Ford’s 2013 Fusion should be a pretty frugal ride, with its available turbocharged engines, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid models. For $295, Fusion buyers who choose the 1.6-liter EcoBoost turbocharged engine can add the fuel-sipping stop-start feature.
Stop-start technology, which cuts engine power when the car is stopped and restarts it to pull away, will be available on 2013 Fusions that are equipped with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost turbocharged I-4 engine. That engine makes 179 horsepower, and Ford says it will return up to 37 mpg on the highway.
Stop-start technology likely won’t dramatically improve the Fusion’s EPA fuel economy numbers, because the EPA test generally doesn’t favor stop-start cars over conventional ones, but Ford says that fuel consumption will drop by somewhere between 3.5 and 10 percent, depending on a driver’s style and commute. The feature will obviously help drivers who commute in stop-and-go traffic more than those facing long treks on the highway.
The stop-start system will cost $295 when the car goes on sale this fall. Interestingly, Ford hasn’t locked the stop-start system to any trim level or options package (which the company calls Equipment Groups), so you’ll have to specially check the options box if you want your Fusion to shut off in traffic. Ford promises that the expenditure will be worth it, too: It estimates that the feature could save drivers as much as $1100 over a five-year period given the current price of gasoline in the U.S.
With the inclusion of this feature, the Fusion becomes the first non-hybrid American car to have this feature (if you consider that the Chevrolet Malibu Eco and Buick LaCrosse and Regal eAssist are partial hybrids).
