  2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid SE. Click image to enlarge |
Roomy cabin
With a wheelbase that’s increased by 123 mm (4.8 in.) for 2013, the Fusion offers a roomier cabin with more rear legroom; the cabin can accommodate four adults comfortably although rear headroom may be tight for over 6-footers. As well, there’s a bit of a ledge to step over when getting in.
The Fusion Hybrid, which comes in only one SE trim level, has a nicely finished interior with a soft-touch dashboard, leather wrapped steering wheel (manual tilt and telescoping), raised centre console and protruding touch-screen, aluminum trim around the centre stack, and a thin horizontal strip of wood trim on the dash and doors. My car had the optional Luxury Package ($2,100) which includes retro-styled black leather seats with white stitching and heated front seats. It’s easy to get comfortable in the driver’s seat which has power height and power lumbar functions. The front passenger seat is also power operated but it doesn’t have the power lumbar feature.
The Fusion Hybrid driver faces a multi-function leather-wrapped steering wheel that tilts and telescopes for optimal positioning, and a brightly lit instrument display with a single white-on-black round speedometer bordered by two colour display screens with menus that can be navigated with the buttons on the steering wheel. To the left of the speedo is a display showing average fuel consumption, current battery charge level and fuel level. While driving, an arrow above the battery indicates it is being charged, and an arrow below it shows when battery power is being used for propulsion. This screen can also show fuel economy history every five minutes. Using buttons on the steering wheel, the driver can scroll through a limited number of audio, telephone, and navigation functions displayed in the small screen to the right of the speedo. This screen can also be used to display the ‘efficiency’ leaves rewarded for fuel-efficient driving.
    2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid SE. Click image to enlarge |
But the main interface for navigation, climate, audio, telephone and information functions is the large MyFordTouch touch-screen in the centre of the instrument panel. As many reviewers have pointed out, this screen’s response to touch commands is sometimes slow requiring repeated attempts, which can be distracting for the driver. The screen also looks rather untidy at times because of fingerprints. Alternatively, some of the screen’s major climate and audio controls are duplicated below the touch-screen on a flat opaque touch surface, however I found this surface lacks the responsive feel of traditional buttons. There are other choices too: many major functions such as audio volume, phone, and cruise control are located on the steering wheel and ‘Sync’ voice commands are another option for telephone and entertainment functions.
Those with portable audio or video devices can pop them in the centre storage box and hook them up to one of two USB ports, an iPod jack, a 12-volt power outlet or A/V jacks. There’s also a large open bin ahead of the shift lever with a 12-volt outlet. Rear passengers have map pockets on the back of the front seats, a folding centre armrest with cupholders, and both 12-volt and 110-volt outlets.
   2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid SE. Click image to enlarge |
Due to the big lithium-ion battery pack behind the rear seats and a rather thick trunk lid, trunk space in the Fusion Hybrid is compromised. At least the 60/40 split folding rear seatbacks do fold down – although with a narrower opening than in a standard Fusion sedan.
