Fear this, Prius! Here comes America…

Ask anyone what the best hybrid car is and you’ll likely hear “Prius” nine times out of 10.

Toyota has had a stranglehold on the hybrid market since introducing the Prius in Japan in 1997. Nothing short of world domination has ensued in the years since. Not to say there hasn’t been any competition; Honda has tried with their Insight, Civic and Accord hybrids. Nissan has given it a half-hearted go with the Altima hybrid. GM stumbled into the game with the meaningless Cadillac Escalade hybrid. And Ford? Hardly worth mentioning as their Escape hybrid has been simply mediocre.

By hey, what do you know - leave it to Ford to come up with a game changer and topple King Prius from the top of Media Mountain. And it’s not the Escape that made the lofty climb to the top; it’s the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid.

USA Today and Car & Driver recently raved about the Fusion Hybrid. In fact, in both of their tests, the Ford smacked the Toyota from its perch at the top, sent it tumbling into the ocean below, and then blew it out of the water.

Here’s what USA Today said:

OK, let’s just get it out there: The 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid is the best gasoline-electric hybrid yet. What makes it best is a top-drawer blend of an already very good midsize sedan with the industry’s smoothest, best-integrated gas-electric power system. It’s so well-done that you have to look to the $107,000 Lexus LS 600h hybrid to come close.

Dude. You have to spend $107K just to get CLOSE to the Fusion! Who would’ve ever thought the automotive press would say that about a Ford, especially in our current U.S. automaker crisis? Talk about a welcome breath of fresh air.

And to keep the clean breathing going, check out Car & Driver’s take:

Ford has pulled off a game changer with this 2010 model, creating a high-mpg family hauler that’s fun to drive. Nothing about the leather-lined test car, optioned up from its $27,995 base price to $32,555, seemed economy minded except for the mileage readings. On that score, the Fusion topped the others, turning in a 34-mpg score card for the overall 300-mile test run.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve needed to hear something positive about the U.S. automakers for a long time now. Ford, I congratulate you on a job well done and I’m excited to see what you come out with next.

What do you think about these reviews of the 2010 Fusion Hybrid?

-tgriffith

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