‘Brids for all Budgets |
Frugality? Luxury? Utility? There’s a hybrid for that.
A decade ago, “hybrids” were little more than road-going experiments, with little in the way of creature comforts, even less by way of style, but lots by way of expensive, electricity-based technology under their dowdy, aero-honed sheetmetal—er, sheetplastic. Squeaky clean they may have been, but hybrids were pricey, unattractive and uncomfortable compared with their gas-swilling counterparts, and appealed only to the most environmentally sympathetic of customers.
Now, however, carmakers have figured out how to make these fuel-sippers not only more affordable, but far more palatable to live with and far less embarrassing to be seen in. Indeed, today there is a hybrid for virtually every budget, purpose and taste. For proof, we offer this electrifying—pardon the pun—quartet assembled here. |
May 20,2009 |
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Ford Fusion Hybrid: The "Brady-Brid" (Base price: $27,270) |
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If you’re looking for glimmers of hope on the American car scene, consider the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid a bright spot. Pricier than the Prius but more accommodating and even better equipped, the mid-sized Fusion Hybrid combines family-size versatility with superstar fuel economy and square-jawed style. It is a subtler green statement than the Prius, little different from any other 2010 Fusions (all of which greet the world with a brazen, chrome-drenched three-bar grille, a blunt hood and bolder lighting elements). The interior, however, forgoes leather upholstery in favor of recycle-rich weaves, and the bespoke electronic gauge cluster allows drivers to decide just how much information to display (our favorite feature is a display showing branches that sprout leaves the more efficiently one drives). The powerful electric motor is capable of propelling the vehicle to speeds up to 47 miles per hour before the four-cylinder engine kicks in, which affords the hybrid fuel economy that eclipses its mid-size hybrid competition with a whopping EPA-rated 41 miles per gallon combined. America may have been down for a while, but insightful family cars like the Fusion Hybrid prove that it’s hardly out.
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