Luxury: The Ford hybrid advantage?

A best buy in its class?

The Ford Fusion hybrid is one of my favorite hybrid cars, and what's not to like, except the price of course.

Sure the Fusion hybrid offers better fuel economy than the Toyota Camry hybrid, but at a cost, and it's not as if the Camry hybrid has been a huge seller. Moreover, while the EPA rates the Fusion hybrid better than the Camry hybrid on fuel economy, Consumer Reports has found little difference in its tests, and that makes the Fusion hybrid's higher price even less attractive compared to the competition.

The Lincoln MKZ hybrid, on the other hand, appears primed to change this pricing disadvantage. The MKZ will offer the same stellar EPA numbers as the Fusion hybrid, making the MKZ more fuel efficient than Toyota's Lexus HS 250h, at least on paper. However, unlike the Fusion hybrid - and even if only as fuel efficient as the competition in the real world - the MKZ hybrid will be cheaper than the competition.

Sure, that's not much to hang your hybrid hat upon, but it's another baby step towards Ford's bullish hybrid forecasts.