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You just don't want to give Ford credit for anything, do you?
It's kind of illustrative of the problems the Detroit 3 face. They've made junk for so long, and have left such a bad taste in the mouths of so many customers, many DO refuse to give them credit for anything.
there is enough head room and plenty leg room for me.
another feature i was looking for was awd and i was willing to give up some mpg to get it.
1. The term "undersized" is a misnomer. Saying it has a little smaller cubic foot total than some other midsizers would be closer and even then that does not always equate to more comfort or feeling of spaciousness in a vehicle.
2. I'm sure one could find many cars smaller inside than the Fusion/Milan and that get less mpg.
3. A Corvette has less interior space....does that mean it should get better mpg? The 2010 Fusion looks like it will tie or beat many compact cars that certainly have less interior space. Maybe we should be complaining about those cars instead.
4. If you are so hung up on minute differences in interior space than maybe we should look at the percentage ratios of interior space vs. mpg to make our buying decisions. A little ridiculous don't you think?
Hmmm... the Accord has less interior space and also lower fuel economy than the Sonata. Actually, the Accord EX trims have less interior space than the 2010 Fulan--and also lower fuel economy. Do you think most Americans would trade both interior space and fuel economy for... what, maybe lots of push buttons on the dash?
Actually, this FE/space tradeoff may be the other way around. Notice that Malibu sales are surging lately while Accord (and Camry) sales are plummeting. Could it be that buyers are gravitating towards the Malibu with its better fuel economy despite the fact it has less interior space than the Accord or Camry?
i like not having to carry my keys with me when i leave the vehicle.
drop the keys somewhere inside and retrieve them when you need them.
if the kids need something out of the car, they know the combination and can get in to get it without the keys.
Nissan has Ford trumped in this area. They have a system called "intelligent key" where you don't even have to take your keys out of your pocket. Instead of there being a keypad on the outside of the door, there's a single button that unlocks/locks that door and/or the other doors on the vehicle if the key fob is within about 3 feet of the vehicle.
In fact, the '07 Camry and '09 Mazda6 have adopted the same technology. However, it isn't standard on the Camry or 6, but it is standard on the Altima.
In terms of technology, Ford has Sync going for it. It's a great technology, and hopefully it'll trickle down to other car companies shortly. Most other car companies have started to adopt the "intelligent key" system, so expect that to be a standard feature on most mid to high end cars soon. Nearly all the luxury brands have had this technology for several years now (Lexus, Acura, Infiniti, BMW, etc.) I applaud Nissan for bringing it to mainstream AND making it standard equipment on the Altima.
Ford's keypad entry system is dated now. :P
You do if you want to start the car and go anywhere.
Interesting sideline: intelligent keys that stay in the pocket also make carjacking more difficult. You get out of the car, the "key" goes with you. Carjacker gets 50 feet and the engine cuts off, bwa ha ha! :shades:
The 2010 Taurus now has this, and the new second gen door touchpad (no visible buttons like the old one) so expect it to make it into other mainstream Ford vehicles very soon. Like you said, those "intelligent keys" have been around in luxury marques for quite some time so it's not like Nissan has done anything ground breaking here like Sync or developing their own hybrid technology. All they did was bring a convenience feature to the mainstream and they weren't even the first to do it.
You're forgetting that with the exterior keypad you can do things like go out in the garage, or street, and start your vehicle then lock it and go back in the house while it warms up. You can't do that with the "intelligent key" systems IIRC. It unlocks the doors if you try to close them while the keys are in the vehicle right? I live in a pretty darn safe neighborhood where locking the doors of a running, unattended vehicle isn't really necessary. But there are kids around and I wouldn't put it past one of them to hop in and start playing with things as kids like to do. Therefore, I go out and start it, hop out, close the door, hit 7/8 and 9/0 at the same time, and the doors are locked and I'm reassured that the vehicle is safe and warming up for me and the family.
Then realizes what just happened, gets out, runs 50 ft back to you, beats you down (or worse), grabs the "intelligent key" out of your pocked while you're lying on the ground, runs 50 ft back to your car, and drives away. Sounds great to me!
Not so standard; the only Altimas equipped with the Smart Entry system allow you to push the button on the door-handle. My friend has a new 2009 Altima 2.5S, which she has to push lock/unlock on the fob. It does have keyless start, however.
You can either press button on the fob or the button on the door.
Her car is a 2.5, not a 2.5S, I believe, as I'd stated earlier.
Intelligent key is NOT standard on all Nissan Altima Sedans.
You obviously don't live in the NorthEast. :shades:
BTW, 2.5 doesn't even have a CD player.
http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota/2010-camry-introduced.aspx
Not feeling either of the Toyota intros so far, Camry and HS 250h, with the latter really falling on the scale.
I thought the grille on the Venza was really ugly, but the new grille on the Camry doesn't look quite as bad. The front of the hybrid reminds me a lot of the previous-gen Accord.
The Camry Hybrid, equipped with Toyota's industry-leading Hybrid Synergy Drive,
Hmm, industry leading in what way? I'm sure it leads the industry in something but to just say that it's industry leading in general is plain wrong now. And they're mad at Ford for saying the Fusion hybrid has the highest FE for a mid-sized car?
The IC doesn't look much different to me and might be even a little more boring to look at now. Hard to tell from the pics they have on their media site. The hybrid's lower fascia is just plain horrid IMO. The whole car has a rounded off theme to it and that lower fascia is stretched out to the wheels and squared off. Did Spongebob Squarepants help with that part of the design? :P
I think you're correct about the 2.5 model though. I'll have to double check Nissan's site to see about that though.
And, it's good to see Ford is implementing the smart key technology on the 2010 Fusion. They're really making a push to get back their lost market share aren't they?
You have no idea what you're talking about...you cannot lock the car when the key is inside even in the trunk.
Thirty years into the future, someone will invent the KEY all over again, and it will be hailed as the greatest advance since the electric starter.
Uh, no...but we do have cold weather from time-to-time here in Wisconsin.
Yeah...we are projected to be -3 on Wednesday without the wind. It will feel like -20 with the wind chill. I'm gonna burn all my gas just trying to warm up my car in the morning!! Not looking forward to it...
P.S. A car warms up faster while driving. There was an invention within the recent past (speaking of technology like keyless start) that helps drivers who need to drive a cold car on days like this. It's called Coat, Hat, Gloves. Works very well!
I can take it. I just don't like it!! If my wife was not big into snow sports (skiing/snow boarding) and all my family were not up here, I would be looking to migrate my flock down south.
Dont forget a cup of hot coffee!
The bun warmers help a lot also. Had some on a 3 Series but just said good-bye to that. Which leads to a (on-topic!!) question: which mid-sized sedans offer seat warmers, with cloth and with leather? I'd guess all of them with leather at least, but maybe some with cloth too (not as important though, IMO). Even some compacts now offer bun warmers with cloth and leather seating.
The heated leather seats in our SEL AWD 2007 Fusion work like a dream, have high-low setting, too.
Ah, had not thought of this archaic "warm the car up" practice really being about babying the driver and not the vehicle.
Of course, I'm somewhat coddled myself with an attached garage on the really cold days it is maybe ~20 degrees warmer in there than outside.
Bigger markup. This isn't unique to Ford.