Fusion is stylishly fuel-efficient

The top gasoline-electric hybrid sedans for fuel mileage aren't Hondas or Toyotas. That honor goes to the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and its nearly identical sibling, Mercury Milan Hybrid.

The federal government rates the newly revamped, five-passenger Fusion Hybrid at 41 miles per gallon in city driving and 36 mpg on the highway, leading to an average city/highway mileage of 39 mpg.

This is better than the 33/34-mpg rating for the 2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid and the 35/34-mpg rating for the 2010 HS 250h sedan sold by Toyota's Lexus luxury brand.

The Fusion Hybrid doesn't surpass the 51/48-mpg rating of the 2010 Toyota Prius and the 40/43-mpg rating of the Honda Insight, but the Prius and Insight are hatchbacks, not sedans, and they are shorter and narrower, respectively, than the Fusion and have less rear-seat passenger space.

Best of all, the Fusion and Milan midsize sedans are recommended buys of Consumer Reports magazine, with predicted reliability listed as "excellent."

They aren't cheap buys, however. Starting manufacturer's suggested retail price for the Fusion Hybrid is $27,625. It's $31,655 for the Milan Hybrid.

Both come with a lot of standard equipment, including power driver and front-passenger seats, dual-zone automatic climate control and a voice recognition system that lets drivers and passengers manage phone calls and audio systems via voice commands. They also wear standard 17-inch wheels and tires.

I liked that the test Fusion wouldn't be confused with the look-alike Prius and Insight. In fact, despite getting impressive fuel mileage, the Fusion Hybrid was styled to look like a modern, attractive sedan.

The new rear-end treatment with large tail lamps adds a richness to the car, while the more distinctive three-bar grille in front and a power dome look to the hood keeps the Fusion from blending in with other midsize sedans.

The Fusion, with push-button start, starts up in silence. I pushed the start button on the dashboard and thought the car was not responding because there was no sound. Only when I spotted the car diagram in the instrument cluster with the green arrow below it did I realize the tester was ready to go.

And it did, quietly, with just a light nudge on the gas pedal and even with the four-cylinder engine chiming in. Indeed, the hybrid can travel at relatively quick speeds -- even over 40 mph -- solely in electric mode at times. I often wound through my neighborhood in electric mode, with the 2.4-liter gasoline engine kicking in when I got on the higher-speed streets.

The performance -- good get-up-and-go plus good fuel mileage -- is impressive. Without trying to maximize fuel economy, I got more than 36 mpg in city/highway travel, which is just 3 mpg less than the combined government rating.

All the while, I found the eye-catching instrument panel to be a wealth of information and encouragement to do better on gas mileage. One of the fun activities is watching leaves "grow" on a display when a driver is doing well in fuel mileage. The leaves begin to disappear when mileage goes down.

The colorful displays can be configured as a driver would like them, so there are a number of choices -- all with an attractive appearance that's heavy on light blue and bright green.

The only transmission is a continuously variable unit that optimizes engine performance and helps make the transitions with electric power smooth.

The black leather seats in the tester felt thick and substantial and were accented by white stitching. No flimsy, lightweight seats in this fuel miser. Even the front passenger gets height adjustment -- something that's missing in some vehicles.

There are several storage spaces, including a sizable glove box -- with no lock -- and top-of-the-dashboard spot under a plastic lid. Only items that won't be affected by heat should go into this top storage spot.

The brake pedal felt a bit mushy, but the four-wheel, power disc brakes with anti-lock and regenerative braking capability worked fine.

Road bumps are muted by the suspension, which uses independent short and long arms in front and an independent multilink at the rear. Passengers feel they're rolling over and atop bumps and getting only light vibration from them.

There was no cheap feel to the interior, nor was it overly high-tech.

Safety equipment includes six air bags and electronic stability control. The Fusion earned across-the-board five out of five stars in government crash tests.