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The Civic though completely redefines its class.
I'm not sure what the other nominees for Truck of the year are but the Explorer really raises the bar.
Amazing safety features, Super quiet interior and the best third row of any SUV this size.
Also the 4.0L V6 now produces less smog forming emissions than the Honda Accord Hybrid!
Mark
Bad comparison.
1) Sitting in the civic you feel like your in a tin can, I rented one thinking the agency was doing me a favor. It was awful. Then the car is much smaller than the Fusion, and it's way overpriced for what you get.
Please stay on topic.
Does anybody know how the Fusion is selling right now? I want to find out if it really is going to be the hit that Ford desperately needs to add to it's passenger line-up.
~alpha
The Fusion is a great car but does not bring anything new to the market. The Mazda6 on which it is heavily based was an 04 model.
I wasn't trying to compare the Civic to the Fusion, just stating that I would bet on the Civic beating the Fusion for the Car of the Year award as it completely redefines the segment it does compete in.
At best, Fusion just refines a car that was already available for 2 model years.
Mark
Here you go:
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=22034
Golly, what a wonderful collection of words that sound so profound and exciting, but mean nothing...
Can you tell me what exactly the new definition of the segment is, and what the old definition was before Honda created the new definition?
What are you doing writing news releases for Honda. :P
I would imagine that short supply has something to do with the large percentage increase over October and low total sales.
???
I don't know----????
but it makes as much as sense going nuts over hybrids(granted a perceived easier sell) another interim technology with much bigger huddles than CRD diesels. IHMO
Ford already had readied a small twin turbo v-6 for the Jag, a single turbo would be fine here.
Mpg and lower end torque with the Fusions spacious interior. (YES The big down low torque will get up the on-ramp with the air on, be able to cruise the interstate with mpg's in the 40's.
Ok Bill I understand it's really the stockholder you have to keep happy first, thanks in part that infamous statement made by Ivan Boesky in 1985 in front of Stanford business students "I think greed is healthy". So giving us a CRD diesel wagon---maybe consumers need to start first by kicking these executives IE: Enrons,Worldcoms,Tycos etc etc etc. Those CEO's have no regrets, only that they got caught.
I'm sure the clean diesel fuel and California except able CRD clean air equipment would have been here long time-ago if it wasn't for "greed"!
So "jzwolak" start kicking. I've already got a Mr.William Esrey in my sights. No not rifle sights! Hi Hi
Paul
Speaking of which, I'm curious if this is just a Minneapolis phenomenon, but everyday heading into downtown I experience the following: the passing lane is blocked by a single vehicle (in front of which is 1000 feet of clear road) traveling at an identical or slightly lesser speed as the middle lane(s) of traffic and that vehicle is invariably a Honda or Toyota product (Corollas are the worst offenders followed closely by Camries, Accords and, to a lesser extent, Civics). 9 times out of 10 the driver is a woman with one of those Milwaukee-style hairdos. This begs the question, do these cars make people lose their fashion sense and drive like oblivious buffoons or do oblivious buffoons with no fashion sense seek out and purchase vehicles like the Corolla and Accord? Food for thought...
I suspect we won't see any Fusions plugging up the passing lanes with like drivers, but time will tell. For the moment, Fusion is the hippest mid-sizer on the market.
Yeah, I don't know what happened to Honda. Toyota has always made quality-built wallflower sedans for the real estate agent and church secretary crowd, but Honda USED to be cool. And it wasn't that many years ago.
Fusion beats Camry. Thats right, Ford can build a car as good as Toyota.
Now lets see if Toyota can build a truck that can match the F-150
Or a mid-size body on frame that can match the Explorer.
Or a sporty car that can match the Mustang. (is there even an attempt at a sporty car?)
That's the brand new Fusion beats the 5 year old Camry design, right?
The Camry's history
2007 M.Y -Redesigned
2006 M.Y
2005 M.Y
2004 M.Y
2003 M.Y -Redesigned
Fusions History
2006 M.Y -Introduction
So its going again a 3-4 year old design.
Camry
2007 MY redesign
2006
2005 MY freshening
2004
2003
2002 MY redesign (the current Camry debuted in '01).
The Camry is most certainly in its FIFTH model year of the current design. And for what its worth, the Fusion only beat in the C/D comparison by 5 points.
~alpha
HTH
Another part of the issue is that from what I see is rental companies have first dibs on the new vehicles. Maybe or maybe not that is a contributing issue
With other new Fords coming out next year that will also hopefully help. I have seen some of the Ford Edge pictures. It looks pretty darn good. I think they need a couple more hits to make a turnaround really complete.
It's one of those topic where, "how much does something need to change or be different, to be considered, different". Like when the Camry platform question came up which has been around for a long time...
Or like the Aussie Ford Falcon, which can trace it's roots to the Falcon of yesturyear, YET so much has been tweaked, that it's possible to call it all new (As the 2003 Panther revision). Etc.etc.
Anybody else gotten one? This is in addition to the normal Ford survey.
The third shift will start during the first quarter, Brian Vought, chief engineer of Ford's new mid-sized sedans, told Automotive News. Hermosillo makes about 800 combined units of the Fusion and its two siblings, the Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr, each day.
The goal is to ramp up to 1,050 cars a day early next year.
At that rate, Hermosillo would produce about 250,000 vehicles annually, the Automotive News Data Center estimates. Ford has said that Hermosillo would have a maximum annual capacity of 300,000.
Production of the three cars began Aug. 1. Sales started in late September, and Ford says the Fusion already is selling beyond expectations. Ford sold 4,078 Fusions through October, about 50 percent more than it says it expected at that point.
"Vehicles are moving off dealer lots very quickly, and we are working to build dealer inventories," Vought wrote in an e-mail.
The Hermosillo cars have gotten off to a better start than new models from Ford's Chicago plant did a year ago.
Ford sold 6,618 of the Fusions, Milans and Zephyrs in October after beginning the month with just 1,100 in stock, said George Pipas, Ford's sales analysis and reporting manager. That was almost 1,000 units more than Ford sold of the Chicago-made Ford Five Hundred, Mercury Montego and Ford Freestyle in October 2004 when it had started the month with about 3,000 units.
The Hermosillo plant will nearly double its work force when the third shift is added.
Ford employs about 1,600 hourly workers and 220 salaried workers at Hermosillo, a Ford official said. The automaker plans to add 1,500 hourly workers and 50 salaried workers when production is increased next year, with some of the new workers assigned to the existing shifts.
Good point, I'd say 4% even sounds pretty high!
The Civic and Fusion could easily be competitors. They were both on my shopping list. They're both roomy for their size and drive quite well. A dealer let me keep a Civic overnight and I was impressed. They were both on my shopping list. I ended up with a Mazda3, though.
Could availability have something to do with the lower than expected sales figures? Just a thought.
Ford has some excellent diesel engines in Europe. I've driven both a Mondeo and Focus with TD in Europe and was very impressed. The Fusion would be an excellent candidate for one of these engines.
Yeah, I don't know what happened to Honda. Toyota has always made quality-built wallflower sedans for the real estate agent and church secretary crowd, but Honda USED to be cool. And it wasn't that many years ago.
The only way to deal with people like that in the left lanes is to get about two car lengths behind them (in case they hit the brakes) and turn on your headlights to make yourself VERY visible. Works even better if you have foglights, too. They will inevitably get ticked off, but usually move over a lane. I hate to be rude like that, but if you don't know the rules of the road you have no business driving on it.
I could not agree more with your comment about Honda. I drove them for years, from my first car in '88 until about a month ago. I test drove Accord and Civic when I was shopping recently and, while they were excellent in most every way, they lacked that "edge" that Honda used to have. I'm not sure if it was the growl of the engine when you revved it hard, the slick manual transmission, low cowl or something else, but they drove like no other cars in the world. The new models feel like Toyotas to me. I ended up in a Mazda3.
You have to realize that Car and Driver are car guys, as are many of us. We have a passion for driving and cars that want to be driven much more than the average buyer. The Camry sells in droves, but to fleets and people who see cars only as an appliance. I'd rather ride a moped than make payments on a Camry. Most Toyotas are injected with something akin to automotive novocaine. The Fusion actually looks and drives like it has a passion for driving.
So you should get off the road, since you apparently think you have the right to tailgate...officially known as "following too closely"!
One example of this law (from AL) is:
Except when overtaking and passing another vehicle, the driver of a vehicle shall leave a distance of at least 20 feet for each 10 miles per hour of speed between the vehicle that he is driving and the vehicle that he is following.
http://www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeofAlabama/1975/32-5A-89.htm
The problem for the "Big 2" Asian makes now is that dad doesn't own an Cutlass. He owns an Accord (and grandpa, well, he drives a Avalon). Honda is currently seeing the same shift now that Olds saw 20 years ago. They're trying to retain the 1990 Accord buyer, but in the process, they're turning off younger people like myself. Case in point: the Element was targeted at twenty-somethings and everyone that's bought one so far is over 40. Honda still makes fine cars, but the spark is fading. And the cool factor? Gone.
I think Ford is positioned well with the Fusion/Milan. I was surprised at how firm the steering was when I got behind the wheel of one. Ford has made no bones about the fact that these cars are not intended for liver spots (I'm still blown away by the fact that they made a manual available in the Milan). And the best way to bring young people (I still lump myself in this crowd even though I just turned 30 this year) is to send old folks to Honda and Toyota stores. Hey, I don't want an Accord. That's the model my uncle in Bismarck traded in his Cutlass Ciera for 10 years ago.
The other thing that happens is, if I want to drive, say 70-75 mph, in order to pass the cars going slower in the right lane, I have to stay in the left lane. Because if you move over to the right you are stuck behind someone going 65 (or less) and you can never get back in the left lane to pass...as they are all tailgating, so there is not enough room between them to move over safely.
So before the spanking for being off topic comes
Seriously, the herd mentality is a real problem. It's part of why we are where we are with the auto industry, traffic, etc.
Oh well, enough about that...I am still driving my Five Hundred and not trading for a Fusion for three main reasons: (a) I am much impressed with the Five Hundred's safety record, (b) I am NOT impressed with the Aisin six speed in the Fusion and its gear hunting and (c) I am at least waiting til AWD, the new GM/Ford JV six speed transmission and the IIHS crash test results for Fusion are available...then I will decide.
I'll probably buy a new Five Hundred or Montego again with the AWD and 3.5L engine. Why am I looking, you might ask? 52,000 miles so far on my 05 Five Hundred SEL AWD!