USED: Yes, the Luxury Family Sedan is a Thing: 2017 Ford Fusion Platinum Hybrid AWD Review
Life Can Be a Lot of the Same. Mix It Up.
I’m not going to sugar coat it, being in a car doesn’t always evoke the best feelings. Traffic, long hours, high gas prices, running back and forth to work, activities, and appointments – there are many other things I’d rather be doing with my time and money. Caribbean⛱ beach vacation, anyone?
Although with the reality of our daily lives being spent commuting back and forth, what can a family sedan do to help shake up these mundane driving times and help us feel better about our time spent on the road? Well, aside from driving us away to our dream vacation, the 2017 Ford Fusion Platinum AWD has a few unique aspects that may help in changing these everyday moments to something a little bit more tolerable – plus, it could also help you save at the pump so you can afford that dream vacay later on!
Related: The All New 2020 Ford Escape: A Redesigned Hybrid SUV for Where Life Takes You
Who This Car is For
- Singles, couples or small families
- Buyers who appreciate technology
- Drivers who want better fuel economy
- Buyers who need all wheel drive
- Drivers who spend a lot of time in the car and need it to be time well spent
- Buyers who are looking for an eco-friendly vehicle without giving up style
- Buyers who appreciate a beautiful interior
What This Car Costs
*prices may have changed
- Baseline MSRP for the 2017 Ford Fusion”S” Model, the most value-driven model for this trim line: $22,120
- The Hybrid Platinum MSRP starts out at $36,750; adding AWD increases the baseline MSRP to $38,505.
- The highest trim line for the 2017 Ford Fusion is the Energi Platinum MSRP: $39,120.
- The model we drove was the 2017 Ford Fusion AWD Platinum Hybrid fully loaded, including a 2.0 L EcoBoost Engine and 6 Speed Auto Transmission, Burgundy Velvet exterior color for $395 and a rear inflatable safety belt for $190: $39,965.
Minimalistic Style That Feels Good in a Family Sedan
You know that feeling you get when you walk into to a beautiful, new upscale hotel? A space that is modern and clean. It’s the feeling of relaxation and uncluttered thoughts.
With diamond stitched seats and calm and subtle color combinations, the Ford Fusion Platinum is an embodiment of that feeling – a place to take a deep breath and enjoy the luxury of nothing needing done. What’s better? The driver and front passenger seats are both heated and cooled to provide the perfect climate – even if the outside weather says otherwise.
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Get the Look of Adults-Only with a Kid-Friendly Design
If you’re thinking that the light cream premium leather seating in the Platinum sounds less like a vacation and more like a nightmare with young kids in the mix, I hear you. I will say that my immediate response of “Please look but don’t touch!” was quickly retracted after finding out that the leather seating surfaces were fairly easy to brush off and the contrasting dark carpets hid just about anything! It really wasn’t as bad as I was expecting.
While the rear seating doesn’t leave much room for separation, it does have a handy pull-down center console with beverage holders that sort of does the job. However, if you have more than two kids and need to sit three across the back, you lose that option and the drink station. And, in a final saving grace, the rear seating area comes equipped with one household plug for devices – in addition to the two USB ports up front.
Funk It Up With Color Changing Ambient Lighting
With the minimalistic style of the interior comes a fun way to spice things up! Because what fun is a singular mundane accent light when you can have the choice of seven different hues to choose from?
Turning the interior into a romantic oasis or funky dance party is easy with the Sync3 8″ touchscreen infotainment system. Go from blue to orange, red, green, or purple with just a quick swipe of the finger! Maybe even mix it up and choose a color to match your music – a premium sound that is played on an audio system from Sony with 12 standard speakers in the Platinum.
Furthermore, the infotainment system includes other useful tools such as built in Wifi, voice-activated navigation, and Sync Connect which allows buyers to connect to their vehicle remotely using the Ford Pass app.
Reward Yourself for Good Driving Habits
Wouldn’t it be great if we still got little gold stars every time we did a good job? A little bit of daily reward and recognition would be kind of nice! Well, in the 2017 Ford Fusion Platinum Hybrid, good driving habits are immediately rewarded with returned energy to the engine battery. This return of energy to the EcoBoost engine is collected each time you use the break pedal or remove your foot from the gas. In fact, the screen in front of the driver will read how much energy was returned each time the break is applied!
At the end of the day, this replenished energy could then mean a little bit less time spent at the pump and a little bit more spent on those moments we look forward to.
Related: 2020 Ford Edge ST: The Sports SUV That Comes with An Adventure Driving Experience
All Wheel Drive … in a Hybrid: Best of All Worlds
All the beautiful leather and features aside, if your car can’t get you where you need to go then what good is it? For sedan lovers, the Fusion AWD Hybrid has it all: a hybrid engine that gets better fuel economy than a comparable gas engine (43 MPG/city vs 23 MPG/city in the EcoBoost gas engine) and AWD for icy, snowy road conditions, gravel roads or challenging inclines. This is a great option for drivers who want both a hybrid engine and AWD.
And if your car can get you where you need to go all winter long and you don’t miss anything because of the weather, haven’t you earned your balmy⛱ beach vacation?
What We Loved
- EcoBoost engine with interactive “brake coach”
- Beautifully designed interior that is also kid-friendly
- 2 USB ports in the front and a household plug for the rear
- Rear seat separating console with beverage holders
- Funky touchscreen controlled ambient lighting
- Rotary dial gear shift
- Voice-activated navigation
- Heated/cooled front seats
Things You Should Know
- Seating for 5, but more comfortable for 4
- Using the rear armrest/beverage console loses the middle seat
- Estimated Fuel Economy 43 City/41 Hwy
- Regular gas recommended
- 3Yr/36000 mile Bumper to Bumper Warranty
- 5 Yr/60000 mile Powertrain and Roadside Assistance
Categorized:Car Reviews Sedans
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