Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan

gogophers1

The Fusion isn't designed to snatch buyers away from the Camry. To appeal to vegetable lasagna buyers, you need to serve up your own dish of vegetable lasagna. And I, for one, am glad that Ford didn't replace its outgoing vegetable lasagna design, the Taurus, with another helping of vegetable lasagna - Honda and Toyota rule that market. And you'll never beat those two at the vegetable lasagna game - they make the rules. Personally, I think it's nice to see a midsize with a little spice in it. Right now, with the exception of the Mazda and perhaps Nissan, there really isn't a midsize option for the under 50 crowd.

I'm unclear as to what's so confusing here. The Fusion handles better, is more powerful (considerably so after the new HP ratings), more stylish and less expensive than the Camry. Is it going to come down to these two for any buyer out there? It's like shopping for shoes and narrowing it down to either Adidas or Florsheims. They're two completely different types of cars for two completely different types of drivers.

rambo5

There is an Aux input button on the radio which as per the manual is non functional. I question as to whether there is a aux input in the back of the unit.

allfiredup

Not only tacky, but poor sound quality too- at least in comparison with a direct-in jack.

C'mon Ford, you have build a great looking car, but even the base Saturn Ion has an AUX jack and XM available.

fsmmcsi

gogophers1 - Have you forgotten the Malibu / G6 / 9-3? What about the new Malibu SS and G6 GTP? What about the more expensive cars? The mid-sized (and about every other) market is rather crowded.

By the way, a loaded Fusion has an invoice price of $23,760, while a loaded Zephry has an invoice price of $33,032. I think that difference explains why things are missing from the Fusion.

Now, as an example, consider that the invoice price of a 2006 Accord EX V6 is $25,118, slightly less than 6% more than the cost of the Fusion. It seems that the main purpose of the Fusion may be to appeal to present Ford customers who do not want a Taurus or Focus.

However, neither have Sirius radio, something which is very diffficult to understand in light of the fact that it is an option, so they can charge a substantial amount for a few dollars worth of electronic parts, an antenna wire, and an antenna.

stickguy

I believe there is one on the back of the head unit, to interface withe the aux setting. There are aftermarket pieces designed to work with it that do the same thing as the aux plug in the front, the only difference being you have to pull th eunit and run a wire.

There is a component (Denison icelink maybe??) that you can get that will actually hook into the steering wheel, letting you have some control of the ipod, but I think it is pricy.

307web

Nothing that works properly for the 2006 Fusion.

stickguy

it is new, some maybe it will arrive eventually.

I usually just leave the ipod in shuffle mode in the car, so all I really need is the volume control, which does still work from the steering wheel. On the occasion where I feel like skipping a song, I can hit the right spot on the wheel without looking at it. Plus, the ipod screen is easier to use, especially if you are looking at a song list.

So, in my case, all I really want is an aux plug so I can toss the dumb FM modulater.

akirby

I bet this would work:

http://www.discountcarstereo.com/detail.aspx?ID=813

I think the Fusion stereo is the same as the five hundred and 2005+ mustang.

chrisford

What a beautiful car. I saw an SEL metallic beige heading in the opposite direction yesterday, Wow! can't believe how masculine and aesthetically pleasing this car really looks. I WANT ONE NOW! trading in my 2002 Deville DTS (fully loaded, night vision and all) and a 99 Contour SE. I was seriously thinking of getting the new Sonata but the Fusion has the PIMP! factor that no other family sedan can match. Way to go ford.
I live in Brooklyn, NY and domestics sedans are far and few. Seems like everyone and there grandmother is in a CamCord or AltiMax. I stopped by the dealership today to inquire about getting a loaded SEL. He said good luck, we can't even keep them in the floor for more than 6 hrs. Said a dude traded in a 05 Maxima yesterday for an SEL. Don't know about that but that anyhow Brooklyn is definately feeling the Fusion

ilikecars23

I must say this is a nice vehicle, much nicer looking in person, it caught my eye as i was passing by the ford dealer. Fit and Finish is flawless and interior is very well laid out. I currently drive a 93 lexus gs and i think this will be my next vehicle. This model featured the black leather seats w/ contrast stitching, the leather is of high quality, feels like the same graining as in the honda accord. The V6 is very willing and very very very quiet. This engine revs eagerly and smoothly, and the 6 speed was flawless, never felt it in action. I was also impressed by what i didnt hear in the cabin. At 60mph, the cabin was very quiet, no rattles, or squeaks to be heard. Only 2 negitives i can think of is the lack of stability control and a navigation system. And im sure those 2 features will be added within the coming years. All and all im very impressed with ford for this vehicle because Ford greatly needs a vehicle like this (salesperson stated this as well). And i look forward to purchasing within the near future

1487

The car I looked at was black with the black leather interior. It was OK, and it didnt seem overly cheap but some brightwork would help. I mean the center stack is nothing but black plastic and black buttons. Plus it doesnt help that Ford keeps using that same head unit. I wanted to see if it was more impressive in person that what I've seen in the pics but it was about what I expected. The way the press was praising the interior I expected more. BAsed on what I've read this is supposedly the first Ford and maybe first domestic midsize sedan that can hold a candle to an Accord. In styling and dynamics I agree. But the interior still feels domestic, maybe even moreso than the 2006 Malibu interior. The Malibu interior with leather looked far better than the lame pics on the website would have you believe. The chrome and contasting stitching worked wonders.

akirby

To each his own but I think the Fusion interior is very un-Detroit-like!

ilikecars23

Malibu ?? you must be kidding right ? Did you feel the rough plastic on the center console, that stuff feels course enough to cut your hand off. At least the ford uses soft touch materials that are pleasant and nice to the touch. And for some reason GM seems to think crome trim and bezels can cure everything. There interiors are just horrible and they need to find a new direction. Ford is doing an excellent job and the interior quality and apperance is leaps and bounds ahead of GM, and on par with honda, toyota, etc... (my opinion)

motownusa

In short, I would rather have a Fusion V6 than a Camry four banger or a Sonata V6.

Pretty soon with Ford's employee pricing, the V6 Fusion will probably cost less than a 4 cylinder Camry or Accord

scape2

Check the latest MotorTrend, your HP numbers may change. Looks like Toyota/Honda/Nissan were doing some tricks to get thier HP ratings.. For instance the 3.3 V6 made by Toyota had to drop 15HP to 190... Says American cars like Pontiac G6, Caddillac for example actually gain HP... SAE rules and such... get the mag... and read the article..

scape2

year of the Fusion/Milan/Zepher is going to be a good one for Ford. I believe the Hermisslo plant can only produce about 300,000 of these vehicles a year. I plan on buying next year. I spoke with a Ford district manager in another chat room. He or she basically said, as soon as inventory has been reaching dealerships, they sell or have been pre-sold!!. So dealers aren't going to deal, they don't have to right now.
As for as the Fusion/Milan out to take over Cam/Cord spot for best seller.. I really don't think Ford was after that title. I believe Ford wants to show the Car world they are still capable of building a great car at a fair price. Something Toyota and Honda used to do..

alpha01

MT was a bit off... the Toyota 3.0L in the Camry dropped to 190 horses and 197 foot pounds, the 3.3L in the Camry SE V6 dropped to 210 hp and 220 lb-ft. The Pontiac G6 3.5L gained a single horse, to 201. Its important to note that only the ratings changed, the cars arent going to be faster or slower than they were last year.

~alpha

akirby

They don't have to take over the top spot but they do need to make some conquests of Accord and Camry buyers if they want to gain market share. Otherwise they'll just be cannabilizing their other vehicle sales (Focus, etc.).

I see no reason why they won't achieve their sales goals without huge incentives.

texasmark

I am coming out of 7 years of driving salemens sedans, ie... company cars. Last one was 04 Camery V6, before that an 03 Impala, 02 Intrigue, 00 Intrigue, 99 Intrepid. At the time I went into each one I felt that particular car had the best combination of looks and performance available from the list of sedans available to me. The Accord was never available to us because of the pricing of their V6 and something to do with the way our open ended leases worked. The Fusion reminds me of the 99 Intrigue ( which I believe was one hell of a car.) The styling is excellent, the leather interior is good, performance seems ok (the plus being the v6 with 6 speed auto transmission is smooth) and the price point is A++. I had to spend my own cash for a car this time and for the money you can't get close the level of car the Fusion offers for the price.

explorerx4

don't worry about 1487; always pumping up gm offerings. i think i remember a post about the cavalier being under appreciated.

green2go

The EPA fuel economy site has just posted numbers for 2006 vehicles

www.fueleconomy.gov

They show the Fusion 4-cylinder auto rated at 24/32. That's higher than the manual at 23/31. How is that possible? When will the 4-cylinder autos be available?

stickguy

the manual is geared shorter for better performance, especially in 5th gear. More revs = lower mpg.

Keep in mind that the ratings are on the EPA tests. Manuals quite often make up the difference in real life.

micweb

I second that. MT's have always done better than AT's in my experience, no matter what the EPA tests indicate.

307web

If it revs higher on the highway, it will be noisier and it isn't going to make up the mileage difference in real life just because it's a manual. However, since it's only a 1 mpg difference, you may not really "notice" any difference in mileage on the Fusion anyway.

It is only recently that automatics have been getting higher highway mileage than manuals and that's because the automatics are getting taller high gears and manuals are getting shorter high gears which might be due to complaints about cruise control performance on inclines on cars with manual transmission.
People don't want to keep downshifting and resetting the cruise control or downshift on hills even if they aren't using cruise control.
This a new thing. Very few cars were rated with higher mileage for automatics before very recently. This is the same with the newly designed 2006 Honda Civic automatic which now runs at much lower rpms at highway speeds than the manual.

stickguy

by real life, I mean all the time you are not crising at a steady speed, locked into top gear. Overall mileage will probably be better with the MT, and it also depends on when you shift and how you drive the AT.

Also, this whole CC thing is bugging me. For the few people that actually will have it happen to them, way more people are going to use more gas.

I used to have a '91 Mazda 626 5 speed, with a whopping 115HP. I could drive up the NY thruway (the hilly part through the Catskills and Adirondacks) at normal speed (70-75) and never normally had to downshift, witho or without CC. The only time I ever had to hit 4th gear was if I got stuck behind a truck in the right lane, and needed to pull out at 50 to pass, but in that case, the CC had to be cancelled anyway!!

Dropping the top gear RPMs by ~400 at 75 isn't likely to require many more shifts, and besides, THE PEOPLE WHO BUY STICKS DON"T MIND SHIFTING NOW AND THEN!!!!!!!

skibry1

I enjoy downshifting to pass!! Why else did the good Lord give us a left
leg for any way...to flex that clutch..stir a gear..ease her out...and

bewhite25

This review of the Fusion, which I posted a while back, is probably the least positive I've read to date. http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/New/reviews/full/index.cfm/id/38832/Act/Roadtest/ I do think it's interesting, however, that according to ConsumerGuide's road test (based on a 0-10 scale) of the 2006 Taurus; the Fusion doesn't handle any better, is not any quieter, and has the same quality of an interior of a 2006 Taurus. http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/New/reviews/full/index.cfm/id/38684/Act/Roadtest/ Seems a bit odd to me, but I guess everyone can't be impressed by the Fusion. Or maybe they're telling us what a great car the Vulcan-only 2006 Taurus is...

307web

Why does that matter? They use a rough 1 to 10 opinion scale rather than precise measurable values. Some things are subjective and you can see what you like and don't like by looking at photos and taking a personal test drive.
They still gave the Fusion an overall much higher score than the Taurus anyway.

bewhite25

Well I apologize for offending your superior erudition of automotive reviews. My comments on the Taurus were merely sarcastic observations which I did not intentd to be taken seriously, and I am fully aware that the 0-10 scale is mostly subjective (besides acceleration and fuel economy, which are objective ratings). However, the point of this scale is that it used to make comparisons to other vehicles in its class (otherwise there would be no point to this scale). According to ConsumerGuide, the Fusion places just below the class average and well below the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, seeing that the Fusion "lags in mechanical refinement and detail workmanship". The point I am arriving to is that this review is atypical compared to the other positive reviews which place the Fusion at, if not above the level of the Accord and Camry. If I had the need or resources for a car, I would definitely base my decision on my own impressions of the vehicle. You are not the only one aware of that fact that it is imprudent to purchase a vehicle based solely on what others say.

perna

I was disappointed in the Fusion's 0-60 time. I want a freakin' Ford or GM Maxima, not an appliance that will get me to work and back.

It's too bad, because like the Maximas of years past, the Fusion LOOKS the part of a "four door sports car". The interior is also nearly Maxima-grade.

I don't know what's so difficult about this. Car companies have GOT to know there is a HUGE market of guys like me who need the practicality of four doors and a trunk, but really wish we were all driving Mustangs. It's frustrating.

akirby

Your car is coming. There is supposed to be a 270 hp ST version in the works in addition to the SVT version that should have even more power. Patience.

micweb

I test drove a Fusion SE V6 this weekend and it didn't feel very quick. Fine for regular driving, but nothing to excite you. Ironically I drove a base model Cobalt stick shift an hour later, and it was quite quick (quicker than my Focus ZX3 stick shift). I think it has more to do with auto vs. stick shift since even with the weight penalty I think the Fusion V6 has a higher horsepower per pound than the Cobalt (and the Cobalt automatic I drove last year was nothing special). You have to get into some seriously powerful engines before an auto feels as quick as, or quicker than, a stick shift.

mojojojo24

" The interior is also nearly Maxima-grade."

Wow... that's a whopper of a backhanded complement.

"Car companies have GOT to know there is a HUGE market of guys like me who need the practicality of four doors and a trunk, but really wish we were all driving Mustangs."
Chrysler/Dodge is trying to take a swing at that market. The problem is, to get that kind of performance in 4-doors, you'll have to pay a good deal more and still deal with a chinchy interior and what I consider a Impala-esque road-feel.

Or, you can go to Lexus, pay even more, and get past the chincy interior, and drive around very quickly without actually having the experience of driving.

Or a BMW... Infiniti... you get the point.

Beyond that... you could import a Falcon and actually drive a four-door w/ trunk Mustang.

Yes, there is a market of people who want fast, cheap cars that are sporty and have nice interiors. There's also a market of people who want peppermint houses and gumdrop lanes. You're just not going to get that combination. Something's going to give.

allfiredup

The Mazdaspeed6 or Accord EX V6 6MT would work as well. Until they offer a Fusion with plenty of power and a manual transmission to go with the great looks.

daryll44

I was at the L-M dealer yesterday and the Ford dealer the other day. I think the Fusion looks better than the Milan, but both seem like great vehicles and should at least compete against Camcord if quality bugaboos don't show up. That being said, I was disappointed in Zephyr. They did a nice job on the interior, but I suspect the market for that type of vehicle will be next to nothing. Too small for former "Continental" buyers and even LS buyers....not that there were enough LS buyers to begin with. I kind of had a flashback to the "Versailles"....a short-lived attempt to sell an upgraded Granada/Monarch around 1978 or so. Zephyr won't make it.

307web

I don't like the Zephyr much, but I'm sure it wasn't intended for fomer Continental or LS buyers since it's not available with a V8.
It's an entry level Lincoln.

akirby

Finally, something we agree on.

This is really a new market segment for Lincoln aimed directly at the ES330.

damonhynes

I'm the opposite--I like the Milan more than the Fusion--less chrome. Reminds me of the mid 80s Thunderbird/Cougar...The 'Bird was so radical that Merc was given a body style that looked "more like a car should look!" The Lincoln reminds me of the Cadillac Cimarron, and you mentioned the Lincoln Versailles...

I haven't had a car or truck that I could shift on my own for a while, so the I-4/5spd Manual has my interest. It'll be a few years, though--I have 3+ years to go on a Focus and that'll be my oldest daughter's first car! Do you think they'll have a V-6/manual by 2008?

allfiredup

If we're lucky, maybe they'll have a 3.5L 250+ hp and 6-speed manual available in a year or two!

daryll44

Your analogy to "Cimmaron" was better! And on the mark! Yup, Zephyr is Lincoln's version of Cimmaron.

damonhynes

And another thing--The Zephyr shouldn't be an 'entry-level' Lincoln. Mercury Division should be the entry-level Lincoln!

akirby

Mercury is just a way to let Lincoln/Mercury dealers sell some Ford vehicles. They should just rebadge the vehicles as Lincolns and get rid of the Mercury name.

tabsfusion

I looked and researched both Taurus and Fusion. Both are very nice cars. I opted for the Fusion though. I loved it from the minute I test drove it. Now that I'm driving it every day, I really love it. Great Car. Ford did an excellent job this time. Sporty, yet classy...........very fun car. I got the SEL V6 Fully Loaded!!! Best investment I have ever made in a car!!! :shades:

gene_v

I dropped into the showroom at the local Ford dealer. They had a Fusion SEL loaded in the showroom with a SOLD tag in th windshield While I was looking at it a mechanic came in and started to remove signs from around it. I got to sit in the front seat and back. He opened the hood and trunk for me and then backed it out of the showroom. Last one in stock. Sales person says they are now selling them before they get them in.

My Impressions:
1) More foot and hip room in the front seat than the 500.
2) The seat height is better than expected. Not a much as the 500 but better than most sedans. Easier to get in and out than my wifes 98 Altima,
3) Interior very nice. This had the Charcoal leather seats, Stitching looks nice.
4) Trunk space - very good,
5) Backseat legroom is not good.
6)Tungsten Silver Clearcoat really accentuated the clean crisp lines of the sides of the car.
7) Front looked good with the silver bars. Much better than 500.
8) Rear looked good.

I am still partial to 500. If the 500 improves the footspace and hip space and gets a 3.5 I will go with the 500 in two years, If not, the Fusion will be my next vehicle.

akirby

"5) Backseat legroom is not good. "

Compared to what? A 500? I thought backseat legroom was very good for a vehicle that size. Better than my Lincoln LS.

stickguy

I couldn't believe how much legroom the Fusion had in the rear. I could cross my legs if I wanted to. Maybe the front seat was shoved all the way back? or you are used to riding in a 740iL.

gene_v

I didn't have much time to address if the front seat was back. Perhaps it was. Its time for a second look. I drive a Windstar. I am a big guy.

fordfaninbowie

"5) Backseat legroom is not good."

This is just wrong! :surprise: I bought my SEL on 10/4/05 and have been driving it 25 miles one way to drop my boys off at school and then off to work. I am 5'11" 205 and my 15 year-old son is 5'10" 180 and sits behind my seat on Tuesdays and Thursdays (when my younger son gets the front seat). He has plenty of room and his knees don't even touch my seat!!!

My seat is not all the way back, but almost.

PS - Gotta go with the charcoal leather interior. My wife loves the stitching!

exalteddragon1

bottom line: Nav is cool, Nav is modern, if you don't have it your not modern.

On the road it might not work that way, but in the mags, commercials, and on the showroom floor... It does. You get the kind of advertisements that money cannot buy, especially in mags, and improve that of your commercials.

Most people walk into a showroom floor to see the top of the line model, and then end up buying a base or mid-range. That top of the line model is what made them come into the dealership. You need a nav for that. In fact, instead of arguing over whether or not you need nav, TAKE THE LEAD AND OFFER new technology aswell, that the other guys don't match!

Just my few cents

WHEN IS THE FUSION GETTING THE 265hp V6?!

scape2

Host:. For some reason does not advance me to the last unread post? I keep getting put back into the 800's or so. I then have to advance all the way to the last post and read back to where the new posts have begun. Can I fix this or do you? :confuse: