2013 Ford Fusion Pros and Cons at TrueDelta: 2013 Fusion Hybrid is way better than Camry by joelacker

	Compared to the Camry
Front seat support & comfort	Better Worse

Being 6' 3" it can be hard to find a car where I have sufficient legroom & headroom. In the Fusion Hybrid there was lots of space, even with a sunroof. There are also padded surfaces where my left knee rests against the door and where my right leg rests against the center console. The Camry Hybrid was not comfortable. The doors are hard plastic and there was no soft place to rest my knee. The center console was also hard plastic.

Controls and instruments

Better Worse

The dash of the new Fusion Hybrid with Eco Guide offers a lot more information than does the Camry Hybrid. The brake coach is a nice feature that tells you how efficient your stops are with the regenerative brakes. Under normal driving conditions it was not hard to get 99% or 100% energy returned according to the brake coach. The trip computers will tell you how many miles you've driven in EV mode since the last reset and we were able to spend about half of city miles in EV mode. Every time you shut off the car it also gives you statistics about that trip including your miles in EV mode and the extra EV miles you created through regenerative braking. Very cool!

Handling

Better Worse

The Electric Power Steering in the Fusion is also far better than the Camry Hybrid. The steering in the Fusion has a good on-center feel and gives good feedback. The Fusion handles much better through the corners with less body roll. The Camry's steering is very numb. It was hard to keep the car straight on the freeway. The Camry is a boat in corners. There is very limited feedback because there is too much electric assist.

Materials & workmanship

Better Worse

The interior materials are much higher quality than the Camry. The Camry felt very cheap, not like a car that costs over $30k. The Fusion felt like a more expensive BMW or Audi with the interior quality. There were no large gaps or uneven edges between materials. The exterior build quality is also better in the Fusion. The doors close smoothly and without being too heavy or too light. The hood fits very tightly with the frame. The trunk closes easily but without slamming. And, best of all, the trunk includes a little handle for closing so that you don't have to grab the exterior of trunk but can just close it with that handle. Just like my Saab does!!

Exterior styling

Better Worse

The new Fusions look fantastic. The Camry is ugly and boring. We had the chance to park the cars side by side and compare and there's no comparison.

	Compared to the Camry
Cargo capacity	Better Worse

The trunk is a odd shape because of the hybrid batteries. It is very deep but not very tall. This is somewhat made up for by the fact that the rear seats fold down. The Camry does not offer rear folding seats but does have a more useful trunk space for times that you're using just the trunk space without folding down seats.

Driving position & visibility

Better Worse

The A pillars are rather large and can restrict visibility when driving curvy roads.

Rear seat room & comfort

Better Worse

The door sills are very high which made it tough for me to get my size 13 shoes up and over when sitting behind a front seat that is all the way back. The door sills in the Camry were lower so while there was no more rear seat room than in the Fusion is was possible to get my feet out more easily.

Exterior styling

Better Worse

The brake lamps and turn signals are the same bulb. I believe that for safety it is better to have the rear turn signals as a separate bulb from the brake lights so that there are always 3 brake lights on rather than just two if using a turn signal or just one if using the emergency flashers.

Front seat support & comfort

Better Worse

You can see I'm really reaching here to find things that we didn't like about the Fusion Hybrid, but here's one more... There is a small step up in front of the front seats which made it hard to cross my legs like when traveling on road trips.

Other comments:rnThe Fusion only offers push button start in the Titanium trim level. The Camry includes this at a lower trim level. This is a HUGE MISTAKE by Ford.rnrnThe Fusion brakes are very smooth and linear. The Camry's brakes are very grabby & it was hard to stop smoothly.