - The Ford is going to be more clean up front and have more options available from the get go because they have been building cars for a long time. Their upgrades will be slow and likely non-existent unless there is a bug they find. Tesla will be upgrading their interface all the time. It will continue to get better and better and it's already good now. I expect that within two years it will be unbelievably good.

The Model S is winning every car award on the planet because it is just that good. The weakness is that you're an early adopter from a relatively new company and Ford has a vast history of doing what they do.

I hope this is helpful toward your decision.

 

[Todd Burch]

Voice control: S of course has this as well, controlled by Google Voice, and via software updates will likely get much much cooler in the future, so I'd give the S the edge WRT voice control.

The S has an app too (coming out within a few weeks), and it will also likely blow away what the Energi will have.

WRT active park assist, lane keep, and blind spot detection....if you know how to drive, these features are not too important. I'll drive the car myself, thank you.

Only real positive I see for the Energi is the adaptive cruise/forward crash warning, and that's nowhere near important enough for me to cancel out the other things, even given the S's higher initial cost.

 

[roblab]

The Energi is a Prius-like hybrid and will have little to no guts. It's gas miles are definitely NOT going to get 47 MPG. The EPA is already after Ford for fudging the numbers.

True. Ford bought the rights to the Prius drive train technology years ago and adapted it to their Ford hybrids. You could just as well buy a Prius. I guess you get what you pay for -- if you're careful.

I see many attempts to compare other cars to the Tesla. My (insert brand here) is much more (plush, cheap, has more cup holders, etc., etc.). But the bottom line is that Tesla is the only company giving you a real ELECTRIC car that won awards and accolades from day one. If that isn't important enough, by all means, get yourself a (insert brand here). This is their first iteration, and it improves with age! What other car does that? Every month or so they give you another upgrade, and -viola!- you have back up assistance, or lane change, or adaptive cruise control, or any of a number of things that everyone thinks is absolutely necessary.

I wouldn't change my Model S for any other car in the world.

 

[bobw]

True. Ford bought the rights to the Prius drive train technology years ago and adapted it to their Ford hybrids. You could just as well buy a Prius. I guess you get what you pay for -- if you're careful.
...

Even Toyota stated that they cross licenced their technologies with Ford because of their overlapping patents. The auto industry had their patent wars.

 

[sreehyd]

I was in the same boat until about last 2 months Energi Vs Model S, But finally made up my mind and placed the order ... Primary reason it took long for making decision was Tesla being a public company there is good chance a BIG fish may try to grab ? Then what next ? I don't know how this would impact ...

 

[Robert.Boston]

Having put a fair number of miles on the Model S to date, I can state categorically that I have no blind-spot issues with properly adjusted mirrors. I have not yet had a situation where a blind-spot detector would have found something I could not see with my own eyes + mirrors. As for parking assist -- well, yes, I would like more help here, but it's easier than any car this size has any right to command. The rear backup camera, which always is on-screen when in R, complete covers the need in that direction once you figure out how close objects are. The front corners of the car, however, aren't visible.

 

[Jason S]

I'm considering something similar, simply because I really like the electric way of driving (at least with the S) and I drive sooo few miles now.

The Model S is the long trip car. Weird, I guess, but that's one reason why the S Perf won us over.

So something with few miles of range but lots of interior perks, etc., could work.

... But I'll prolly hold out for a Gen3 and continue with the ICE for the next few years for the little bit I do drive now. :smile:

 

[DriverOne]

You'd still have an ICE with all the maintenance that entails. Hauling that ICE around everywhere you go, hurting your performance.

 

[rekoh]

Interesting responses by all. Thank you for your feedback. OF COURSE I am going with an S. It is just too sweet to resist!! BUT, to add lane departure warning, or adaptive cruise, or blind-spot detect is a minor add for TESLA, and puts them on par with every other car manufacturer out there. I have read on here that some folks have done aftermarket add-ons for LDW, and that the Tesla software has many of these features built in, but not enabled. Who knows... by the time they actually get around to building mine, it will have all of these bells and whistles, and awd, and ....? ...or maybe that is the 2014 Models S.5.

 

[dennis]

As for parking assist -- well, yes, I would like more help here, but it's easier than any car this size has any right to command. The rear backup camera, which always is on-screen when in R, complete covers the need in that direction once you figure out how close objects are. The front corners of the car, however, aren't visible.

We had aftermarket parking sensors installed on my wife's RX400 and are doing the same for our Model S. My installer found a set out of the UK that install from behind the bumpers and look exactly like factory ones (i.e. flush with the surface rather than having a raised bezel). I'll post pics once they are installed, sometime between Christmas and New Years.

 

[artsci]

We had aftermarket parking sensors installed on my wife's RX400 and are doing the same for our Model S. My installer found a set out of the UK that install from behind the bumpers and look exactly like factory ones (i.e. flush with the surface rather than having a raised bezel). I'll post pics once they are installed, sometime between Christmas and New Years.

Are these the Parking Dynamics sensors? If so I'm very curious to see the photos, as I have a set which will be installed on my Model S when it's delivered in the spring. I'm assuming your installer will be removing the bumper to do the install, right?

 

[rekoh]

We had aftermarket parking sensors installed on my wife's RX400 and are doing the same for our Model S. My installer found a set out of the UK that install from behind the bumpers and look exactly like factory ones (i.e. flush with the surface rather than having a raised bezel). I'll post pics once they are installed, sometime between Christmas and New Years.

I am looking forward to the pics (I read somewhere else on here about these, and saw a link to them -- probably from you )

BUT. This is exactly what I am saying about this luxury car. A small add for TESLA to put these in as standard equipment as they are on HYUNDAIs!!

 

[Al Sherman]

The Fusion Energi is a nice car, And, I think it's a nice car for the price. If I were considering a plug in hybrid it would probably be at the top of my list. However, I resist ANY comparison to the Model S. I'm not trying to get you to spend 60k you may not have either. I understand clearly that there are folks out there that want to stop using gas but aren't anywhere near the ability to afford the S. Even the low end battery model. Clearly Tesla understands this too. I believe in my heart that a car that will embarrass the Fusion Energi at the same price is coming from Tesla.
I think the real question is: Can you afford the S? If I couldn't I wouldn't be getting one. It's a staggering leap forward from anything. Including plug in hybrids.
I've been proud to drive my Prius for 5 years. For me the S is a no brainer. If I couldn't afford it the Fusion Energi would be very high on my list to replace the Prius.
But to simply say I'm getting the Fusion instead of the S because of some Hi-tech stuff on the Fusion that isn't on the S is a non sequitur.

 

[rekoh]

It isn't about cost or if I could afford one. It is about value. Am I getting my money worth.... with that I have to value what is important to me (and maybe others here). Things like: all electric (take that oil!) .. safety (lane keeping system --- maybe I should just not text and drive / Blind spot / etc) .. looks (a personal choice -- Tesla wins) .. and of course.. the $ (2 fusions for the cost of 1 S) .... Note: The cost to do some of these high tech options is nominal. Even added as an option at additional cost is fine.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

A couple of other things to consider:

1) The Fusion Energi is made in Mexico. The Model S is made in CA.
2) Tesla is a pure BEV manufacturer. Ford also manufactures ICEVs.

 

[FlasherZ]

Hybrids - whether Cadillac Escalade, Fisker Karma, Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion, or Chevy Volt - all inevitably are more "show & slow" than "go" when it comes to transforming the energy landscape of our world. Tesla will get there with the small features and functionality, but there is no competition right now with the basic technology platform of a model S (something more useful than a matchbox or a stuffed rat with 4 wheels, with a range well over 200 miles, with energy efficiency over several hundred miles of ~90 MPG/MPGe). Ford, like every other competitor, comes nowhere close to that.

Ford's claims of "100 MPGe" are for the 20 miles you can do electric-only mode, but then it drops to the really anemic value of ~40 MPG on subsequent miles even if you baby it (total of ~45 MPG). Same with the Prius: drive the Prius like a normal, non-hypermiling human being, you get ~35 MPG.

So when small features like lines on the backup camera, or lane assist are compared to render a decision, you're missing the forest for the trees.

Sounds like the Fusion's good for you, but it's not for me. Good luck.

 

[Al Sherman]

It isn't about cost or if I could afford one. It is about value. Am I getting my money worth.... with that I have to value what is important to me (and maybe others here). Things like: all electric (take that oil!) .. safety (lane keeping system --- maybe I should just not text and drive / Blind spot / etc) .. looks (a personal choice -- Tesla wins) .. and of course.. the $ (2 fusions for the cost of 1 S) .... Note: The cost to do some of these high tech options is nominal. Even added as an option at additional cost is fine.

Value is very subjective clearly. However in that case it's pretty clear to me that you should get the Fusion Energi. It's almost perfect for what you want and how you've described using it.

- - - Updated - - -

Hybrids - whether Cadillac Escalade, Fisker Karma, Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion, or Chevy Volt - all inevitably are more "show & slow" than "go" when it comes to transforming the energy landscape of our world. Tesla will get there with the small features and functionality, but there is no competition right now with the basic technology platform of a model S (something more useful than a matchbox or a stuffed rat with 4 wheels, with a range well over 200 miles). Ford, like every other competitor, comes nowhere close to that.

Ford's claims of "100 MPGe" are for the 20 miles you can do electric-only mode, but then it drops to the really anemic value of ~40 MPG on subsequent miles even if you baby it (total of ~45 MPG). Same with the Prius: drive the Prius like a normal, non-hypermiling human being, you get ~35 MPG.

So when small features like lines on the backup camera, or lane assist are compared to render a decision, you're missing the forest for the trees.

Sounds like the Fusion's good for you, but it's not for me. Good luck.

Amen! With the minor exception of the Prius. In my informal 5 year survey people who drive the Prius normally (which is also subjective) get 40-42.