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The Fusion Hybrid is as quiet as I remember it being two years ago. In fact, it is not just quiet — it is “Fusion quiet.” Perhaps that makes no sense when talking about the car, but let’s just say that it is so quiet I actually turn off the radio on the highway just to listen to how little noise there actually is. It is almost impossible to fathom that a vehicle in the mid-sized car category, at just over $30,000, can be this quiet. Road noise is non-existent, wind noise zero and engine noise indiscernible.
Even in the city it is very difficult to tell if the engine is running or if the vehicle is in EV mode. I have to constantly keep an eye on the information display in the centre cluster. When the drivetrain changes from electric drive to engine-propulsion, there is sometimes a slight “bump” similar to that of a vehicle shifting gears, but it is not significant, and forget about hearing the engine unless your foot is really into it.
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The suspension is not your typical soft-and-floaty hybrid suspension, either. The Fusion Hybrid offers up a great compromise between comfort and sport with a suspension that gobbles up imperfections in the road but still transfers enough feel to the driver to feel engaged.
Visibility is excellent all around, and of course the blind-spot sensors help keep you safe when changing lanes, and the cross traffic alert makes reversing in a parking lot less stressful. When people ask me what mid-sized sedan they should buy, the Fusion always comes up in my list, and once again after a few days behind the wheel I want to keep this vehicle, which is a rare occurrence for me.
The Fusion Hybrid provides the near perfect balance between hybrid economy and a family sedan while offering enough feel to keep the drive fun and engaging even at “Hybrid” speeds, which for this Hybrid is up to 70km/h on electric power alone. Today, I was able to drive from Home Depot to Costco sans gasoline — a short jaunt, but a win nonetheless. So far my trips are averaging around 6.0L/100km!
