2020 Ford Fusion Plug-In Hybrid

Ford’s Fusion has had a long run by any standard, and thanks to the company’s announcement last year that it will only produce SUVs and trucks, this will be its last. There are good reasons for the sedan’s long tenure: it’s an affordable, well-proportioned four-door that can be unusually well-appointed inside. The addition of a hybrid drivetrain in 2010 added to the car’s case as a compelling midsize buy, and the plug-in option might have taken it further still.

That is, if it weren’t for the trunk – or lack thereof. Perhaps the Fusion Energi’s single biggest shortcoming is that the bigger battery needed to make it a PHEV eats into precious trunk space that could otherwise be used to carry golf clubs, a suitcase or a stroller. With the batteries cutting trunk volume by just about half (16 cubic-feet down to 8.2), the Fusion Energi becomes a family sedan that doesn’t really make sense for families.

This isn’t an issue that’s unique to the Fusion, but to almost all PHEV sedans – the drivetrain just makes more sense in an SUV or a car that has a hatchback. It’s hard to rationalize the significant sacrifice when any number of crossover-based hybrids are available without the compromise. 

Behatched though it may not be, the Energi manages 188 combined horsepower from its hybrid-electric drivetrain, which consists of a 2.0-liter, 141-horsepower inline four-cylinder engine and an 88-kW electric motor. The entire package is geared for efficiency and rides on low rolling resistance all-season tires, which are insufficient to catch the two-ton car’s weight changes with any sort of composure. The brakes also can feel unpredictable duty they’re currently serving (regenerating power versus stoppping). 

That battery weight is what allows the Energi to travel up to a claimed 26 miles on electric power alone (when combined with a full 14-gallon tank of gas, the 9-kWh battery offers a total range of 610 miles, according to the EPA). So, if the use case involves a commute of 26 miles or less and perhaps a strong desire to use electric power and not be in a hatchback, the Energi may be worth a look.

What’s more, the Fusion Energi’s standard level of equipment further differentiates it from the bevy of also-available PHEV vehicles. It’s only available in Ford’s top-line Titanium trim, which buys such niceties as a leather-appointed interior, a 10-way heated and cooled power driver’s sport seat (six-way passenger), automatic climate control, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, pre-collision assist with pedestrian detection, a user-configurable digital dashboard, and LED headlights with automatic high beam activation.

And the last argument in favor of the Energi may be the best one: it’s one step closer to saving the Earth. There’s nothing but a badge and a little circular door on the driver’s side fender denoting the car as anything particular. No goofy futuristic design is necessary.