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2.5L I4 Hybrid - 38 mpg city (Camry hybrid is only 33)
3.0L V6 - 240-245 hp with better FE than current 221 hp 3.0L V6 (no numbers)
3.5L V6 - 265 hp - no FE numbers
No city numbers for the I4 yet?
Didn't the Fusion come out in 06? So 06,7,8, and 9, that's four years. If it isn't a totally new model, it should be. Most midsizers are redesigned every 5 years, but considering how far behind the Fusion was, it had to be redone as soon as possible, IMO. If this isn't a total redesign, when will it happen? 2020? As far as the interior goes, some of the buttons are still way too low on the dash, and on the exterior that grill is way too much.
I agree that the grill is pretty bad (worse than the Taurus IMO), but the interior looks pretty nice.
I bought my 06 Fusion on November 5, 2005. It was one of the first to hit the dealership. The 2009 Fusion production ends in December, they're idling the plant for January to move out the rest of the 2009s so the 2010 rolls off the line in late January or early February. That's 38 or 39 months - NOT 4 years.
Then again we knew you'd find something bad to say. With you I guess every silver lining has a dark cloud......
I don't care for the grille, but as the grad said, the interior looks great.
Simple math: The Fusion hit dealers in October of '06, with the redesign scheduled for (at the latest) February of '09, for a sum of 40 months, or 3 years, 4 months. For the record, it's well within the mid-cycle refresh time that your precious Honda and Toyota follows.
...and on the exterior that grill is way too much.
Heh, "too much"? Have you seen the warped-razor-blade that Acura calls a grille for the TL and TSX? It makes both the current and future Fusion look tame in comparison, and takes them both right off my list.
Is it just me or is there waaaay too much going on on that dash? What ever happened to those simple Honda dash layouts that were praised so much? We have 2 cars and I drive one primarily while my wife drives the other. Both have fairly simple dash layouts and center stacks (both Ford SUVs) which allows us to use the other one on occasion and not be confused. If I had to drive this once or twice a week I'd get a migrane trying to figure out what's going on. The Fusion Hybrid isn't immune to this either mind you, but it Honda has taken this to a whole new level IMO. Not good. :sick:
Yes, but I was talking about the gauges and such not the center stack. The center stack in those pics is definitely much simpler than that of the Accord or Pilot which can only be good. All that garbage going on in front of the driver's face is rather poorly done IMO. Even the owner of an Accord and Insight would be confused going from one to the other I think.
Without a doubt. But as I was trying to say in my previous post, a Civic owner would feel right at home, since the two-tiered "garbage" display is virtually identical to the one in the current Civic.
Perhaps Civic owners, and not Accord owners, are the target market for the Insight. The choice of the "Insight" name, which was previously associated with a minimalist two-passenger hybrid, suggests to me that the car isn't really aimed at Accord buyers.
It was Oct. '05, wasn't it? That makes your math add up.
As for the grille: I think it's incredibly ugly. But not nearly as incredibly ugly as the grille on the new TL or several other newer Honda products. :P
I do agree. However I don't believe many Civic drivers will be putting one of these in their garage next to their Civic. I think they'll be more likely to trade their Civic in for one of these and park it next to their Accord or Pilot.
Sorry. Still hadn't had my coffee yet...
Driving with a stick tranny would be a hassle too. Too many levels to look at. With an auto it wouldn't be as bad for me but I see where you're coming from. It's great if you love tech but could be annoying to those who don't. I'm guessing that's why the "youngster" Hondas have it and not the "old fart" Accord/Pilot/etc.
My dad's '87 Taurus had an all digital dash and I loved it. But it did have the tach as a rising meter that ran up and around the speedo which was less confusing IMO.
Good news for Ford. They need to market this, or at least make it poster sized at dealerships. The 2010 Fusion is amazing in both safety and technology. Looks are subjective, safety is not. I personally love the new redesigned Fusion, it looks more sporty and aggressive. I currently own a 07 Fusion I4, and I'm pretty sure that the new Fusion will be my next vehicle.
Before I got my Fusion I test drove a Camry. Hated it. The suspension was too floaty, the interior was not appealing, and the exterior looks are bland. Toyota salesman tried to steer me away from the Fusion based on reliability. Since it's launch, I don't believe the Fusion has had any recalls. Since I've owned mine, I haven't had any issues, just 25,000 happy satisfied miles.
Of the cars tested for January, the Sonata GLS I4 and Limited V6 were the top-scoring mid-sizers in their respective groups (which are $20-25k and $25-30k). However, the top-scoring car that CR tested, as a sidebar to the other tests, was the Jetta TDI, which CR put just one point behind the top-scoring car in its $20-25k sedans class, the Altima 2.5S.
The relatively poor showing of the all-new Mazda6 was surprising, since it is the newest mid-sized design. Also, the comments about the Mazda6 were pretty positive, with the only knocks being about road noise and the fuel economy of the V6 (20 mpg measured), and quibbles on some of the interior trim on the 6i Sport and head room in back. It could just be a reflection of the fact that the mid-sized sedan class is pretty darn good across the board; e.g. only four points separated the Sonata GLS from the Mazda6i, and only 2 points separated the Sonata Limited V6 from the 6s Grand Touring.
Just kind of interesting though that CR would rank cars like the Prius and Optima (pre-2009 model) ahead of the Mazda6, refreshed Sonata, or even the Malibu. Probably shows that CR weights fuel economy pretty highly in its rankings (cf. Jetta TDI and Prius).
Rankings of cars tested for January issue:
Jetta TDI: 84
Sonata Limited V6: 83
6s Grand Touring: 81
Sonata GLS I4: 77
Malibu LT I4: 74
6i Sport, Malibu Hybrid (tie): 73
Aura XE I4: 67
I guess we'll have to wait until sometime next year to see how the refreshed 2009 Optima and 2010 Fusion, Milan, and Legacy fare.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Odd thing, though: CR did not recommend the Aura because it said the four-cylinder model is "new." But the Aura has been around awhile, and the powertrain is the same as in the Malibu LT that they also tested--and recommended. :confuse:
As I remember,my 06.5 Optima score 87 at that time,so does that mean it's better than the new models?<img src="
And the '06.5 Kia Optima has been mostly treated fairly by the automotive press, too.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
http://wardsauto.com/home/best_engines_2009_081205/
It is encouraging that Ward's notes the Ford hybrid powertrain (tested in the Escape hybrid) managed to easily exceed its EPA ratings in their tests. That bodes well for the Fulan, which should be able to get better fuel economy numbers than the Escape.
My Optima EX is black.I did not choose that,but with the equipment I wanted it was the only one my dealer could get his hands on.I've got over 24K on it and so far so good.I have had three people comment on it's good looks.This has never happened to me with any of the many cars I have owned.
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2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I guarantee that if were in the market for a new car,this hybrid would be first on my list.
At the time my mom was shopping for a car, the Mazda6 was not out yet so we drove the Accord and Altima (as well as the Sonata and Azera). Of these 4, I liked the Accord the best (though thought the Sonata was the best value). I thought the suspension was the most sorted of the 4 and that the quality of the interior was much better than the Altima which still has some really cheap feeling materials like on the plate that has the window contols by the door... really hollow sounding and has that thin, brittle plastic feeling. I agree that the engine/ transmission of the Altima was better than the Accord, but since the Accord was no slouch either, I preferred the build quality and it's ability to sort out rough roads better.
But a month later, I was in to get an oil change on my 2005 mazda6, and decided to take the time to give the new 6 a test drive. I was not unhappy w/ my current mazda6, but I was curious. First thing I noticed was the responsiveness of the engine: much more torque than my v-6 and quite a bit quicker from a standstill even though my '05 6 has a manual. Really, I'm impressed with everything about this newer version... I came really close to buying one. The interior was very nice, it was as quiet as the Accord or Altima, but had a better suspension that handled rough roads as well as the best but had less body lean in corners that gave the car a feeling of more control. Steering feel was very good, better than the Accord and Altima, but not as good as my current 6. I think what held me back from doing the trade was a lack of a hatchback. I'm sure I would have been very happy w/ the new 6, but I knew I was still happy with my "old" 6...
But this is what my scorecard looked like (best first, worst last):
Interior quality: accord (minuses b/c of cluttered dash), Mazda6 (very close to the Accord, but lacked a little finesse), Altima
Drivetrain: Altima, Mazda6 (surprisingly close to the Altima though), Accord
Suspension: mazda6, accord, altima
brakes/ steering feel: mazda6, accord, altima
seat comfort: accord, mazda6, altima
exterior looks: mazda6, altima, accord (by a lot...)
extras: mazda6 (xenon, btooth, blindspot warning system, keyless start/entry, best mpg), altima (keyless start/entry, cvt), accord (navi, resale value)
really, all 3 cars are very, very good. but given a choice, using different ways of analyzing which one to choose (practicality, fun to drive, utility), I would choose the 6 also. well done Mazda!
The Sandman
Other than that, you're right on the money on virtually all fronts. The 6 is a great car, and if I got to pick my car again, I would have picked the '09 Mazda6 over the Altima. I was very torn between the Altima and the Accord (I flatly refused to get the Camry...) I think the Accord is a little more comfortable for long distance travel, but the Altima is far superior on twisty roads. I also believe Nissan has the best powertrain with their current generation of CVT. No other Automatic Transmission this side of a DSG is as responsive or quick.
There's a reason that the Altima is selling nearly as well as Camry and Accord, but as far as the best midsize sedan currently, I think the Mazda6 has it. Unfortunately, not many people realize this.
The v6 accords MPG rating is 19/29 and the Mazda6 is 17/25, yet the mazda6 got 20 mpg overall and the accord got 18 mpg overall.
I still believe the accord has a slight edge over the mazda6 and then being a long track record of reliability and resale value, otherwise, a dead heat. Always thought the Altima was over priced. Seems like nissan took a step backwards with the new altima.