Chalk one up for Ford

i'm driving a Fusion SE from Thrifty car rental, and it's a friggin sweet little car. Road noise is minimal, fit and finish is very good, ride and handling are solid, body motions are well damped, and even though it's a 4cyl / AT, it's got enough zip to be a good commuter choice.

Lemme take that back, I haven't actually verified whether its a 4 or a 6, by WOT or by looking under the hood.

my only gripe so far with the interior is that the info center controls are in a strange place, low left side of dash. took me a minute to find them. dynamically,only one complaint: IMO a little too much dive under braking, which again IMO gives the impression of grabby brakes.

i'll have it for two weeks, and will update this thread as my impression grows or changes.

Nice Work, Ford!

If I was looking for a newwer car, the 5spd fusion is top of my list

I agree - I've only ever driven a rental version as well, but the car left me with a favorable impression of Ford. I don't see buying a car like that any time soon, but I would reccommend it to others looking for a mid sized sedan I would tell them to go take a look.

I imagine that lots of people here are the ones that non-car guys ask if they want an opinion of a car, so in some small way (ok, tiny way) that makes what I think about the car important. The hybrid gets good mileage - anyone driven that yet?

Alfa driver?

they should bring Jackie Stewart back as the spokesman...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4Ws_Bp7WYA

FWIW, Motor Trend agrees with you.

http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/car/112_1001_2010_motor_trend_car_of_the_year_ford_fusion/index.html

Recently here i wrote almost the exact review of the Fusion after spending 1000 miles in a 2010 rental so I just want to say that I too agree. Also noted that I did lift the hood to see the engine and verify 4cyl. The 2010 motor which is a 2.5L vs the 2.3L is much smoother and less buzzy.

I agree with you on the "info center" button placement being awkward but even more so I dislike the turn signal that is at 45 degrees while at rest.

My other big suprise on the car was that the "alloy' rims (like photoed here) are actaully plastic hubcaps (bolted on over steel rims.)

My mom was shopping for a hybrid. She was all "Prius this, and Prius that". I asked if she had considered the Fusion hybrid. She said that she'd never heard of it. I consider my mom an educated woman, and it was shocking that it hadn't even crossed her radar screen. Ford needs to get the word out better.

neon4891 wrote: If I was looking for a newwer car, the 5spd fusion is top of my list

If you are here you too are likely thought of as "the car guy" by your friends and family. With that you too are often asked to give a car recomendation to people looking to buy used cars. Often these people looking for recommendations are really not that into cars, rather thay are looking for a good value. Personally, I have replaced my old recommendation of Chevy Prizm with the new recommendation of Ford Fusion, specifically with a manual transmission if possible. So many Fusions went into the rental fleets that it really has driven down the prices on used lots. I am not a fan of former rental cars but I am a fan of depreciation. If you buy a manual trans you will be asured that it was not a rental but you still capitalize on all the depreciation offered.

At the low end, you can find Fusion manuals with 40k-ish miles for near $10k. On the up side, if luxury is important you can spend a little more and get leather and climate control while still get a manual trans. There are so few cars with luxury features and manual transmissions.

kreb wrote: Ford needs to get the word out better.

Toyota is handily winning the hybrid PR battle. I bet there are a lot of people who think the Prius is the first and onlt hybrid vehicle.

I concur. I've driven a couple of Fusions as rental cars and they were quite tolerable.

I also did 800+ miles in a Ford Edge AWD SEL this week between Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoon. Not my cup of tea, but it seemed well screwed together. The crappy seats and poor visibility were my biggest gripes. It also got 26 mpg (95% interstate driving) which I thought wasn't bad for a vehicle of that size.

TJ wrote:

kreb wrote: Ford needs to get the word out better.

Toyota is handily winning the hybrid PR battle. I bet there are a lot of people who think the Prius is the first and onlt hybrid vehicle.

The TV ad campaign Toyota is doing probably helps... Granted, I saw a lot of Ford Fusion Hybrid ads as well... but Toyota's (with the CGI people as plants bit) is catchier. The only Fusion Hybrid ad I can remember right now is a billboard I used to pass by during my commute.

My biggest issue with the US companies is their complete abandonment of the small/mid-size wagon segment. You would have to put a gun to my head to get me to buy an SUV... and even then, I may just take the bullet.

Toyota is handily winning the hybrid PR battle. I bet there are a lot of people who think the Prius is the first and onlt hybrid vehicle.

Not wanting to sound like Limbaugh, but there's also a pretty strong vein of anti-americanism within the green movement. In Berkeley where I live, Prius' are ubiquitous. There's several on practically every block. You see a Fusion about once per week.

I also wonder if Ford loses money on the Fusion Hybrid. That might affect how much they pimp it.

TJ wrote: I agree - I've only ever driven a rental version as well, but the car left me with a favorable impression of Ford. I don't see buying a car like that any time soon, but I would reccommend it to others looking for a mid sized sedan I would tell them to go take a look. I imagine that lots of people here are the ones that non-car guys ask if they want an opinion of a car, so in some small way (ok, tiny way) that makes what I think about the car important. The hybrid gets good mileage - anyone driven that yet? Alfa driver?

I have not. Shockingly. Nor have I actually driven a Fusion, if you can belive that.

Ian- you complain that the US companies abandonded the wagon segement- which, exactly, Toyota and Honda fill that need? AFAIKT, we are matching them stride for stride- you can't lay a generalization of "US companies" when two of the larget Japanese companies are doing the same thing.

We are not competeting with Subaru, they are pretty much the only mid-size wagon out there. Other than that, it's CUV's and small SUV's. See the Honda Accord crossover thingy as an example.

Honda and Toyota are the benchmarks. The profitable ones, the high quality ones, and the high customer satisfaction ones. They are who we are targeting (and currently beating in many areas... )

Angry- happy that you are happy.

Eric

I think the Hybrid leadership going to the Prius still has a lot to do with "body exlusivity."
What I mean is all Priuses are Hybrids, not the case with the old Civic Hybrid (also in gas version.) Same with the Fusion and or Ford Escape hybrid.

alfadriver wrote: Ian- you complain that the US companies abandonded the wagon segement- which, exactly, Toyota and Honda fill that need? AFAIKT, we are matching them stride for stride- you can't lay a generalization of "US companies" when two of the larget Japanese companies are doing the same thing. We are not competeting with Subaru, they are pretty much the only mid-size wagon out there. Other than that, it's CUV's and small SUV's. See the Honda Accord crossover thingy as an example.

True...

Thanks to my "Japenese-car-hating-G/F", Japanese cars aren't really on the radar as possible purchases, so I'm comparing US offerings to the Euro brands. No, not really apples to apples, but that's where I'm at right now... And while there are a few Euro wagons, there are none that I feel are worth the asking prices... and I see some of these nice US sedans coming out and it depresses me to know there won't be a wagon version like there used to be...

As I've posted in other threads, Subaru fell off my possible purchase list when they went AWD back in the 90's...

think the Hybrid leadership going to the Prius still has a lot to do with "body exlusivity." What I mean is all Priuses are Hybrids, not the case with the old Civic Hybrid (also in gas version.) Same with the Fusion and or Ford Escape hybrid.

I think that you're right. Ford acts as if people want the hybrid aspect to be invisible, whereas most hybrid owners seem to want to say HEY LOOK AT ME. I'M GREEN!

""

I rented a Flex last week and it was a very nice ride. Looked good. felt more like a truck than a Mini van. Had alot of room inside.

I also had a Ford 500 a few years back. That was a great car.I went on line and looked it up, only to find it was based off the Vovlo chassis, no wonder. Its now the Tarus, not quite as nice inside but the ride and handeling are the same.

TJ wrote:

kreb wrote: Ford needs to get the word out better.

Toyota is handily winning the hybrid PR battle. I bet there are a lot of people who think the Prius is the first and onlt hybrid vehicle.

Could it be that many people still tune out on Ford commercials? There's the one with the guy who likes growing trees on his Fusion Hybrid. Seems pretty clear there- and oddly enough, & I wonder how many people know that Honda has an Accord hybrid, and that Toyota has a Camry hybrid? They heavily push the Insight and Prius....

E-

I came close to buying a new Fusion about a year ago as the rebate before Ford's latest facelift of the Fusion was $3000. Unfortunately, the manual transmissioned Fusions are difficult to find (new or used, at least in this area) and I was playing e-mail tag with a salesman who apparently didn't want to budge on price. I'm giving them another look as the new Fusion has a more powerful, (yet supposedly more economical) 4 cylinder and now has a 6 speed manual transmission.

To sort of fit in with the other part of the discussion about a lack of small-mid sized wagons, my other new car choice is an Escape...also hard to find with the manual transmission and pretty much impossible to find with manual AND awd.

I have already posted about how happy I am with the two 2008 Fusion company cars I have had. I recently drove a 4cyl 2010 model with the six speed auto and was even more impressed. I can't wait til the corporate lease on my current one is up.

alfadriver wrote: Could it be that many people still tune out on Ford commercials?

There are Ford commercials for something other than F-150's? I didn't know. (I am semi kidding here)

speaking of Ford win, I saw a new SHO in the flesh (actually sheet metal) today, very nice.

my rental is a 4 cyl, and got 32.4 mpg according to the onboard computer, over 400 highway miles.

They are advertising the SHO, too. I can't wait to meet one. Maybe I'll go find a Ford dealer tomorrow.

For the record, I've seen the SHO commercial a few times and I don't really watch TV that much.

I only ever see the truck commericals. I do like the fusion though, good looking car