Ford Innovation in the 2010 Ford Fusion
February 13, 2009 by Brad - Your Car Guy
There has been a lot of fuss over the upcoming 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid. In fact Car and Driver has recently ranked it above the Chevy Malibu, Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry hybrid offerings for the 2010 model year. They go on to say that, with the 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid, “Ford has hit one out of the park and into the ionosphere”.
I will be doing a review of the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid for all of you interested in the overall car, whether here in Bartlesville or wherever you may be, in an upcoming post here at Bradyourcarguy.com. Today though I thought I would look at one particular aspect of the upcoming car that has generated a whole lot of buzz. I’m talking about Ford’s new SmartGauge with EcoGuide.
SmartGauge with EcoGuide
Some may call it the dashboard but Ford calls it the SmartGauge with EcoGuide. The concept, which will be part of the upcoming 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, is to use an LCD display rather than analog dials to display all the important data one normally looks to their dashboard dial cluster to determine.
The LCD display is configured to take the look of traditional analog gauges and ease it into the new technology. This helps to keep from confusing drivers use to the customary gauge cluster, while still offering a whole new way of viewing the important information you need when driving your car.
The display itself is highly visually appealing. From the moment you approach the car and unlock the doors it invites you with serene lighting and picturesque displays and tempts you with a user friendly interface. The display is clear, bright and easy to read.
The Ford Fusion’s Fuel Efficiency Display
To start there is a tutorial that will help you to become familiar with the new set up. It will walk you through the functions and locations of all the important information you will need from engine temperature to warning lights to speedometer to battery voltage gauge. There is also a gauge that displays as a tachometer when in gasoline mode and an EV gauge when in electric mode.
The most intriguing part of the new set up though, is the fuel efficiency display. It can be set to display as either a chart or, for a fun alternative, a vine with leaves growing from it. With this display the better fuel economy you achieve, by driving as fuel efficiently as possible, the more leaves grow onto the displayed vines. This can help you to learn to get the most from your hybrid vehicles fuel economy. You can actually try to outdo yourself and grow more and more lush vines by tweaking your driving style towards the most fuel efficient driving habits.
Ford SmartGauge Video
Check out this cool video of the Smartgauge and see what all the buzz is about for yourself.
If you are interested in an upcoming Fusion or any other Ford Lincoln Mercury Toyota or Used vehicle feel free to ask me for a quote with the quick quote form. Or, if you just have questions, ask Brad and I will be happy to answer.
Until tomorrow, have a great day!
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