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Hybrid Fusion vs Prius | At A Glance
When deciding whether to purchase the all new 2010 Ford Fusion or the 2010 Toyota Prius, one may think how can you go wrong. However, both of these vehicles have some distinct characteristics and pros and cons to consider before purchasing.
Beginning with the 2010 Ford Fusion, it is by far the larger of the two vehicles and looks more the standard mid-size sedan consumers are used to. They’ve taken their most popular car and thrown it into the hybrid arena. It has more horsepower, but has a lower EPA mpg rating than the Prius. Starting price is just over $27,000 and upgradeable features like built-in navigation, leather seats and a Sony surround system can jump it another $5,000. The Fusion also is backed by a 5 year/ 100,000 mile warranty, while the Prius standard is 3 years or 60,000 miles.
The newly designed 2010 Toyota Prius still holds the record for best mpg rating, but is smaller than the Ford Fusion. However, the third generation is about 10 cubic feet bigger than the second generation model which should take care of some complaints. Greener than the Ford Fusion, the Prius uses more environmentally friendly materials to build their vehicle. With a starting price of $24,000 and upgradeable features like solar panel moon roof to power the air conditioning, built-in navigation system and leather seats, the Prius can be as much as $10,000 than the base price. However, the price is still lower than the Ford Fusion and has a better mpg rating. The Prius also comes standard with two more sets of safety airbags than the Ford Fusion.
In summary, the Prius and Fusion both have their distinct benefits and it’s up to each consumer which is right for them. If you’re looking for the ultra environmentally-friendly, best mpg, and safety rating vehicle, than the 2010 Toyota Prius is the one for you. If you want and upgraded version of the standard sedan, with the driving experience and size you need for family and traveling, than the 2010 Ford Fusion is the way to go. Overall, you really can’t go wrong with either of these 2010 hybrids.
* I recently purchased a 2010 Toyota Prius (see my new blog) so I may a little biased toward it. At the same time, I’m still hopeful that Ford and Scott Monty will hook me up on a long term test drive of the 2010 Ford Fusion (see my post on average Joe consumer hybrid reviews), although test driving the 2011 Fusion may be a more realistic goal at this point.
Comment by Scott Monty on 1 August 2009:
Hmm. We’ll have to look into that. It’ll be an easier sell if you let everyone know that the starting price of the Fusion Hybrid is $27,000, though.
It might also be helpful to look into everything that goes into making the car in addition to the mileage. From the soybean-based seats (which will biodegrade in 90-120 days vs. the 500-1,000 or so years for petroleum-based foam) to the extent to which the company is going to reduce its overall impact on the environment http://www.ford.com/microsites/sustainability-report-2008-09/issues-climate
Scott Monty
Global Digital Communications
Ford Motor Company
Comment by Jeff Carey | Hybrid Guy on 6 August 2009:
Monty,
Thanks for catching our mistake on the starting price of the hybrid Fusion. We corrected it today.
Jeff
Comment by Artem on 8 September 2009:
Would it be even easier to let everyone know that the starting price of Prius is $22,000 and not $24,000? And maybe point out that those anti-American Toyotas are manufactured in US while Fusions are made in Mexico?
Who is working harder on preserving US jobs? 
Comment by Mike on 16 September 2009:
Winking smiley faces aside, the facts are that Toyota is using the economic crisis as an excuse to shut down the New United Motors plant here in Fremont CA. Productivity is not the issue: most people here understand that Toyota does not like the fact that NUMMI is a union shop. This will cost ~5000 jobs directly, and as many as 20,000-40,000 indirectly. This after and estimated 1 in 4 of the taxpayer funded new cars sold under the cash for clunkers program has been a Toyota. This Californian will thank Toyota by buying a Mexican-made Ford.
Comment by Another Mike on 14 October 2009:
Doing some searching, it appears Toyota pulled out of the USA to manufacture the Prius for a while, http://www.topix.com/city/blue-springs-ms/2009/10/community-remains-hopeful-toyota-will-come-through
Comment by dave on 22 March 2010:
this Californian will also be excluding Toyota from any future car buying decisions (already owned two camrys)due to the NUMMI shutdown, not the recall. Between Ford and Honda now…