I began at Ford. In the showroom, there was an article posted on the windshield that said, “Ford Fusion sets record for going 1,445 miles on one tank of gas.” This put some positive thinking into my head. I began actually looking forward to testing out these hybrids.

Finally they had the car pulled up out front and I took a seat. As I backed up, I saw that the screen for the rearview camera was located on the rearview mirror. I found this ingenious, especially because it went away when I left the reverse gear. I started out on the road and felt awkward at first. The car just didn’t feel right. Was this because the Fusion doesn’t feel right, or was it because it was a hybrid and my subconscious lack of desire for one was coming after me?

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The Toyota Prius, Honda Insight, and Ford Fusion Hybrid line up for comparison

At a light, I decided to test the little car’s pickup. I put the pedal down and I took off. It had a surprising amount of power. I was really shocked. As I drove, I slowly began to enjoy the feel of the car, and I was able to accelerate around cars when changing lanes.

I moved onto the highway and was delighted; I ended up going all the way to the airport. As I looked at the dash, it had an excellent display that showed me my MPG, RPM, MPH, and a small leaf icon which would multiply or diminish according to the “greenness” of your drive. As I went, it became like a video game as I attempted to get the best miles per gallon I could to get more leaves. At one point I sped up to get ahead and looked at the miles per gallon gauge, felt guilty about pollution, and slowed back down. On my way back I even got lost, but I didn’t care because it was such a pleasant car to be in.

I liked this car so much because Ford hadn’t done the normal thing that American car makers do, which is to engineer the car 95 percent of the way. Instead, they’d done everything. Cup holders were even on the doors! I didn’t want to get out when we got back to the dealership.

The next car was the Honda Insight. After driving it, I came to the conclusion that if anyone buys it, it’s because they like the look. The gauges were hard to read and not as well done as the Fusion’s. It was also incredibly slow. After getting into my 1984 Toyota Tercel with 89 brake horse power, I could perform so much better on the highway than in the Insight. I didn’t like the exterior either, because it looked like Honda had swiped the body design from the Prius. Never once did I enjoy the ride — I couldn’t wait to leave and go test the Prius.

I got into the Prius and pushed the power button. I waited and tried to turn on the air conditioning and drive, but I couldn’t — something was wrong. I spent the next five minutes trying to figure it out, and then I realized that I had to hold the button down for a silly amount of time. 

Once I actually got the car started, I left the lot. Though I had no problem with the way the car handled or drove in general, I didn’t like the exterior or the dash design. It was as if the designers had pulled a Picasso and said, “Let’s put the speedometer under the wipers and put everything else in the middle.” Sure, it’s good to have the speedometer next to the road. However, the picture that shows you when the wheels are charging the battery and what engine is powering the wheels was distractingly located smack-dab in the middle of the dashboard.

Speedwise, the Prius was not too shabby. All three of the cars had the transmission that uses belts and pulleys instead of gears, so there was no part of the drive where any of the cars slowed down to shift gears, which makes them feel faster than they are. I’d explain how this transmission works but it would take the next six issues.

Out of the three “green machines,” the Fusion seemed to use its gasoline engine the least. It felt the best when it came to miles per gallon. It also boasted the best exterior, sharpest interior, and most impressive overall performance. If my car had died that day and I had to get a hybrid, hands down I would have gotten the Fusion. The only thing that annoys me about the Fusion is the fact that it isn’t marketed better. An American car that performs and IS better than both a Honda and a Toyota in this market needs to be shown off. Somebody remind Ford that it sadly doesn’t matter how great your cars are if nobody knows about them.