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Get it? That was a play on their commercials. OK, I'll refrain from any more attempts at humor.
Just wanted to say, I love this car and have not had one problem with it over the 5,000 miles and 3 1/2 months I've owned it. Came from the factory, via the dealer, perfect. Not many people can say that. Not even a squeak or rattle.
That said these motors are all good and I could live with any of them. But Honda has the better of these motors, period.
How does the Fusion perform in that respect? I am also not too giddy about the Fusion's power at 3200+ lbs. My Contour is no where close to that kind of power but it has 1,2,D shifting and is only 2700 lbs. I may just have to wait for the Edge at 250+ hp or until Fusion gets that kind of power. No more 4 bangers for me.
You do know that Ford does have iterations of the Duratec30 that rival the 3.0L from Honda. You just don't see them in "basic" Ford and Mercury vehicles as they save them for the PAG lines. That's one thing I like about Honda, they don't save all of the "good stuff" for the luxo marque.
I won't argue that Honda has better engines either because overall they do. But saying that other manufacturers need to catch up isn't entirely true. Honda does jump ahead most of the time but when someone catches up, well, they catch up.
I think Ford should have done something special with the Duratec35 that would have made Honda have to catch up but as it stands they didn't and Honda will make them play catch-up again in the future.
20 - 21 mpg combined. I commute from Bowie, MD to Washington, DC everyday, with 3 occupants, total. Approximately 10 miles of highway driving at 70-75 MPH (HOV lane
How does the Fusion perform in that respect?
Well, here in the DC area, we've only had about 2 weeks of below freezing weather early in December. At that time, I just turned the key, flipped on the seat heater, and drove off. By the time I was to the highway, approx. 3 miles, everything was very warm and running smoothly.
By not aiming ahead, these guys are making cars that are good but only match "last years" Toyonda. Then you cannot justify selling at the same price hence the discounts. Actually, I would love to buy a Ford or GM again, but every time I do I get burned by a poorly built POS. So I go back to my boring Honda Accord and drive trouble free...
Ford is also under reporting hp in some cases. The 2005 mustang is advertised at 300 hp but chassis dynos have confirmed that it's putting out at least 320 hp. On 87 octane fuel.
I think they have starting making better cars but still hurt by their image. IMHO, Ford needs to build some barn burner to rebuild it's image. A 300hp AWD Fusion Coup will do a lot for it's image.
As for 8 cyl engines, notice I qualified my statements with 4 and 6 cyl engines - I will not argue the v8s. Everyone is under reporting their high horsepower engines to the tune of 20-50 hp. The Ford GT is probably well over 600hp!
But I'd still be willing to bet if you compare torque curves, fuel requirements and emissions the Ford 3.5L will be very competitive. I'd be surprised if it's not putting out close to 260 hp on 87 octane fuel with lower emissions and a better torque curve than the 268 hp toyota engine. You can always increase peak hp by increasing the redline but that won't translate into better off the line performance.
Second, Fords new 3.5 will use VVT. However cylinder deactivation really isn't viable on an overhead cam engine. The exception is Honda's VTEC which works differently from every other Manufacturerer, but the aren't sharing the patents.
Third I agree that HP in an FWD car is not inthe catagory of MORE is BETTER. Just go floor a Maxima. I just spoke to a kid with a turbo Golf GTI and he said the Torque Lag is so bad the car wants to completely change lanes.
Fourth I think smoothness and refinement is much more important than the raw hp numbers. What gives a sense of Power and Refinement is when you don't hear as MUCH engine as you expect based on how hard you flooring the car.
I agree that Honda can put some amazing engines out, but they have also missed the boat (previous generation Civic Si anyone?)
Mark
You got that right...and it is just silly. I don't know about where you live, but around here the typical driver probably rarely goes above over 3000 rpm. People are very pokey, they take 1/2 mile to get up to 60 mph. They should not care what the HP number is at 6000 or 7000 rpm....but they do.
My wifes Jetta with a "lousy" 150 or 160 HP is plenty adequate. This is because most of the torque is there even at about 2000 rpm.
Any thoughts. My 23 year old son is comparing both vehicles.
But the funny thing is it does not seem sell itself :confuse: . My understanding is the majority of buyers end up opting for 4 cyl Camrys and Accords. So I guess the best marketing strategy would be to advertise a 500HP model...but then when you get to the showroom, you find out the 500 HP model cost $150,000 :surprise: , then the salesman says...but we do have this model in a 200 HP V6 for $20-25,000 or the 160 HP 4 cyl for under $20K
Our 4cyl 5spd with economy and "fun to cruz" does
put a smile on our mugs.
My Bonneville and Intrigue with V6 engines and 1000lbs heavier deliver the similar mileage as my I4 Focus in my commute, 60% of which from stop light to stop light. Did I mention the fun and safety driving more powerful cars?
In fact, just this week Robert Lutz of GM, was talking about the strange bipolar auto market in the US. Muscle cars with 500 HP on one hand and then the Hybrid cars on the other.
My favorite about how oblivious and innane consumers are is the JD Powers & Assoc. 2004 reviews of complaints over cars in service for one year. The one with the highest complaints that year was the Hummer2. Why you ask??? Well they said that they were expecting better gas miliage! I couldn't stop laughing at that one. Imagine a 3.5 ton car blasting down the road with huge/thick nobby tires, one passenger inside, blasting the AC. Now come on.....is it any wonder why the world cannot understand what makes Americans tick? The whole HP argument makes me incredulous.
To me 210 or 221HP doesn't make the least amount of difference. I like the way the Fusion looks and the price is right. The only question for Ford now is the future reliability of this car. That will get Ford more consumers into the showroom to try out their cars.
The best thing was the comfortable driving position that I easily found. This does not happen often for me. In most cars I have to reach too much for the steering wheel, when I have the seat set at a comfortable distance from the pedals. The Ford telescoping wheel actually telescopes out enough for me, yay
The 4 cyl automatic had enough power for me. Engine was kind of noisy when accelerating, but very quiet when cruising. Other than that about the only noise I heard was a little wind noise. I think this was just the normal sound of air flowing around the car, made more noticable by the lack of other noises. Very nice handling but with a pretty smooth ride also.
The only new disappointment is that the dark interior color that I would prefer is not avaiable in the Fusion S and I don't really want the added features of the SE. The disappointing factors that I already knew about are...not getting the 6 speed trans with the 4 cylinder and no ESC available.
FWIW, the 221 Fusion can barely outrun the 190 horse 2006 Camry XLE, and is actually slower in passing tests. The Sonata and Accord V6s majorly trounce the Fusions accelerative abilities, and the 6 speed 268 horse Camry will as well (likely to clock about 6 seconds to sixty).
alpha
If I decide to go drag racing, I'm trading for this!
By all means, bring the Camry!
Reference the 12/05 issue of Car and Driver for times (or the 12/05 issue of Motor Trend)
alpha
Sorry, but safe driving, including allowance of proper following distances, does work. The fact that some people refuse to drive properly is no reason not to drive properly. By the way, I mostly drive in southern CA, not some remote area with little traffic. I leave an even greater following distance when some unsafe driver is following me too closely, and if they are really too close, will slow down or brake to give them the message. It usually works, and I have often seen what appears to be a wife telling her husband to back off and drive properly when I do so.
It seems that some people have a very narrow view of motoring... :P Mention HP figures and they think "speeding", mention acceleration times and they think "drag racing". Poor little people... :shades:
I'd say anyone who thinks people buy Camrys for performance has a very narrow view of the marketplace.
I would walk before I bought a Japanese name-plate Car.
The Big-3 needs a kick in the pants and the Fusion is just that kick(albeit just the beginning)
Here in Detroit, The Big 3 are well known for inferior cars (Blame the Unions)and i would pass over 95% of the American made junk.
With that said, The Fusion is a new breed indeed. I am proud of my Fusion as it looks killer (unlike the boring "Married with Children" or Soccer Mom" looking Camrys and Accords)and I could care less if the Toy or Honda beet me at the drag strip.
This car makes a bold statement and hardly blends into the road like the boring and plain Japanese rivals.
Please let me know the last time any of you thought "WOW, the Camry is a real headturner" or That "Accord sure is fast"..
I think the difference between the owners of the Japanese rivals are content with their "smart" purchase..
I think Fusion owners are proud and excited owners of their cars.
Afterall, shouldn't you actually enjoy your driving experience?
I have a heavy foot and my Fusion SEL has ample getty-up. What kinda reject cares about blasting through the city anyway? As long as I have the HP to merge on the HWY or pass some 90 year old Blue Hair, then I'm happy..
And the ONLY Japanese car I have seen that is even remotely as classy and stylish as my Fusion is the Nissan Maxima with the sport package (over 30 grand)and I STILL like the Fusion's looks better and the 6 G's I saved to boot!
This is true but the Mexico plant also has the highest quality rating of ANY FORD Plant at 89%..
You will see these models are VERY well built and the fit and finish rivals Merceds or Honda..
The fusion handling seemed great to me. Going around curves, turning corners, changing lanes...it has a real nice feel. Yet it still has a nice ride on our crappy rough roads. Accord steering felt too light to me.
The fusion 4 wheel disc brakes also seemed to stop the car nice and quick, when I tried a pretend panic stop on my test drive.
My 22 year old son is deciding between a Honda (great car, but very common), the Milan. The Honda offers many items he would like, but expensive.
Resale value is absolutely not a reason to buy nav. In fact, your total depreciation will be more with nav than without it.
Options like nav and rear seat dvd systems lose a higher percentage of original value at resale than the car as a whole.
A $1500 and $2000 dvd entertainment system and nav system only add a few hundred dollars to resale value after a few years.
You can't justify nav by saying it will pay for itself with added resale value. Some options like A/C and automatic transmission (on most cars) are needed for resale and will return to you most of the initial cost at resale time, but not nav.
~alPHa
Usually I find Ford seats to be among the most comfortable for me because the seats are deeper than most, the fusion did not disappoint in that regard.
I really felt at home in the car right away.
Head room and leg room were fine as was hip room...but I am not a wide person. There was adequate rear seat leg room behind me too...not like the insane amount in a 500, but enough.
This car (or milan) is at the top of my list now. I'll probably get a 2007 or 2008 sometime in the next 1-2 years.
I plan to go for an automatic as I don't want to commit to 10-12 more years of shifting. Especially given the fact that there is actually a small gas mileage penalty for the manual.