10th Apr 2012, 10:47
OP here again. I am talking about real world city driving numbers here, not a 20 minute commute on a 55 MPH interstate from one suburbia to another.
I also live in an area that is very hilly, and has very cold winters. My typical rural interstate speed is 75 MPH, and I am a rather aggressive driver.
The 2011 Fusion 4-cyl has only 175 HP compared to my Sonata's 200, and is far more plagued by drive train and electrical issues than the Sonata of the same year.
I test drove a 2011 Fusion 4-cyl and a Chevy Cruze before purchasing the Sonata, and I was not impressed with either the Ford or Chevy. The Ford had poor visibility, choppy, jerky shifting and an awkward instrument panel design. I was impressed with the fit/finish of the Cruze, but the performance was lacking, and I worry about long-term reliability issues with a brand new turbo engine. Honestly, for the first year of ownership, I didn't like my Sonata either, but it has really grown on me.
Bring your Fusion to my neck of the woods, and I doubt you will be claiming those same MPG numbers.
8th Apr 2012, 17:00
27 MPG is about 11.3 km/L; the mileage will vary greatly based on the operating conditions. If you're getting 27 MPG for a car the size of the Fusion, and with an engine much larger than 2 litres, assuming with automatic, your town driving conditions must be reasonably ideal, and your commute would be at least 30 minutes one way (enough to get the car up to operating temperature, and the engine computer to work in closed-loop mode).
I live in Auckland, NZ, and though the traffic here isn't anywhere near as bad as other major cities worldwide, almost none of the roads here are flat and not very straight. A slight incline will see the fuel consumption gauge of my current car (a 4-cyl BMW 316ti with manual gearbox) racing towards the 7 km/L (16.6MPG) direction.
My own experience with medium-sized petrol/gasoline-powered cars with automatic (I've had a Galant and several Audis) is that driving in town gives an average of about 8.5 km/L (or 20.2 MPG). The only time I ever got at least 10 km/L (23.8 MPG) is with a manual gearbox. My current car manages 11.5 km/L (27.3 MPG) combined with the manual.