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Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan

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    rj123456rj123456 Member Posts: 140
    Btw, is the mirror easy to replace as a DIY? Does anyone have instructions or gotchas to share?

    Thanks in advance!
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    dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    I replaced my mirror on my Olds Intrigue. Very easy to do. Most cars are similar. The key is finding the location of the screws, normally 2 or 3. One is normally "hidden" on the inside latch. Then it is a matter of using a screwdriver or knife to pry the door panel from the frame. Once the panel is off, unplug the electrical connector and unscrew the mirror. Then do it in reverse to install the new mirror. it will tkae you 15 minutes, start to finish. Again the key is finding the screws to undo the door panel.

    Good luck.
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    jaxs1jaxs1 Member Posts: 2,697
    It's supposed to get a styling update and available stability control.
    Maybe the 3.5 V6 will be available.

    I wonder if it will get this new Ford design element?

    image

    image
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    The 3.5 will be available but it's not clear whether the refresh will appear next year or the year after. Probably won't know for sure until LA or Detroit Auto Show.
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    jaxs1jaxs1 Member Posts: 2,697
    ???

    http://www.autosavant.net/2007/09/predicting-2009-fusion.html

    image
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Igor (the author of that article)and I have conflicting inside sources. Mine said it was delayed and his source got scared and clammed up. That why I said we really don't know yet if it will appear next year or not.
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    scape2scape2 Member Posts: 4,123
    What a great article. I own an 06 SEL V6 loaded with every option for that year. I feel cheated!! :cry: . Not really, I know how the market goes. Glad to see Ford is actually improving on something good. I look forward to my next Fusion in 2010/11. I'm going to go for the 2.5 4cyl with about 180-200HP in AWD SEL platform. I hope they do debut these changes very soon. Fall of 08 would be good ;)
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    Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    A reporter seeks to talk with owners of the 2007 or 2008 Ford Fusion or Mercury Milan who are also parents of young children. If you are interested in commenting on your experience, please reply to jfallon@edmunds.com no later than Thursday, November 15, 2007 and include your city and state of residence as well as the age of your child/ren.

    Thanks for your consideration,
    Jeannine


    Jeannine Fallon
    Corporate Communications
    Edmunds Inc.
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    scape2scape2 Member Posts: 4,123
    Well, I have reached 23,000 miles on my 06 SEL V6 Fusion. Recently took a road trip and with my speed averaging 75MPH I achieved 29.8 MPG. Not bad I'm happy with that. No problems to report. Car is solid and has no rattles or squeaks. My average MPG is 24.7 around town with mixed Freeway/surface street driving. Cheers! :shades:
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    aladdinsanealaddinsane Member Posts: 182
    Hello all...

    What I'm looking forward to is the debut of the rumored Fusion coupe, which I believe is slated for 2009. Maybe there will be a Milan coupe also. This I'm NOT sure about. It would be interesting, speaking for myself, to finally see a Fusion/Milan coupe with AWD and the upcoming improvement of ESC. WOW!

    BTW does anyone have any idea if the new SYNC will eventually become Ford's answer to GM's OnStar, in time? I've read of such rumors elsewhere, but if this is true I seriously would consider a Ford in my future.

    Peace!<-AladdinSane-<- :shades:
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    mschmalmschmal Member Posts: 1,757
    IMHO these rumors are 98% likely to be nothing more than rumors. As long as you can buy a Mustang for $20,000 give or take, there really isn't much of a case for Ford making a Fusion Coupe. Especially since you can option up a Focus coupe to just over $20k.

    Now a FWD Mercury Coupe called a Cougar based on Fusion/Milan mechanicals that would be a GOOD IDEA.

    Mark
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    aladdinsanealaddinsane Member Posts: 182
    Maybe, Mark...There was a photo of said experimental coupe in an issue of Car & Driver or Motor Trend ( I forget which) about a year ago. The mag stated that such a coupe was in the works. I say was because with Ford going through it's financial turmoil at present it's hard to figure if this coupe will ever see light of day. For now who can say.

    As far as SYNC becoming Ford's OnStar type system in time I can see such a progression taking place, but it all depends on whether Ford is up to the task financially to follow through with it.

    The Mustang? Speaking for myself that isn't in the cards for a purchase.

    The redesigned Focus coupe? Maybe I would consider buying it, but I find its look unremarkable, IMHO.

    Peace!<- :shades: <-AladdinSane-
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    According to inside sources there is no Fusion coupe in the near future.
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    scape2scape2 Member Posts: 4,123
    posted artist rendition of a 2 door coupe version of the Fusion to possibly debut in 2009. With a coupe from Honda/Toyota and Nissan, I believe the writing is on the wall, Ford will build one.
    Road trip of 600miles in my Fusion V6 netted me MPG of 29.7 cruising at 70MPH! I am very happy with the MPG of this car. :)
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    That was just some magazine's wishful thinking. I wouldn't count on it anytime soon - there's too many other things that need to be done first.
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    urnewsurnews Member Posts: 668
    The redesigned Focus coupe? Maybe I would consider buying it, but I find its look unremarkable, IMHO.

    I think Ford is dropping the ball on the Focus, just like it did with the Taurus. The Focus was a top-notch product when introduced in the U.S. as a 2000 model (we own a 2000 station wagon with 93,000+ miles on it in addition to a 2007 SEL AWD Fusion). But Ford has languished on improvements to the Focus. This a shame. The 2008s don't do a thing for me.
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Boz - there is hope. The 2008 was just a stopgap to hold the Focus over until the new Focus can be engineered on a new global platform with the Euro Focus (plus Mazda and Volvo). Mulally has also told the engineers to figure out a way to make money on it. Right now Ford loses up to $3K on every Focus they make and for some reason they were resigned to that fact up until Mulally told them to go fix it. Just another reason Mulally is worth several times his paycheck.
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    urnewsurnews Member Posts: 668
    Boz - there is hope. The 2008 was just a stopgap to hold the Focus over until the new Focus can be engineered on a new global platform ...

    I certainly hope your assessment is correct Allen. I guess we all just have to give Mulally a fair chance to turn things around. FoMoCo desperately needs a big hit in the marketplace.
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Unfortunately when you screw up something as basic as a car's platform (and by screw up I mean having multiple similar platforms globally, not that there's anything inherently wrong with the current Focus platform) it takes years to fix it, especially when you have to converge development cycles of multiple independent products.

    Obviously the 2008 Focus was "in the can" as they say well before Mulally got on board and also before Fields was fully up to speed and in charge.

    You also have to remember that the Focus is in a bad situation until the new B car arrives (another global platform faux pas). Until then the Focus has to be the low cost price leader on the dealer's lot. Once the B car arrives the Focus can better go after the Civic and Corolla head to head instead of having to battle both the Civic/Corolla and the Fit/Yaris.
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    urnewsurnews Member Posts: 668
    You also have to remember that the Focus is in a bad situation until the new B car arrives ...

    Are you saying that Ford is planning on an entry-level car below the Focus? I wasn't aware of this being in the works. Tell me more.
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    jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    Mulally has also told the engineers to figure out a way to make money on it. Right now Ford loses up to $3K on every Focus they make and for some reason they were resigned to that fact up until Mulally told them to go fix it. Just another reason Mulally is worth several times his paycheck.

    Why...because he is ordering someone else to make the impossible happen?

    Mulally to engineers: "You...yes, you over there...make this car profitable". Mullaly then thinks "Well, my job here is done...now, what problem should I solve next with my amazing management genius..."

    If the market is such that there is a $3000 gap, good luck cutting that much out of the car or getting folks to pay that much more for it.
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Yes - Ford will be selling a U.S. version of the new European Fiesta. They unveiled the Verve concept a few weeks ago:

    http://www.autoblog.com/photos/ford-verve-concept/392410/

    Fields and Mulally decided to wait for this new platform instead of trying to rebadge an existing platform that wouldn't be so suitable.

    This will go head to head with the Fit/Yaris/etc.

    Until Mulally dictated global platform sharing it was very difficult to make a business case for such a car.
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Why...because he is ordering someone else to make the impossible happen?

    Who said it was impossible? I'm sure Honda and Toyota make money on the Civic and Corolla. Mulally is simply challenging not only engineering but also product marketing to identify what it would take to make the Focus profitable instead of just sitting back and saying that's the best we can do.

    I see 4 obvious things right away:

    Platform sharing. Using one platform for Europe and the U.S. should save a lot. The current C170 U.S. Focus platform is one of a kind and can't be cost effective.

    Having a B car to slot in at the lower price points, freeing up the Focus to go after higher price points and more profitable options and models.

    Right sizing production capacity (matching consumer demand) which would eliminate the huge rebates that have been necessary in the past.

    The new UAW contract which according to Ford cuts most of the manufacturing cost gap with the imports.

    The problem is nobody at Ford management was even attempting to close that $3K cost gap - they just said "that's the way it is". And that's not acceptable to Mulally.
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    jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    The market is willing to pay much higher prices for Civic or Corolla. They also have lower costs.

    Perhaps that was the way it was because of the UAW contracts...didn't they have to pay them whether they built cars or not? So perhaps they did not have the ability to "right size" production capacity???

    I believe that the last global Ford car was the Contour...this global platform thing does not sound like anything new to me. Wasn't the old platform kept for the Focus because, given that most Americans will not pay premium prices for small cars, the new european focus would have cost too much in the US?
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Yes, the previous contract paid the factory workers whether they worked or not - that's been overhauled now with limits. But health care was a far bigger problem, and that was also taken care of with the VEBA.

    Ford's previous "global car" idea was different than global platform sharing. I don't remember all the details but I've heard experts say that it's not the same idea.

    While it's true the current Focus and Fusion are cheaper than their Euro counterparts, the fact is the reason they don't share a platform is because previous CEOs never forced Ford of Europe, Ford of Australia and Ford of North America divisions to work together. They were allowed to operate like independent companies. They had separate meetings with the CEO and never shared financial details with each other. That's the first thing Mulally fixed when he walked in the door.

    Australia will take the lead on the new RWD platform for Aus and U.S. Europe has the lead on small/fwd cars and the U.S. has the lead on trucks and SUVs.

    The engineers still have to execute and the dealers have to sell the vehicles, but all of the things that were getting in their way have been removed. We'll have to wait a few years to see if it really pays off, but I'm optimistic.
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    jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    Does seem kind of silly to have had divisions of the same corporation acting as if they were independant entities.

    Oh...this is a Fusion forum (I'd been thinking it was a Focus forum for some reason)....so who has the lead for the next midsize platform..or is that included in your "small/fwd" category?
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    It's included - Ford of Europe has the lead for the next gen Fusion/Mondeo/Mazda6 platform. You'll still get market specific sheet metal, features, tuning, etc. just like Ford did with the Fusion and Mazda6.
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    urnewsurnews Member Posts: 668
    It's included - Ford of Europe has the lead for the next gen Fusion/Mondeo/Mazda6 platform. You'll still get market specific sheet metal, features, tuning, etc. just like Ford did with the Fusion and Mazda6.

    Allen,
    Sounds like a solid business plan to me. Also thanks for the link, and info, on the Verve. Odd name, I guess it rhymes with "curve." It will be really interesting to see how close the final product matches up with the concept.

    Any idea of the time frame involved for the next generation of the Fusion (Mondeo/Mazda6)? When will all of these mid-sizers get the same platform?
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    I don't think you'll see the new global platform Fusion until the 2012 MY. That's 3 years after the rumored 09 refresh due out next year.
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    mschmalmschmal Member Posts: 1,757
    Look at the Edge and the Mazda CX-9.

    Most people have no idea that these 2 CUVs are related under the skin. Most of Ford's experience with platform sharing hasn't gone so well. :(

    Example of Bad platform sharing. Ford Contour and Ford Mondeo. The Mondeo was a hit in Europe. In the US that sized car needed to sell for thousands less than the Contour did. The similar sized Ford Temp was selling for under 15k at the time.

    Lincoln LS and Jag S type. The Interior of the Lincoln had to be gutted to little better than Taurus standards to work on this Platform which was way way 2 expensive for a US Lincoln. Further the Jag sourced 3.9L V8 was totally inadequate for a car in the LS V8 price range.

    Another example. Volvo XC-90/V70 and the 500/Taurus. The car that Ford called the 500 was always planed as a Taurus replacement. The problem was that Ford could never get enough cost savings to get the 500 down into the Taurus price range. This is a really good platform used on vehicles it never should have been. The MKS will show just how good this platform can be. Further Irony? Volvo is moving away from this platform to one that is far less expensive that was devoloped off of the Mazda3/Ford Euro Focus platform.

    Mark.
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    mz6greyghostmz6greyghost Member Posts: 1,230
    Another example. Volvo XC-90/V70 and the 500/Taurus. The car that Ford called the 500 was always planed as a Taurus replacement. The problem was that Ford could never get enough cost savings to get the 500 down into the Taurus price range.

    That's because that wasn't Ford's intention.

    The Taurus was planned to be replaced by BOTH the Fusion and Five Hundred. Both models are marketed to different types of buyers. The Five Hundred was a flop more because of the underpowered 3.0 DT and CVT that it was saddled with, as well as the lack of marketing (with the bigger emphasis on the Fusion), not because of price. Compared to the Avalon and Lucerne, the Five Hundred (and now Taurus) is comparably priced, while the Fusion, compared to the Camry and Accord, also fares well in pricing.
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Have to agree with mz6greyghost on this one.
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    urnewsurnews Member Posts: 668
    I don't think you'll see the new global platform Fusion until the 2012 MY. That's 3 years after the rumored 09 refresh due out next year.

    Can FoMoCo really wait this long to incorporate these changes?
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    The Fusion debuted in 06 and will receive a new front, rear, interior, new 4 and 6 cylinder engines plus a hybrid next year for the 09 model year. That's only 3 years. 3 years later it gets a new platform. Sales are steady now and incentives are low. I don't see a problem if they get the 09 refresh right. I think that's the same cycle that the imports use now.

    It takes a few years to do a new platform, especially when you're talking about sharing it amongst continents.
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    mschmalmschmal Member Posts: 1,757
    Not exactly. The car that became the 500 was locked in stone for the 05 model year in 2003 when Ford realized that a new cd sized sedan on a Mazda6 plateform would be a good idea.

    Mark
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    igozoomzoomigozoomzoom Member Posts: 801
    You'd think Ford would have learned a thing or two after letting the Taurus basically rot on the vine. In 1986, it was revolutionary and a shocking move for an American carmaker. By the early 90's, it was merely a charicature of the original car and lagging behind all but the weakest competitors. Then there was the '96 'Ovoid' styling theme.....it's downhill from there, culminating with the closure of the Hapeville Ford Plant in Atlanta.

    Fast forward to 2000- the Ford Focus earns critical acclaim worldwide and is light-years ahead of the Escort it replaces. For 2004, Ford, Mazda and Volvo all introduce cars based on the co-developed C1 Platform- the Mazda3, Volvo S40/V50 and European Ford Focus! European markets were offered a Focus as competitive as the original was in 2000, but North American markets kept the same vehicle introduced in 2000.

    One reason offered was that the European Focus was positioned as a 'premium' compact and American consumers wouldn't be willing to pay the price increase for a small car. Meanwhile, Mazda continues to sell every Mazda3 they can build and has not offered a single rebate on it since it was introduced in 2004.

    The Focus name is as much of a joke now as the Taurus name had become. Why the heck Ford changed the name of the Five Hundred to the Taurus defies all logic! Maybe Chevrolet will bring back the Cavalier name, it has about as much brand equity (negative equity, that is).

    Let's hope the third time's a charm (the Fusion, that is). At least the Fusion and its siblings share a platform with the Mazda6 and should be updated for 2009 along with the Mazda.
    2015.5 Volvo S60 T6 Drive-E Platinum, 2012 Mazda CX-9 GT
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    jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    Fast forward to 2000- the Ford Focus earns critical acclaim worldwide and is light-years ahead of the Escort it replaces.

    But did this translate into increased profits?

    I don't think Ford believes that no Americans will pay a premium price for a compact, I think they believe they can not them sell (profitably) in large volumes, without a Toyota or Honda badge. I don't know that Mada3 sales tell you much, what are the sales numbers for Focus vs. Mazda3.

    After the Civc and Corolla, the biggest selling compact is the Cobalt. Did it get there by being premium or by being cheap? I think it has to be by being cheap as I'd agree with Edmunds and rank the Focus ahead of the Cobalt, despite it's being a much older design.

    http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainers/do/vdp/articleId=106881/pageNumber=13
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    mz6greyghostmz6greyghost Member Posts: 1,230
    The car that became the 500 was locked in stone for the 05 model year in 2003 when Ford realized that a new cd sized sedan on a Mazda6 plateform would be a good idea.

    But the general public didn't know that. Ford could've easily slipped the Five Hundred into the market as a singular Taurus replacement. The CD platform was another solution for a midsize buyer that wanted something less expensive.

    Besides, Ford could've done a lot more to cut costs for the Five Hundred. As it was, it was already rushed to market without the proposed 3.5L, which IMO has led it to being a flop.
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    savethelandsavetheland Member Posts: 671
    It is the common mistake that American companies often make. The marketing thinks that customers care only about price and everything except of marketing  can (and must) be outsourced to Asia. Wrong &#150; customers want quality product and are ready to pay higher price if there is a higher quality. Then again &#150; it is better to sell less at higher margin of higher quality product. It is that simple, but not for marketing department (including bean-counters).

    BTW Focus was produced in Mexico. How it could not be profitable? If Ford could &#150; I am sure they would make all cars in China and move all engineering to India.
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    The Focus wasn't profitable because

    a) it used a unique platform and wasn't shared with the Euro Focus, so the platform cost was much higher than it should have been.

    BTW - the only reason the U.S. didn't use the same platform as the Euro Focus is simply that Ford Europe and Ford North America were previously operated as independent units who did whatever they wanted. If Ford Europe didn't want to share their platform with the U.S. they didn't. That's one of the biggest changes that Mulally made and one that will yield huge cost savings with shared platforms between the U.S. and Europe and the U.S. and Australia.

    b) there was no B car slotted below it. This forced the Focus to be the "cheap" car on the dealer lots.

    c) overproduction - they made more than the public wanted to buy.

    B and C led to huge incentives which killed any profits. Ford is now addressing all 3 - finally.
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    blumsteinblumstein Member Posts: 38
    >...customers want quality product and are ready to pay higher price if there is a higher quality...

    I used to believe that, also. But didn't Bill Gates disprove that? And the Hummer is high price poor reliability. It is as if the world turned upside down.
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    savethelandsavetheland Member Posts: 671
    Original Focus had the same platform worldwide. How they managed to make it different in NA? It is beyond me.

    And what about outsourcing engineering to India and China. Is it true?
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Ford of Europe partnered with Volvo and Mazda on the C1 platform back in 2004. Ford North America chose not to use that platform, probably for cost reasons.

    Had Mulally been in charge back then there would be one global Focus platform today. But he wasn't and there isn't, so we'll have to wait a couple more years.
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    savethelandsavetheland Member Posts: 671
    Yes, but '99 Focus was the same in NA and Europe, identical platformwise. How Ford managed to not make profits of worldwide shared platfrom and made in Mexico for NA? May be Ford does not care just about making profit? UAWis happy management gets its bonuses regardless, why do you need profits anyway?
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Ford did not care as much about profits until recently. In the past it was all about keeping the factories running and keeping people employed. So they continued to build cars that the public didn't want to buy and put lots of cash on the hood to sell them or sold them en masse as rental cars.

    Ford has been keeping production in line with demand by slowing assembly lines or shutting down plants and shifts. It's also been cutting back on rental fleet sales and is now focusing (no pun intended) on producing more cars that are profitable at lower volumes instead of chasing market share.
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    urnewsurnews Member Posts: 668
    Fusions have been sold since 2005 when the 2006 was introduced? Anybody know? Fusion-sighting are still pretty rare on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and I have yet to see another SEL AWD in Salisbury, MD.
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    I bought one of the first ones on the lot in October 2005. I think they started arriving at dealers in September 05.
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    jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    Looks like they sell about 12,000 per month:

    http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=27105

    So I would guess they have sold maybe a bit under 300,000 total.
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    theman123theman123 Member Posts: 170
    Fusions have been sold since 2005 when the 2006 was introduced? Anybody know? Fusion-sighting are still pretty rare on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and I have yet to see another SEL AWD in Salisbury, MD.

    I live in Georgia, and the Ford Fusion is like grass. You cannot drive for 5-10 minutes with seeing one on the road somewhere. I see more Ford Fusions than I see of the Camry's to be honest with you. Obviously, I mostly see the SE 4 cylinder and the SEL V6. And the most common color of the car is black. Even at night the headlights are very distinct. And that's not really looking and paying attention.
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    focus090focus090 Member Posts: 85
    I'm happy to say that i'm getting a ford fusion in about 3 weeks. i currently lease a 2004 chrysler sebring, and its a piece of crap. so needless to say i needed to find another car company when looking for a new car. as of right now, it looks like i may be getting a SEL V6 in silver birch. so i'm pretty happy about it. with only $1000 total out of pocket it should be under $250 a month for a 36 month lease. i'll keep you guys posted. i'll be looking to this forum for info from now on. :)
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