The 2013 Ford Fusion will be the first non-hybrid midsize sedan in America to have Auto Start-Stop technology when it goes on sale this fall. Those that want the fuel-saving technology will have to shell out $295 for it.
The start-stop will be an option, since the American automaker is well aware that not every consumer will want their engine to shut off at every traffic light or when sitting idly in traffic. Offered only on the 1.6L EcoBoost model, Ford estimates that start-stop can improve fuel efficiency by 3.5-percent overall and as much as 10-percent for city drivers.
Over a five year span, that calculates to almost $1,100 in savings at today’s fuel prices compared to other midsize competitors. Ford projects the 1.6L EcoBoost-powered Fusion can deliver a projected 36-mpg highway economy; we’re unsure if that is with or without the start-stop tech.
“Idling vehicles are consuming energy without doing any work,” said Birgit Sorgenfrei, Ford’s Auto Start-Stop program manager. “They’re also producing exhaust gases in a concentrated space that can contribute to air quality problems like smog.”
